The Easter Project

Getting ready to host the families on Sunday for an Easter brunch. I'll be serving Kyson-allergy-free food, so it will all be soy-free, nut-free and legume-free, among other things :) Excitedly, this has consumed my life right now. Ah, what a gripping life I lead! Really trying to make it as normal as possible for non-vegans while respecting all of the allergy stuff for my little boy. Want to prove anything is possible and that we aren't horrifically limited in our diet!

Here's the menu:

Fronch Toast - from Isa's Vegan with a Vengeance book. Using my homemade baguette from the Blue Ribbon Bread recipe from Vegan Lunch Box. I baked the bread and sliced it into 1-inch pieces and froze so they will be ready for Sunday morning!

Smoky Maple Sausages - from Isa's Vegan Brunch recipe. Used my own seitan - I'm pretty pumped about these little suckers. I put the dough in a pastry bag and piped it out onto sheets of foil (see pic way below...damn mobile blogger). Rolled about 36 of them and steamed for about 40 minutes. Since I made them ahead of time, I kept them in the foil in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. I'll thaw in the fridge the night before.

Fruit Flowers - I'll make these the morning of the brunch. I have some cookie cutters for the pineapple slices, and will use a cantaloupe ball as the middle. I'll have chocolate covered strawberries and strands of grapes and blueberries all on skewers. I have a tacky ceramic Easter-themed pot that my mom loaned to me and I'll fit it with homemade play doh, cover with leaf lettuce, then stick everything in.

Bakery Style Muffins - I might have the name wrong, but they are from Isa's Vegan Brunch book. One of my faves! I made them mini-sized so they are more suitable for a buffet and froze them so they will be ready to go!

Potato Spinach Squares - also from Isa's Vegan Brunch. Will make the morning of!

Hash Browns - I loved these ones! From Isa's Vegan Brunch (again!). I finally found some cheesecloth so Kyle will have the task of wringing out the potatoes on Sunday morning! Totally worth it since they are so yummy without all the oil! And since they are in muffin tins, they are nice little portions.

Quinoa Salad - cooked quinoa, grape tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cilantro and parsley with Farm Boy Lemon Garlic dressing. Easy!

Carrot Cupcakes - using the recipe from VCTOTW except subbing extra rice milk plus vinegar for the soy yogurt. Given my history with making carrot-based baked goods, I am a little nervous about this necessary substitution. Will ice with a buttercream made from my butter (except I'm trying a newer, lighter recipe!) and top with slivers of carrots with parsley. I have some cute basket cupcake wraps that look like Easter baskets.

Punch - bottled organic lemon juice and lime juice, two small bottles of POM, 1 bottle sparkling water, a few glugs of agave nectar and OJ.

Everyone will get a takeaway - a little bag with some iced Sugar Cookies (from VCTOYCJ) in Easter shapes with some crafts made by the kids.

I will for sure post pics of everything!