Easter

Yeah, so my family's going to visit my aunt + her family for Easter in upstate. :P Kinda boring, but I can handle that part. it's just that I'm the only veg in the family (aka the cynical 15 year old vegan) and they'll be serving:

Ham

Side dishes w/ butter, chicken stock, blah

Desserts (none vegan, duh)

They've asked me if I want to cook/bring something, but I need ideas. Like, an all-in-one meal that travels well, plus a vegan dessert that also can stand the trip. If I get to the gym a lot this week, I can prolly afford a cheat day, which instantly makes me think of vegan cupcakes :D but idk...

Help?

Do you like eggplant? I make 'lasagna' by peeling eggplant, slicing it longways (to resemble lasagna noodles) and layer in a glass dish as such:

tomato sauce
eggplant
tofu*
chopped broccoli
tomato sauce
eggplant
tomato sauce
chopped broccoli
soy cheese (optional)

*for the tofu- use firm tofu that you drain the water from and then mash up. It tastes very similar to ricotta cheese- strange but true.

This dish just gets better the day after too! 

There are a ton of veggie cooking sites, so try browsing them. You might find something.

• vegweb.com
• fatfreevegan.com
• http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/
• http://www.veganchef.com/
• http://www.theppk.com/

I was doing a quick search and came up with this from Vegcooking, an Easter Pie:

Easter Pie Make Easter brunch this year. Your family will never miss the traditional Easter ham when they try this delicious, flaky, and cruelty-free pie.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dairy-free margarine
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup water
1 lb. vegetarian sausage, crumbled
2 lbs. firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup soy Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, margarine, sugar, and 1/4 tsp. of salt. With the machine still running, add the water to form a dough ball.
• Divide the dough into two balls and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the vegetarian sausage, tofu, soy Parmesan, parsley, remaining salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and fennel seeds.
• Roll out the dough into two 11-inch circles. Place one circle in a 10-inch pie plate and spread the filling mixture over it. Cover with the other dough, pinch the edges, and prick the center with a fork.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

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I'm having the same issue though since it'll be my first Vegan Easter as well. Keep up the faith though! :D You'll find something other than salad to eat

0_o mmmm, pie...

Also, I <3 the ppk. Isa rocks! I've only made her Brooklyn Pad Thai and chocolate chip cookies for the holidays, though.

Thanks for the recipe and the websites, zaff!

Also, skinnyogi: That lasagna sounds gooood and less carby than ones w/ a ton of white pasta. I like tofu "ricotta" as well, adding a little basil brightens the flavor. I found some vegan soy cheese at Whole Foods, but didn't buy it cos it looked like rubber...is it any good?

Follow your Heart vegan cheese is supposed to be the best, but I got some to put on pizza and wasn't too thrilled. It was the mozzarella one and didn't have much flavor. I could have just done without. There are some good recipes out there for cheesy sauces made with nutritional yeast. And if the tofu makes a good ricotta sub then you probably don't need extra "cheese."