The Easter Bunny is Vegan
Vegan Easter Dinner: make use of your left overs

For Easter in my family, we typically spend the day at my grandparents watching the cousins hunt Easter eggs, spending time with all my aunts and uncles, and of course, eating until our pants don’t fit.

Typically my grandma makes a big ham for the family with mashed potatoes and asparagus. (Not to mention a million other sides) While my grandparents always make sure there is something home cooked and amazing for me to eat, some new vegans might have trouble eating at their relatives.
Family members are not always the most supportive of a new vegan in the family, so here is a meal to show them a vegan Easter dinner is actually delicious.

On our Cheap Vegan Easter menu, we’re going to utilize left overs and cheap produce to make a delicious vegan dinner of mashed potatoes, peas, “meat” loaf and gravy.

Mashed Potatoes

• Potatoes
• soy milk, broth, or water
• salt pepper to taste

1. Bake potatoes until soft (you can also microwave or boil)
   -chop potatoes first for faster cooking
2. Add splashes of water/broth/milk in bowl or mixer until they are at the consistency you like.

“Meat”loaf

• 1 cup of left overs — Meatloaf has always been a way to use leftovers and vegan “meat”loaf is no different.  Use any beans, veggies, or fake burger that you have, make sure they are cut in to small pieces so they will stick together easier, you can even throw them in the blender.
  Some recommended ingredients: kidney beans, boca crumbles, zucchini, peas, potato, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, corn, green beans.
• ¼ cup oatmeal
• ½ diced onion
• 2 diced celery stalks
• ¾ cup bread crumbs or stale bread blended or crumbled
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 ½ teaspoons Egg Replacer
• squirt of ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

You will also need a greased pan to make your loaf in.

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook oatmeal in water and add onion, garlic, beans/fake meat, and veggies. When onions seemed a little cooked pour mixture in to a mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the rest of your ingredients except the ketchup in the bowl. Your loaf should stick together and be a little bit like thick dough or batter.
4. Transfer mixture into pan and put a thin layer of ketchup over the top.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top starts to brown.

Serve with The Easiest Gravy Ever:

• cornstarch
• vegetable bouillon cube or boxed broth
  —->(1/2 onion and 4 chopped mushrooms optional)

1. Mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl.
2. In another bowl, microwave about 3/4 cup of water and boullion cube to make a rich broth.
3. If you’re using onions and mushroom, cook vegetables in oil until onions start to clear.
4. Pour the cornstarch mixture into a pan on medium heat.
5. The cornstarch and water will start to thicken and the broth until you get a consistency you want.

Peas

• Frozen peas
• olive oil
• garlic

1. chop garlic and fry in oil on medium heat.
2. add peas and cook until peas defrost salt to taste

Send pictures of your vegan dinner to @cheapvegan on twitter

Substitutes for Meat Substitutes

A lot of people have the impression that eating vegan means that you have to spend an arm and a leg on Tofurky and Trader Joe’s special vegan whatever. This isn’t true, there are plenty of cheap and easy ways to make meat substitutes with cheap, whole food ingredients.

1. Seitan, Tempeh, and Tofu - These are 3 meat substitutes that are very popular in vegan cooking. Seitan is the best for meat lovers gone veg. Tofu is good for making weird textures like scrambled eggs or ricotta cheese.
2. Nuts and Seeds - Healthy and very common in raw food recipes, also really good for staying full while eating vegan.
3. Beans and Legumes - Filling and full of fiber, beans and legumes are a great source of protein and are delicious. 
4. Portobello Mushroom (photo above) - Which produces helps your body produce its own antioxidants and helps with blood flow. Marinated mushrooms can be a great way to add some meaty flavor and a savory texture to your shroom.
5. Combos - Adding the foods mentioned above with grains like barley, bulgur what, or quinoa are a great way to make food like veggie burgers or “meat”loaf