By: Stephanie Ruopp
Each time a holiday comes around, there’s a tendency for many people to just toss out any attempts at healthy eating.
That’s part of celebrating, right?
No one’s advising that you deprive yourself this Easter. Go ahead and celebrate.
But before you start planning on devouring all those deviled eggs, piles of ham and chocolate treats, you may just want consider a few easy and healthier recipes for your Easter this year.
Interested? Go ahead and read on.
Feel Better with Healthier Recipes for Your Easter
If you’re already accustomed to a daily habit of eating healthier, you know that making a major digression from that diet can leave you feeling weighed down and heavy.
Go into your Easter Sunday armed with some of the healthier alternatives we’re offering below.
And yes, you can still enjoy some of those other Easter goodies. Just do so in moderation.
1. Greek Yogurt Fruit Tart
Made with a gluten free two-ingredient crust, protein-heavy Greek yogurt, and a gorgeous array of fresh fruit of your choice, this healthy fruit tart is a great way to start your Easter morning. And it only takes 25 minutes.
What you’ll need:
15 Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews
1 cup Greek yogurt (vanilla is nice and neutral, but you can use any flavor)
assorted sliced fresh fruit
What you’ll do:
1. Spray the bottom of a 9-inch pan or dish with nonstick spray and line the pan with parchment paper. (You’re free to skip the parchment paper, but it eliminates the taste of nonstick cooking spray.)
2. Check to be sure dates are soft from soaking. Drain them and chop them in half.
3. In a blender or food processor, pulse the dates and cashews together until thick “dough” is formed. It should be thick and moist. Press it evenly into the pan, pressing up agains the sides.
4. Spread the yogurt on top of the crust and then decorate the tart with seasonal fruit of your choice. You’re good to go!
2. Quinoa, Kale, Tomato and Corn Salad
There’s nothing like a salad made with really fresh ingredients, lemon juice and good olive oil. And that’s just what this is.
What you’ll need:
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup corn
1 scallion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
optional – freshly grated cheese hard or tangy cheese like parmesan or feta (for a vegan version, leave out cheese or use nutritional yeast)
What you’ll do:
Simply toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and you’re done!
3. Salt-and-Pepper Charred Green Beans
Easter side dishes are often laden with butters and sauces. But putting a gentle char on fresh green beans is a simple way to get amazing flavor while keeping them healthful.
What you’ll need:
2 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
Flaked salt
Coarsely ground fresh black pepper
What you’ll do:
1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
2. In a separate bowl, toss together the green beans, oil and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Add about a quarter of beans to the skillet and DO NOT STIR them. Let them cook for 2 minutes, then toss and cook until charred and just tender – about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Transfer to a platter and repeat with remaining beans. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Quick Salmon and Potato Al Forno
Stuffed salmon with fresh herbs, roasted fennel and potatoes might sound like a lot of work. But this healthy and winning combination of a recipe is really quite easy too.
What you’ll need:
1 1/2 lbs. waxy new potatoes
1 large bulb fennel
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley , leaves picked and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic , peeled and finely chopped or grated
1 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
olive oil
4- 4oz. salmon fillets, scaled and boned
a few sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
1 small handful grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon for zesting
What you’ll do:
1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
3. Trim the fennel bulb, reserving the fronds for later. Meanwhile, cut the bulb into eight wedges.
4. Put fennel wedges and potatoes in the boiling water and let them boil for about 6 minutes.
5. Drain them, allowing them to dry for one minute. Then transfer them to a large roasting dish. Season them with salt and pepper.
6. Sprinkle half of the chopped parsley over them and all of the garlic. Dot veggies with small butter pieces and then drizzle well with olive oil. Toss everything together and spread evenly into single layer in dish. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until golden.
7. While vegetables are roasting, prepare the salmon fillets. Pinch the fillets so they plump up and then score the skin side of the filets with a knife. Season both sides of the fish, and stuff remaining parsley and mint leaves into the scored part of the filets. This will help them cook more quickly and absorb all the delicious flavors.
8. Once the potatoes golden, take them out of the oven and sprinkle them with grated Parmesan. Lay salmon, skin-side up, on top of vegetable mixture. Sprinkle the lemon zest, drizzle with more olive oil and then return the whole mixture to the oven for 15 minutes.
9. Just before removing dish from the oven, take the reserved fennel fronds, chop them and sprinkle them over the dish. Serve with lemon wedges and have at it.
5. Roast Chicken with Moroccan-Style Couscous
This dairy-free recipe is loaded with delicious herbs and roasted vegetables. And the simple Moroccan-style couscous accompaniment will spice up your Easter.
What you’ll need:
3 1/2 lbs free-range/organic chicken
1 lemon, halved
2 red onions, peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
a few sprigs fresh mint , leaves picked and chopped
olive oil
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
8 oz. jarred roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/4 cup couscous
extra virgin olive oil
What you’ll do:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Place the chicken on a board and cut criss cross slashes into the legs. Cut the lemon in half and place inside the chicken.
3. Rub the chicken skin with olive oil, a little sea salt, pepper and the cumin and transfer the chicken to a roasting tray. Place it in the oven.
4. Peel and quarter the onions and carrots.
5. After the chicken has cooked 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350° and add the onions and carrots to the tray. Roast for another hour, until the chicken is cooked and the thigh meat pulls easily away from the bone.
6. Carefully lift the chicken onto a plate and cover with tin foil and towels to keep warm.
7. Spoon the vegetables onto a board and roughly chop them. Return them to the roasting tray and place on a medium heat. Pour in 1 pint of boiling water and stir well, making sure you scrape up goodness from the bottom of the tray.
8. Drain and roughly chop the peppers, then add them to the tray with the smoked paprika, ground coriander and the couscous.
9. Meanwhile, remove the lemon halves from the chicken and squeeze the juices into the tray.
10. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat off and leave to rest for 5 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all the water.
11. Chop the mint leaves.
12. Once couscous has absorbed the liquid, using a fork to fluff it and stir in the chopped mint. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and everything together.
13. Cut the chicken up into joints and serve with the roasted vegetable couscous. (If you want to make it even healthier, remove the chicken skin. That one’s up to you though.) Then dig in!
6. Healthier Lemon Squares
In this recipe, butter is swapped out for coconut oil and tofu is used to thicken up the filling. Even those obsessed with regular lemon bars will be surprised at how great this healthier alternative is.
What you’ll need:
Crust:
1 cup whole wheat pastry or white flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp powdered sugar (or sugar-free powdered sugar)
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 tbsp water or more coconut oil
Filling:
1/2 tbsp arrowroot or cornstarch
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar or sugar free powdered sugar
1/16 tsp uncut stevia OR or 2 more tbsp powdered sugar
1 cup MoriNu silken-firm or lite tofu (Be sure it’s this specific tofu and not what you find in the grocery store refrigerator section.)
zest of one lemon
What you’ll do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a food processor or by hand, combine crust ingredients. (If you’re doing it by hand, melt the coconut oil first.) Press evenly into a well-greased 8×8 pan. You can use wax paper over the top to make it easier to press down.
3. Bake crust 10 minutes.
4. While crust bakes, combine filling ingredients in a food processor or blender.
5. Once the crust is baked, pour filling evenly on top and cook another 25 minutes.
6. Let cool 10 minutes, then place in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours. This last point is important to allow the bars to set.
7. Once adequately cooled, cut into bars with a sharp knife and get ready to impress.
Have a Happy Easter
We hope you enjoy yourself and that you’ll try at least one of these easy and healthier recipes for your Easter.
Your health and wellness is our first priority. So if you have any other questions about staying healthy this holiday, please feel free to reach out to one of our instructors.
And you’re always welcome to contact us at any time. Enjoy your Easter Sunday.