Easter Classics For Grown-Ups

After you’ve grown up and had a child or two of your own, it’s easy to find the whole Easter thing a little overwhelming.

First, you spend an unjustifiable amount of money on chocolate eggs, which are then greedily gobbled up within just a couple of hours. Then there’s the inevitable hours of sugar-fuelled chaos, where you find yourself trying to pull your child off the ceiling, all the while trying to listen to sherry-drunk great Aunt Susan tell the same story three times over.

And then, to top it all off, two weeks later, discover you’ve put on half a stone from Mum’s delicious – but amply portioned – Easter cooking.

If you feel like keeping this Easter a little more low-key, we’ve rustled up some tasty and healthy Easter treats with reduced sugar, so you can kick back and put your feet up without feeling guilty!

Lighter Devilled Eggs

Eggs have been associated with Easter time for hundreds, if not thousands of years.

These days, in the Christian tradition, the eggshell represents the tomb that Jesus was laid to rest in, and the yolk represents his light. However, it is thought that the association of eggs with Easter actually goes back much further than the birth of Christ.

Many historians suggest that eggs were originally a part of the Anglo-Saxon pagan festival of Ostara, which celebrated a Goddess called ‘Oestre’, from which the word Easter hails. The eggs were considered symbols of fertility and new life, and eggs were planted in the ground to bring in a fertile year.

Wherever the association comes from, these eggs are mouth-watering, healthy, and a wonderful addition to any Easter feast!

Serves 12

Ingredients:

12 large eggs

6 tbsp low-fat Greek yoghurt

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp lemon juice

Smoky chilli sauce

Paprika (to taste)

Parsley (to taste)

Instructions:

1. Place the eggs in a pan and cover them with water. Bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave them in the pan for 10 minutes to harden.
2. Dunk the eggs in ice water to cool. Crack the shell gently by tapping it lightly with a spoon and peel. Slice the eggs in half and scoop out the yolk.
3. Mash the yolk with a fork and stir in the yoghurt and the flavourings, keeping a little parsley aside for a garnish.
4. Using a piping bag, pipe the yolk mixture back into the centre of the eggs, while trying to achieve an even swirl.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley and refrigerate until needed.

Raw Vegan Easter Eggs

Chocolate gets a bad rap, but in raw, unprocessed form it’s actually an amazing superfood!

High in Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E, and Pantothenic acid, plus minerals including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, cacao also contains more antioxidants than blueberries and even pomegranates, making it a great choice for anyone who is looking for some healthy indulgence this Easter.

Not only that, but cacao is packed with mood-boosting hormones, including tryptophan (which is converted to serotonin and improves mood and lowers stress), anandamide (which produces feelings of euphoria), and theobromine (which boosts energy levels).

Serves 12

Ingredients:

400g coconut oil

12 tbsp agave or maple syrup

240g raw cacao powder

6 Tbsp peanut butter

50g freeze-dried raspberries, broken

Instructions:

1. Put the oil in a bowl over a pan of water and bring to a low simmer. When melted, remove from the heat.
2. Add the syrup and stir until combined.
3. Mix in the cacao powder a little at a time and stir until smooth.
4. Pour the chocolate into moulds and, using a pastry brush, spread around the moulds evenly
5. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until hard.
6. Get the chocolate moulds out of the fridge, and ease the chocolate eggs out carefully. Set aside on a plate.
7. Combine the peanut butter with the broken up freeze-dried raspberries.
8. Fill the chocolate casings with the raspberry-peanut butter mix.
9. Use the last of the melted chocolate to brush around the rims of the chocolate egg halves.
10. Stick the halves together
11. Set in the fridge until hard.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Vegetarian Torta Pasqualina

If you’re a vegetarian and have had enough of having quiche every Easter since the dawn of time, this Italian vegetable pie offers a refreshing change.

The eggs and low-fat ricotta make it an excellent source of protein, while the spinach gives it a boost of iron, meaning this meal is a nutritious and balanced option for veggies.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

150g wholemeal flour

150g plain flour

4 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped finely

160g artichokes in oil

400g baby spinach

A large handful of parsley, chopped

450g low-fat ricotta

50g vegetarian Parmesan (or nutritional yeast for added B12)

6 large eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Combine the flours with the salt to make the pastry. Add 2 tbsp oil and 150ml warm water and scrape them into a dough. Knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is smooth, but don’t overwork. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Heat the rest of the oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until translucent, and stir in the artichokes and spinach. Wilt over a low heat. Allow to cool.
4. Combine the parsley, cheese, and 3 of the eggs in a blender. Season.
5. Cut off 2/3 of the pastry and roll into a circle. Use to line a greased cake tin.
6. Fill the case with the filling and cover it with two eggs.
7. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the filling.
8. Beat the remaining egg and use to glaze the top of the pie. Sprinkle with salt.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve.