20 Mar 3 Healthy, Yummy Organic Easter Recipes

Hot cross buns, marshmallow eggs and lots and lots of chocolate – traditional Easter foods tend to be on the sugary side, and keeping this much-loved holiday a healthy one can be a challenge! Luckily with the growing demand for natural, healthy alternatives to ordinary holiday treats, there are now plenty of ways to curb the calories and max the nutrition in your Easter recipes.  These are goodies the Easter Bunny himself would be proud of!

Check out or brand-new organic and vegan-friendly Easter eggs – a special dairy-free recipe in a choice of delicious creamy flavours.

1. Gluten-Free Carrot Cupcakes

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Spoil your little bunnies with these wholesome, munchy carrot-filled cupcakes with delicious maple-vanilla frosting.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 1½ cups almond flour
• ¾tsp baking soda
• 2tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp salt
• 3 eggs (or egg replacement)
• 2Tbsp coconut oil
• ¼ cup grade B maple syrup
• 2 cups grated organic carrot
• ¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

For the Frosting

• 5Tbsp coconut butter
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ½Tbsp honey (or agave)
• 1Tbsp grade B maple syrup
• 1tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325º.
2. Combine the almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt together in a bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, coconut oil & maple syrup in a separate bowl. Stir in the carrots with about half the pecans.
4. Add the carrot mix to the dry ingredients. Stir to thoroughly combine.
5. Pour the batter into a paper-lined cupcake tin. Bake for 20 min, then set aside and cool in the tin for 30 min.
6. Using a blender or stand mixer, whip together the frosting ingredients until smooth.
7. Once the cupcakes are cool, spread with frosting & sprinkle with the rest of the pecan nuts before serving.

2. Colourful Free Range Boiled Eggs

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Hard-boiled eggs painted in festive colours are a long-standing Easter tradition – but we all know food colouring is just loaded with nasty chemicals like E-numbers. Luckily, there are a whole range of common foods that can be used to create rainbow-hued eggs for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

All you’ll need is free range eggs, some filtered water, white vinegar and the right foods or spices to create the hues you want.

Method

1. Wash your hard-boiled free range eggs in warm water with a little natural detergent, to remove any oily residue that might stop the dye from sticking.
2. Leave the eggs to cool before attempting to dye them.
3. For each colour, use about 1 cup of filtered water with one handful of your dye ingredient – unless you’re using a spice, in which case 1tsp – 1Tbsp will do.
4. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 15 min to 1 hour, until you have the desired colour. The longer the liquid steeps, the deeper the colour will be.
5. Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the mixture into a liquid measuring cup. Add 2- 3tsp of white vinegar for each cup of strained liquid.
6. Pour the mixture into a bowl or jar that is deep enough to completely cover the eggs.
7. Use a slotted spoon to lower the eggs into the hot liquid. Refrigerate & leave the eggs to sit in the water overnight. The longer they sit, the deeper the final colour.
8. Lift the dyed eggs out with a slotted spoon & leave them on a rack to drain. Tip: Dab the eggs with a sponge while wet to get a great textured look.
9. Once dry, rub the eggs with a little coconut oil to give the colourful shells a soft sheen. Serve in eggcups & enjoy.

3. Vegan Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

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These fluffy marshmallows are the perfect accompaniment to your organic hot chocolate.

Ingredients

• 2 cups maple syrup
• ¼tsp salt
• 1 vanilla pod, scraped
• ½ cup cold filtered water
• 3 tbsp agar agar
• Arrowroot powder, for dusting

Method

1. Lightly grease a baking pan with coconut oil & set aside.
2. Place the cold water in a bowl & sprinkle in the agar. Stir to combine.
3. In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat,
4. Combine the maple syrup, salt & vanilla seeds in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the mixture; remove from heat as soon as it reaches 240ºF.
6. Use a stand mixer to whisk the syrup mixture, adding it to your mixing bowl a little at a time until it has all been added.
7. Whisk for approx. 10 min more; the mixture will whiten & expand to about 3 times its original volume, to create a marshmallow “fluff”.
8. Pour the mixture into your prepared pan & spread evenly. Dust with a little arrowroot powder & leave to cool at room temperature overnight.
9. To slice & dice your mixture into marshmallows, dust your work surface with a little arrowroot powder & use a sharp knife, lightly greased with coconut oil. Lightly sprinkle the finished marshmallows with a little more arrowroot. Serve with hot chocolate, or dip them in a home-made cacao chocolate coating. Yum!