Easter fun with your entrees

I know that ham is the traditional Easter dish, but the trouble around my house is I’m the only one who likes it. And honestly, I’m not a huge chunk ‘o ham kinda meal person. Slice it, dice it, and put it in an omelet or on a sandwich, in pasta, I’m good, but on its own…eh. Anyone else looking to add a little zing to their Easter meal (or hey, even the week leading up the the holiday)?

Here’s a little inspiration. Color. Easter color–not in dessert, but in your entrees. You’re curious now, right? Keep reading. Warning: vanity shots of steamed purple cauliflower ahead.

Bunny salad time!

Salad

What to call this–fresh Easter-Mex? I’m not sure. But I tweaked our taco salad into a bunny one. For salad, I do the expected shredded romaine lettuce. Then, I like to add pinto beans (right from the can, or homecooked, if you have ‘em). And a mixture of green chiles, corn and tomatoes. My younger kids go without dressing, I like to make one using my favorite salsa and either a shot of sour cream or Caesar dressing. Then the real draw is the crispy taco strips. Using my wok, I fry thin (about 1/4″ strips of corn tortillas). And as long as the oil is warm, I use a cookie cutter to make bunnies to top the salad. I threw some leftover grilled chicken and shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese into the salad too. I had clean plates all around on this meal (and a request for more bunnies next time).

Stir-fries

Now for that purple cauliflower. I spied it at the grocery store and I couldn’t resist. I added it in

The light from the window hit just right when I was cutting.

along with other veggies into our stir-fry this week. My kids will polish off bowls of broccoli, but so far none of them have taken to cauliflower. Well, I got them to munch a bit more for the sake of eating something purple. My middle daughter ate all of hers and asked for more, but my younger and older daughters scooted it to the side of their plates after trying a couple, with a half-hearted, “Yeah, I like it, I’m just getting full” bluff. Ah well. Little do they know I have orange cauliflower at the ready for a coming meal…

Colorful chicken Philly

Sandwiches, fajitas & more

Yellow. Green. Red. Orange. I’m talking peppers here, not Easter egg colors. I like to buy them fresh when I find them on sale and then slice them in my Cuisinart and save them in individual meal portions in the freezer. We made chicken Philly-cheese steak sandwiches and threw in a medley of colorful peppers. Again, we have some pepper and non-pepper fans around here. I have hope that eventually all my kids will be begging for peppers but right now my two youngest pick out their peppers and give them to my oldest, who happily accepts them. But even if you’re not into sandwiches, add an extra helping to fajitas, pasta salad, scrambled eggs.

But there’s so much more you can do to add a little color to you meals–or even to your house whether you’re celebrating Easter or just looking to add a bit of Spring inside. Flipping through some ideas on Simple Spring Makeovers on Motherboard, I liked the idea of adding carrots to your flower vase along with blossoms. (I think I’d have to add in some yellow and purple ones too!)

Your turn: Are you planning on making anything special for the Easter holiday this year? Or have you been decorating with Spring colors to spruce up your home?

One more shot: Steamed purple cauliflower