In Southern California, we’re so blessed to have fresh produce all year round! On top of that, Orange has its very own Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market every Saturday where we can always find the freshest produce of the season. Why not take advantage of that while preparing for Easter? We have two fun Easter dishes for you that don’t require kitchen know-how OR hours of prep. These dishes are easy, fun to make and most ingredients can be found at the Farmers Market this Saturday.
Fruity Easter Bunny
Our first Easter treat is perfect to make with kiddos because it’s fun to create all the shapes and watch the delicious platter take shape. There are different versions of this bunny out there so feel free to change things up. We are using fruit that’s in season so that you can find it when you hit the Farmers on Saturday morning. You’ll need 2 apples, 1 orange, 1 basket of strawberries, 1 basket of blueberries and 1 lemon. Ideally, use a rectangular dish, but if you don’t have one, don’t worry, I made mine on a cake stand and it was adorable.
Let’s begin. Start by peeling and coring your apples and cut them into wedges. After that just cut them into 1-inch cubes, save one slice for the bunnies whiskers. Drizzle some lemon juice over the apples so they stay fresh longer. Size doesn’t matter in this recipe, just have fun. When you’re done, peel your orange and cut it into similar shapes. Next, the strawberries, cut off the tops and cut them kinda sorta like you did the apples and orange. If you are doing this with the children just put each fruit in separate bowls to create an assembly line.
At this point, you are 80% done. How great is this! Now you can start assembling the bunny. Start with arranging the apples in round shapes and form the bunny ears. In the middle of the ears, arrange the orange and strawberry slices. Add the blueberries as the outline and leave a few for the eyes. Lastly, place the strawberries around the plate and put one piece for the nose. Voila and perfecto! This is a great Easter snack for everyone to enjoy. Healthy, fresh and farm to Easter table!
Divine Avocado Deviled Eggs
If you have family visiting from out of town this will be that perfect Easter treat showcasing our delicious southern California avocados we’re so well-known for. This recipe will make you look like a pro when, in fact, the most complex thing in this recipe is boiling the eggs. Lol. For this Easter treat you will need 1 avocado, 4 or more eggs, at least one stalk of green onion, one lemon, garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, and cilantro is optional. I also used fresh carrots for garnish.
For easy peeling, it’s best to use eggs that are at least 5 days old. Start with boiling your eggs as you normally would. The most common method is to place the eggs in a pot and cover them with water. Bring it to a boil then turn off the heat, cover and let them sit 10 to 15 minutes. I usually wait until the eggs are completely cool before slicing them. (Side note: you can also boil eggs in your Instant Pot, here’s how > Place the eggs on top of the steam trivet in the pot and pour in the water. Seal the Instant Pot and cook for five minutes on high pressure. When done, let the pot sit for five more minutes and then quick release the pressure. Carefully place the eggs in ice water using a ladle spoon to remove them.
In the meantime take the flesh of the avocado and mash it. A potato masher or fork works great but you can also put it in a ziplock bag and give your fingers some stress-relieving exercise. If you use a Ziploc bag in this step you can later use it for the piping. Once the avocado texture is smooth, add some finely chopped green onions, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of each spice. You can always adjust the spice level to your liking.
Once the eggs are cooled, slice them lengthwise take out the yolks, smash them with a fork, and add them to the avocado mixture.
All of your hard work is done so it is time to have some fun piping. I just cut the corner of my ziplock and piped straight into the egg whites. You don’t have to be a master at this, remember, you can always add garnish on top to hide the imperfections!
I garnished with some carrot slices and green peas straight from the farmers market. The best part about this sophisticated looking and absolutely delicious deviled egg is that you don’t have to use any mayo, and nobody has to know. The texture is so creamy with that green onion crunch it makes for a perfect bite.
And remember, don’t throw away your food waste. Use the eggshells for your garden to add calcium or to fight off snails. And use the avocado skins as a dye to turn white fabrics pink and remember that leftover lemon can be used as a great cleaner for your kitchen.
Happy Easter, everyone!
PS. For these recipes and more Farmers Market recipes, download our FREE PDF with 11 fresh recipes you can make at home.
