Easy Vegan Recipes For Vegetable Side Dishes on Saint Patrick's Day

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Saint Patrick Day is just around the corner so why not take a healthful approach to what you serve with these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes. Celebrating with holiday parties is fun and since there will be plenty of green beer to sip on make sure to include some fresh healthful food for your event.

It's easy and cool to offer shot glasses filled with celery or asparagus soup. Asparagus soup is one of the many easy vegan recipes that you can do the night before and then after work, simply take the soup out of the fridge, fill your shot glasses and serve on Saint Patrick Day.

How about green olive tapenade on a toasted sourdough baguette? For holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day this dip can be made a few days in advance and again, just pull it out of the fridge prior to guest arrival and serve either already topped on the baguette or as one of your vegetable side dishes. (Recipe for olive tapenade can be found on page 83 in Budget Bash.)

Other vegetable side dishes your friends would enjoy on Saint Patrick Day are a cucumber salad with balsamic vinaigrette, Waldorf salad, fennel and mint salad or a cucumber and seaweed salad.

Of course, keeping it vegan and real let's not forget a bowl of edaname either cold or warm with or without salt. All of these easy vegan recipes mentioned for your holiday parties won't take much time and some can be made well in advanced, refrigerated overnight and then quickly transferred into fun and simple serving dishes as vegetable side dishes.

Roasted Asparagus Soup Recipe

2 1/2 lbs. thin asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2" pieces
2 leaks, white & light green parts only, cleaned and finely chopped
2 T. Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
2 1/2 C. vegetable broth
Chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a heavy roasting pan, combine asparagus, leeks, olive oil, slat and pepper. Mix to combine.

Roast, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes or until leeks are golden brown & asparagus are tender.

Transfer the vegetables to a blender and add the broth. Process until completely pureed, taste to adjust seasonings.

Pour soup into shot glasses & garnish with chives if desired.

Waldorf Salad Recipe

3-4 Granny Smith Apples
2 Celery stalks, thinly sliced
4 oz. walnut pieces or pecans chopped
Mixed greens if desired
French vinaigrette dressing

Cut a few slices of apple with the skin on for decoration and then peel and core the rest of the apple and cut into thin strips. Toss the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent apples from turning brown.

Add the chopped celery, apple slices, nuts and mixed greens and toss with French vinaigrette.

French Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

2 tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tbs champagne vinegar
6 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix ingredients in a cruet and serve with salad.

I hope you found these easy vegan recipes for vegetable side dishes fun to make for your holiday parties on Saint Patrick Day. Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun and economical to all!