Mickie Mueller
I bet you’re noticing that spring is in the air, and you’re probably seeing the signs in the produce aisle, as spring veggies and fruit become more abundant. Of course, eggs are traditional for Ostara as a symbol of inception and fertility. I’ve included two egg dishes because both are delicious, and I just couldn’t decide. Many magic users choose Ostara as a day to bless the seeds they will sow this year, so I added a dessert that includes magical seeds that function in the recipe as eggs; what could be more Ostara than that?
Spinach and Artichoke Brunch Soufflés
The recipe comes from my daughter Brittany, who is a vintage fashion blogger and a great cook. She and her family used to get similar ones when they went out for brunch, but decided to attempt making them at home for a thriftier treat. She’s since made these for many family gatherings and they’re always a hit for Ostara. She generously gave me permission to share it with you. (Find Brittany’s vintage life at VavoomVintage.net.)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10–15 minutes
Servings: 16 muffin cups
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups milk or milk substitute
2½ tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour mix
6 eggs or egg substitute
½ cup fresh, chopped spinach
½ cup chopped artichoke hearts
2 green onions (scallions) thinly sliced (both the white and green parts)
2 rolls of refrigerator crescent rolls, any brand (they make gluten-free ones if you prefer)
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese or cheese of your choice
Optional: ¼ cup crumbled bacon, veggie bacon, or prosciutto
Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C). First, you’ll make a béchamel sauce. I know that sounds intimidating, but it’s actually really simple. Melt butter over medium heat in a medium-size sauce pan. Then stir in the flour and cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring until it turns thicker and golden. Pour in about 1/4 cup of milk and mix constantly for about a minute, then add the rest of the milk and whisk it with a wire whisk continuously until smooth. Cook until thickened, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once thickened, adjust heat to low.
Beat eggs in a bowl, then whisk them into your béchamel sauce and cook on low until the mix gets much thicker. Mix in spinach, artichoke hearts, and scallions. You can also add optional crumbled bacon, veggie bacon, or prosciutto now.
Spray 16 muffin tins with non-stick spray. Lay one triangle-shaped piece of crescent dough in each muffin tin. Fill each tin about halfway with the filling and fold the ends of the dough over the top. Bake for 10–15 minutes until dough is golden brown and filling is firm. As soon as you remove them from the oven, sprinkle tops with shredded cheese. Serve hot, but they’re also delish after they cool.
Spring Fritatta
Fritatta is a dish that works for breakfast, brunch, or brinner (breakfast for dinner). It sounds really fancy, but is really quite easy to make and can use a variety of ingredients. It’s traditionally made with whatever you have around, so if you want to substitute ingredients, feel free to be creative. I love this spring combination of veggies; it’s a celebration of growth and abundance to come. I use my trusty witchy cast-iron skillet for this recipe, but any large, flat pan that you can use on the stovetop and in the oven will work.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
½ cup diced onion
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, grated
¼ cup peas, fresh or frozen
2 cup spinach, chopped
8 eggs or egg substitute
1/3 cup milk (or substitute cream for an extra creamy fritatta)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup crumbled feta cheese or other cheese of your preference
Your choice of ½ cup browned sausage, bacon, vegan bacon, chickpeas, or veggie sausage (or ¼ cup chopped smoked salmon)
Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C). Sauté diced onion and asparagus in olive oil on medium heat. Once they’re tender, add shredded carrots and peas and cook for a couple minutes. Then add spinach and cook until wilted.
Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl; resist the urge to overmix, just beat until the yolks and whites are blended together. Add your choice of meat or meat substitute and cheese, salt, and pepper to the bowl, then pour the egg mixture into the hot pan over the other ingredients. Cook it while stirring, over medium heat, about 4–5 minutes until the bottom sets and sides pull away from the pan a bit. Place the skillet in the oven and bake an additional 3–4 minutes minutes. Serve it in pie slices.
Spring Greens Salad
If you’re serving breakfast, a fruit salad pairs well with these dishes, but for brunch or a later meal, a spring salad is a lovely side dish. This salad has both fresh seasonal greens representing new life and the dried fruit and nuts that were traditional mainstays of winter and welcoming spring.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
5 cups of spring greens, including arugula, baby spinach, and romaine
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup walnuts
½ cup feta (or sub cheese of your choice)
Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
Toss all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and whisk while drizzling in the olive oil. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.
Ostara Seed Cakes
I’ve made several variations of this dessert over the years. This is basically a cake mix hack; you can use any yellow cake mix, or do what I do and grab a gluten-free cake mix for these charming cupcakes. These sweet treats celebrate the seeds that we plant in the spring and the blossoms that they will become.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15–20 minutes
Servings: 24 cupcakes
1 white or yellow cake mix of your choice (instead of eggs, this recipe uses the magic of healthy chia seeds)
1 tablespoon black chia seeds for each egg the mix calls for
3 tablespoons water for each egg the mix calls for
Melted butter or coconut oil, to substitute for oil in mix
Whipped cream or vegan whipped cream
2 tablespoons shelled unsalted sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon dried or fresh lavender buds
2 tablespoons chopped dry or fresh rose petals
Edible flowers and herb leaves (try petals of roses, carnations, marigolds, pansies, lilacs, violets, or leaves of thyme, sage, and rosemary. Rinse and allow to dry on paper towel.)
Add the chia seeds to the water and set aside for 15 minutes; the mixture will become a gel-like consistency.
Follow the instructions on the box mix, but add the chia seed mixture instead of eggs and the butter or oil of your choice. If the instructions call for water, add accordingly. Mix according to directions and once the batter is ready, stir in the lavender buds, chopped rose petals, and sunflower seeds. Pour into cupcake tins with paper liners. Bake according to the cupcake directions on your mix box.
Now you can make the sugared flower petals and herbs while your cupcakes are in the oven. Simply brush a very thin coating of the gel left in the bowl that your chia seeds were in onto the petals and leaves and then sprinkle sugar over them. Let them dry on waxed paper. Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled completely, top with whipped cream or vegan whipped cream and decorate each with a sugared flower or flower petal.