This year is a Leap Year, meaningwe get an extra day this year: February 29th. There are about 187,000 people in the U.S. and four million people in the world who were born on Leap Day and they only get to celebrate their birthday on the actual day once every four years! That means they should really pull out all the stops and celebrate in an extra-special way.
Even if you weren’t born on Leap Day, you still have an opportunity to spend the day doing something you wouldn’t necessarily do on any regular day. How about indulging in some really decadent and delicious food? If you spend all year trying to eat as healthfully as possible, then today is the day for you to splurge.
Leap Day occurs only once every four years, so you can feel better about eating something deep-fried, battered, or drowned in chocolate. So save your salads for March 1st because for Leap Day, we have 10 recipes that are so decadent you would probably wait for a special occasion. You don’t really have to only enjoy them once every four years, but these are definitely not everyday dishes.
1. Fried Guacamole Two Ways
This Fried Guacamole Two Ways is like having an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. The angel side is “faux fried” guacamole, which is a dollop of guacamole on a sliced bell pepper, topped with crushed tortilla chips. The devil side is a decadent and impressive treat because balls of guac are deep-fried in tempura batter and a crispy coating of crushed tortilla chips. Which will win? We say declare a truce and have it both ways!
2. Japanese Deep-Fried Agedashi Tofu
Calling all tofu lovers — this Japanese Deep-Fried Agedashi Tofu is for you! This popular Japanese dish consists of lightly battered and fried tofu, topped with roasted seaweed in a shallow dish of light kombu dashi broth.Served hot, it’s light and crispy on the outside, but silky smooth on the inside. It’s great as a starter to a meal of Japanese food, where all the flavors will work together in harmony.
3. Mini Doughnut Balls with Caramel Dipping Sauce
You bake your doughnuts every other day of the year so on this Leap Day, try these deep-fried Mini Doughnut Balls with Caramel Dipping Sauce.These yummy little doughnut balls are deep-fried and rolled in vanilla sugar. The real kicker here is the sweet and sticky caramel sauce that’s perfect for dipping, or for drizzling over these bite-sized treats.
4. Chocolate-Covered Mocha Cheesecake
On Leap Day, you can’t go wrong with this decadent Chocolate-Covered Mocha Cheesecake. In this recipe, a creamy espresso-flavored cheesecake filling sits atop a pecan-date crust. Then, the top of the cake is coated in a thick layer of rich dark chocolate, followed up with plenty of chocolate chips. Be ready to indulge!
5. Rosemary Arancini: Italian Deep-Fried Risotto
Risotto is already a creamy, decadent dish that takes lots of time and attention. This Rosemary Arancini takes it one step further because the risotto gets deep-fried! We’re not kidding. Arancini is a popular Italian street food and we can see why. These little treats are seasoned with rosemary and best enjoyed with a generous dollop of vegan creme fraiche. Yes, please!
6. Peanut Butter Caramel ‘Nice’ Cream Blizzard
If going out for Blizzards was a special treat for you, you can relive it by making these Peanut Butter Caramel ‘Nice’ Cream Blizzards. The ice cream is made with frozen bananas and peanut butter and it’s swirled with homemade chocolate and peanut butter candy bars topped with crushed peanuts.It all comes together to give you the sweet, chunky, candy-filled ice cream deliciousness that you love.
7. Baked Herb-Crusted Cashew-Almond Cheese
This Baked Herb-Crusted Cashew-Almond Cheese is unbelievable. Lemon juice combined with nutritional yeast gives it a tangy, “authentic” flavor that’s just begging to be served with sweet, fruity flavors. We dare you to try not to eat it all in one sitting.
8. Decadent Cashew Tiramisu
Tiramisu is one of those classic Italian desserts that everyone loves. This Decadent Cashew Tiramisuis made of a vanilla cake soaked in freshly-brewed coffee and Kahlua, topped with cashew mascarpone, vanilla cream, coffee cream, and a sprinkle of cocoa powder for garnish. One bite of this and you’re on your way to quick and easy Italian dessert heaven.
9. “Chicken-Fried” Seitan Steak with Buffalo Vinaigrette
Steak is called “chicken-fried” when it’s dredged, breaded, and fried until crispy. This “Chicken-Fried” Seitan Steak is a vegan combination of steak, fried chicken, and Buffalo wings, oh my! It’s topped with vegan blue cheese and sits on a bed of carrot and celery salad with Buffalo vinaigrette. This is totally indulgent, but the recipe includes a salad, so that makes it a little better, right?
10.Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza With Blue Cheeze Spread
This Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza With Blue Cheeze Spread is to die for. It is spicy, savory, and crunchy. The blue cheeze spread really makes this pizza — combined with spicy Buffalo cauliflower, it’s something you could only dream of. This pizza is worthy of celebrating Leap Day with
Hopefully, you know we’re exaggerating when we say you should only eat these amazing dishes once every four years. They may be decadent but, but don’t let an absent Leap Day stop you from indulging in one of these recipes. Go ahead, treat yourself!
Lead image source: Peanut Butter Caramel ‘Nice’ Cream Blizzard
