Vegetarian Luncheon Party?!
Vegetarian Luncheon Party?
We're having a first birthday party for our child at home. We're vegetarian and looking for something to make that will please 10 adults (I am making mac and cheese for the children). We don't have a lot of space for seating -- just a galley kitchen and a small dining table, which will probably be used for a serving area. So, the food will need to be easy to eat (so while we eat lots of stews, stir fries, and casseroles, I don't know it'd work well for this occasion.).
Ideas?
Answers: How about veggie kebobs with tofu cubes? My best friend buys these teriyaki tofu "steaks" and they're really good! Plus, kebabs are an easy food to eat standing up. INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice
3 tablespoons white wine
1 medium tomato - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/3 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut
into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the water and milk in a medium size pot or saucepan, heat the water and milk to a simmer. Keep the pan over low heat.
2. Melt the butter in a large casserole or skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and the rice, stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir until completely absorbed.
3. Begin to add the heated milk-water mixture 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding the next. When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes and most of the liquid has been incorporated, add the corn kernels and tomatoes along with the end of the milk-water mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender but still slightly chewy.
4. The risotto should take 18 to 20 minutes of cooking all together. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, most of the basil, and the salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto immediately onto plates, top with the remaining basil strands, and serve.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup white rice
2 cups extra-firm tofu, drained
and cubed
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup halved grapes 1 tablespoon dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons diced green
onions
1/4 cup walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a saucepan bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook cubed tofu for 3 minutes; drain, and set aside to cool.
3. In a bowl, blend yogurt with lime juice and curry powder; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, toss together halved grapes, cranberries, celery, green onions, walnuts, rice, and tofu. Drizzle with curry dressing, and toss until well coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper, as desired.
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
TM
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides. From:
http://thehorsechronicles.tripod.com/id1...
Flame-smoked aubergines. They take 7 minutes each when held (with tongs) over a naked gas flame – you can smoke at least two at a time on most basic stoves. Wait until the flesh is completely soft and gives easily when poked with a fork. Then douse the blackened skins – slit at regular intervals – with extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic, lemon juice and basil or coriander leaves. Serve with a little diced tomato, a few well-dressed chickpeas and some thin strips of golden, fried, salty Haloumi. Provide warm bread with Arabic flair by frying some flour tortillas on both sides in olive oil until round, black spots appear.
* Lightly oiled, grilled courgette strips, layered with thick garlicky, lemony Greek yoghurt.
* Organic carrots braised with gently fried cumin seeds, slowly cooked sliced garlic, a fearless helping of olive oil and a little water or saffron stock. Simmer the lot together for about 20 minutes in a lidded pot leaving the carrots whole with their leafy tops attached.
* Make up a mass of wilted spinach, sprinkle with olive oil, a grating of fresh nutmeg and a few fat flakes of salt.
Main course
Try this filling broad bean pilaf, splendid with raisins (plump, juicy Lexia or Muscat), toasted pine nuts (long thin Italian ones if you can find them) or toasted slivered almonds, crispy fried onion and fried cumin seeds.
Broad Bean Pilaf
Serves 6–8
500g basmati rice
100ml olive oil
1 large Spanish onion or 2 medium onions, finely sliced
4 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
350g frozen broad beans
2 tbsp Lexia or ordinary raisins
2 tbsp pine nuts or slivered almonds
Handful coriander leaves, picked off the stalks
Salt and pepper
1. Cook the basmati rice in lightly salted cold water, doubling the volume of water to rice. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. The rice is cooked when all the water is absorbed and the surface is marked with tiny craters.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and fry the onion until browned. Remove half of it and set aside, but continue to fry the rest until crisp. Then set this aside and return the first lot to the pan. Continue to fry for a couple of minutes with the cumin seeds, garlic and salt and pepper, taking care that the onion does not blacken – pick out any black bits you see.
3. Boil the broad beans for 8 minutes or a few minutes longer than it says on the back of the packet. Rinse them under cold water and add them to the cumin, fried onion and the raisins. Stir over a low heat for another minute or two and wait for the cooked rice to finish.
4. Toast the pine nuts or slivered almonds in a dry pan until tinged with gold. Then when the rice is ready, add it to the pan of fried onion. Stir it well so that it takes on the colours and flavours of all the other ingredients. To serve, top with the reserved crisp onion, the pine nuts or slivered almonds and the coriander leaves.
Dessert
Serve a quality vanilla ice cream with rose water syrup. Combine 2 tbsp rose water, 110g caster sugar, 200ml water, a few cardamom pods and a squeeze of lemon juice. Boil, then simmer to spoon-coating stickiness. Top with a few broken, oven-fresh pistachios or a sesame snap. You could make a "mock tuna salad" and serve on little rolls. Smash chickpeas (canned will do), add veganaise or real mayo, spicy brown mustard, relish, and chopped green onions. I usually add a bit of each, then adjust for taste.
Stuffed mushrooms are good finger foods too. I usually chop an onion, saute until soft, chop the stems of the mushrooms, add them to the onions, stir in breadcrumbs, then add feta cheese or a vegan cheese. Stuff the mushroom caps and bake for 20 minutes. vegg sushi
vegg pizza chicago cut
salad
salsa with chips
soy milk
trail mix
bowl of mixed fruits Mushroom & Cheese Macaroni
Ingredients
400g wholewheat macoroni
60g butter or margarine
2tbs chopped parsley
450g mushrooms
60g grated cheese
Method
1. Cook macaroni according to manufacturer's instructions.
Slice mushrooms and fry in the fat for 8 mins then add the parsley.
Drain macaroni and mushrooms and toss together lightly.
2. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese.
Country Garden Cottage Pie
2lb /900g potato, mashed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
6oz / 150g green lentils
1 clove garlic, crushed
4oz / 100g grated vegetarian cheddar cheese
2 carrots, diced
1tbsp tomato puree
1 medium green pepper, diced
4oz / 60g mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp dried basil
pinch cayenne (optional)
salt and pepper
1. Cook the lentils in plenty of water until just soft, drain, but save ?pint of the cooking liquid.
2. While the lentils are cooking saute the onion, garlic, basil and cayenne in the oil until soft but not brown.
3. Add the carrot, pepper and mushrooms. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes or until the carrot has softened.
4. Add the cooked lentils, tomato puree and seasoning. If the mixture is very thick add a little of the reserved cooking liquid from the lentils.
5. Cook for a further five minutes, transfer to an oven-proof dish, cover with mashed potato and sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
6. Bake for 30 minutes in a moderate oven, until the top is golden brown.
Follow with Greek yogurt served with honey and chopped nuts.
Stuffed Jacket Potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
4oz / 100g sliced mushrooms
1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2oz / 50g butter or vegetarian margarine
4oz / 100g vegetarian cheese, grated
1tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Method
1 Scrub and prick the potatoes then bake at 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8 for 1 to 1? hours or until soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Halve the potatoes, scoop out the insides and mash until soft and fluffy.
2 Saute the onion, mushrooms, sweetcorn, red pepper and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
3 Place the potato skins on a baking sheet. Mix together the mashed potato the vegetable mixture, half the cheese and all the chopped tarragon. Season to taste.
4 Pile the mixture back into the potato skins and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Return the potatoes to the oven, turned down to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 and cook for about 20 minutes until crisp and golden-brown.