Vegetarian Du'ers can you answer a question for me?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

If you were coming to a dinner party and the hostess served you

A rice pilaf
Salad w.pears, raisins
scalloped potatoes
Spinach w.garlic and olive oil

Do you think another dish would be necessary?

[Critters2]

1. I'd be okay. But I'm a light eater. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. so do you think i should make something else? there's dessert as well

[Critters2]

6. With dessert, that's plenty. nt

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Only if they require meat in their meals

:)

I"m not a dessert fan, but you may want one.

Otherwise, sounds yummy to me. Other than the raisins, of course. :P

[La Lioness Priyanka]

5. there's a bunch of meat dishes (you know me, i go all crazy) and a pumpkin pie

i just dont want the vegetarian to be sad :)

[TK421]

4. Not even being a vegetarian, all of that sounds pretty filling to me

but I could be wrong

[insanity]

7. sounds tasty

maybe throw in some bread and you are sorted.

[TX Screwball]

8. Sounds good to me.

[XemaSab]

9. What are you making for the meat eaters?

'Cause I don't want to be the hater here, but you've got two starches and leafy greens.

There's not really any protein there, and I need protein with dinner.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. are you vegetarian? i didnt know that.

i am making a roast chicken, shrimp and possibly lamb. not sure

[XemaSab]

11. I eat fish, so according to some people, no, I'm not

but a few years ago I had Thanksgiving with my extended family, and the pickings were.... meager.

Are you good with lentils or beans? :shrug:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. what kind of beans would you suggest?

[XemaSab]

13. I'm not sure of the flavor of the rest of the meal

so I couldn't really suggest anything.

Sorry. :(

[Gormy Cuss]

15. Lentils.

Make a simple dish with minced celery, onion, and carrot along with an herb or two.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

21. Garbanzos?

Falafel? It's always nice to have something you actually have to chew. You might find something to go with the rest of your meal at vegweb or Edible Garden (two of my faves--the latter has a dry cauliflower curry that's really good).

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. i was thinking cauliflower. thanks for that

[buzzycrumbhunger]

30. Some additional food for thought

If you're still struggling with the perfect ingredients, you can always spend an hour or three looking through food porn heaven. It runs the gamut of cuisines, but seems to have entries from all the foodie sites out there (and it's amazing how many there are).

[CreekDog]

14. That's what I was noticing. A lack of protein.

A side dish of mushroom or cheese ravioli or tortellini would do the trick.

Another possiblity is something with tofu (if they like that).

I don't mean to suggest that you aren't already going all out, but I had the same issue a few weeks ago at my party.

[KitchenWitch]

16. Maybe brown rice with lentils?

Instead of the rice pilaf

[LeftyMom]

17. You need a heavier dish with a reasonable amount of fat and protein

None of the rest is exactly filling, except the potatoes. What you've got now kinda says "light lunch."

[meegbear]

31. Agreed - a good tofu dish as a main course would be perfect

[RadiationTherapy]

32. Correct. Seconded. Maybe something with coconut milk ... and currants ... and basil and...

I need to eat breakfast...

[Kali]

18. not a vegetarian, but I agree with above - needs some protein

[flvegan]

19. Yes. A great big steak.

:P

I would add a "main dish" or the vegfolk are going to feel like side-dish citizens*.



*I'm trademarking "side-dish citizens", btw.

[LeftyMom]

20. On a related note, I made country fried seitan tonight, from scratch.

Scratch made seitan is the best. :9

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. what if i make a cauliflower dish?

[flvegan]

24. I'd make something simple but good to maybe go over the rice

Like tofu in peanut sauce, or even some of the store bought faux chicken in bbq or peanut. I think there's a missing "main dish" to this. Cauliflower, while good, is still going to lack protein and feel side-dishery.

[Flaxbee]

25. yup - something with tofu, or perhaps a cheese tortellini -

a pasta with a bit of heft and a good marinara sauce. The other dishes sound great, but the vegetarians may want something that says "main dish" to it. Tofu can be a bit tricky if you're not used to cooking with it, but if you can find a good tortellini you'd be set.

[Chan790]

26. Is the pilaf from scratch?

I ask because many mixes (and the traditional recipe) are made with chicken stock...which is not vegetarian.

I know if you're making it from scratch (and you almost certainly are) that you're not using chicken stock to cook your rice, but it's one of those "secret" ingredients that most people don't know is in their food unless they ask or read labels.

To answer your question: No...that's a fine four courses but you should try to get a protein in there, probably in the form of nuts or seed-meats (ie. shelled sunflower seeds or pine-nuts), which could be added to any of the four dishes (maybe excepting the potatoes) you have already. Or nuts in the dessert. Otherwise you're going to have a lot of vegetarians who will be hungry again in an hour.

[flvegan]

27. Locking.

You can't say "nuts in the dessert"

[La Lioness Priyanka]

34. from scratch.

[gblady]

28. an easy protein....

I use is faux chicken patties
or portabello mushroom patties...
both yummy...

[jobycom]

29. That's better than a lot of parties I've been to.

Being in the south, I'm used to eating a selection of sides at dinner parties, and filling up on rolls and desserts, without eating the "main course." It's not something I hold against a host in any way, since I'm the one with the odd diet, and don't expect anyone else to alter a meal plan just for me. I'm there for the company, and to belong, so I hate to feel that any special attentions were given just to me. Of course, I hate to feel I was ignored completely, too.

Thus, I tend to like meals that let me eat what everyone else is eating, minus the meat, and that don't make me feel I've caused anyone to go through any extra work. Your selections are enough, though a heavier dish would be welcomed. Baked Macaroni and cheese, beans of some form, or a heavy whole grain, for instance. And lots of rolls or breads if they are part of the meal. And remember, your other guests may wind up loving the vegetarian option, too, so make enough. I've wound up with very small portions of very good dishes because a host underestimated the appeal of something.

A couple of things--vegans can't eat the scalloped potatoes, and if the pilaf and potatoes are prepared from any mixes they probably have chicken broth, so if you have vegan guests you'll need something else--perhaps mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes, or something similar, if you are making from scratch and already have the potatoes anyway. And if you make the pilaf and potatoes from scratch and know they are chicken broth free, let the vegetarians know that right away, because they will wonder otherwise. Same with desserts like pies and cookies. Lard is often used in both, so let vegetarians know if you are sure they were not, or they will wonder.

I'm not as strict as some. I won't knowingly eat meat or meat products, but I won't disrupt a party or insult a host by worrying too much if there is chicken broth or lard or gelatin in a dish, and I'll scrape off the marshmellow to get to the sweet potatoes beneath, if that's what's served. If it's meat-free to the gaze, that's good enough at parties, especially if I know a host made the dish just for me. Still, if I know for certain it's vegetarian, I'm happier, so the more you can tell them, the more they'll enjoy it. And some are more strict than I am, so you may have to know your vegetarian. Some will hesitate or refuse to drink wine unless they know the label, since some wines are filtered through bone products.

Just my overly-long comments. Sorry, I just don't know when to stop writing. :)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

35. thanks for the long reply. she isnt vegan and the pilaf is from scratch

i think i am going to add a curried cauliflower to this

[buddhamama]

33. i'd be ok with the menu

although a little more protein might be appreciated.

suggestions: a variety of roasted nuts (home made) you could even serve them with the spinach- walnuts, hazelnuts...

or you could serve fresh mozzarella cheese balls with the spinach dish, that would be especially yummy.

i don't know what you're serving for dessert but i have an excellent, easy tofu chocolate "pudding" recipe.