Please help me plan the menu for my vegetarian friend's baby shower!
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Anonymous
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I am hosting a baby shower for a friend who is vegetarian. I would love suggestions for some great, simple recipes.
This is what I have planned so far: Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip Crudite Platter with Hummus Fruit salad Green salad cheese tray It will be an evening event, starting at 6pm. Thanks in advance for your help! |
Anonymous
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Google French Lentil Salad or go to all Recipes and search for bean salads. There's a great Mexican Corn Black Bean salad you can make with chopped veggies, cumin, olive oil and lime juice with cilantro.
A salad bar with lots of toppings can be fun too. |
Anonymous
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OP here: Thanks for the great suggestions!
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Anonymous
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PS - PP here, you can have meats for toppings for the meat eaters if you do salad toppings on the side.
Otherwise, I love spinach salad with mandarin oranges, crumbled blue cheese, toasted almonds and raspberry vinaigrette. |
Anonymous
| Spacing out here - also fresh sliced strawberries in the spinach salad! |
Anonymous
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If it's starting at 6pm, you should provide something a bit more substantial as this will be dinner for most guests. I would recommend getting a selection of empanadas along with the options you've already listed and the black bean/corn salad PP suggested. Also, make sure the guest of honor is okay with serving meat - I am a vegetarian and would have no problem with it, but others might feel differently, especially if their reasons for eating veg are more of the ethical type.
Panas in Bethesda (and Dupont?) has several vegetarian empanadas I like and I know they sell them frozen by the platter for those who want to bake them at home for a party. Quiches would also work as the "entree". |
Anonymous
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OP here:
These are great suggestions. Thanks so much! |
Anonymous
| You could make pinwheel sandwiches from soft tortillas, romaine, cheese, and roasted red pepper from the jar. |
Anonymous
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How about felafel? Either stand alone, or in pita sandwiches? Vegetarian dolmades.
If eggs are OK, quiche or spanish tortilla. Or deviled eggs. |
Anonymous
| You could also serve veggie sandwiches - hummus, cucumber, roasted red pepper and spinach is good. I've also had a really lovely feta spread that worked similarly to hummus - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-whipped-feta-dip-recipes-from-the-kitchn-200961 |
Anonymous
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Last summer a variation of this black rice salad was a staple for me. Hearty, and you can really just put whatever you want to in it. I always kept the avocado no matter the variation I was trying and would add black beans to make it more of a meal. I think I usually used avocado, tomato, black beans, red onions, and then grilled whatever veggie was in season (zucchini, asparagus, etc.) and added that to the salad.
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/cumin-scented-quinoa-and-black-rice |
Anonymous
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I love this bulgur salad http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bulgur-Salad-with-Garbanzo-Beans-Feta-and-Plum-Tomatoes-105275 and it's both substantial and perfect for summer. It works very well with grilled chicken on the side for non-veg guests.
A quiche is always good too, even for evening. Super easy if you use a pre-made crust. Some other options might be purchased or homemade veggie pizzas (don't have to be red sauce based; white veggie pizzas are awesome), and some great grilled or oven-roasted vegetables (which you could pair with oven-roasted chicken or a grilled meat for non-veg guests). I love grilled mushrooms, red peppers, asparagus, eggplant, etc. - just toss with olive oil and seat salt and throw on the grill. Root veggies are excellent in the oven. A tomato and mozzarella salad with basil is always nice in the summer. Trader Joe's has a frozen lentil and garbanzo dish that is really good. It's called Melodious Blend or something like that, and it comes in a bag. Get a few bags, toss in the microwave to heat. I add a bit of extra olive oil and sea salt to pump up the flavor a bit. I'm definitely a meat eater, but would totally go for some of the healthy veggie options over meat or cheesy dips. 
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Anonymous
| As a vegetarian myself, I would not want to have meat there. It sounds like there will be lots of wonderful food so no one will suffer. If the guest of honor is vegetarian, personally I think it would be nice if she could eat everything at the event. |
Anonymous
| Veggie quesadilla triangles from store bought tortillas, corn bean pepper mix, cheese |
Anonymous
| Quiche or quiche-like souffle? Mushroom/goat cheese tarts? |