To all my foodie friends -- any idea for what you would enjoy as a vegetarian entree at fancy feast/delectable dinner? Or another question, what would constitute elegant vegetarian fare?
1. portabella and eggplant, eggplant and portabella--- sometimes it seems like they are the king and queen of vegetarian fare. Not that I am complaining, I think they have the heft to take on the entree position and be satisfying. I also think you can get away with a well-flavored eggplant or mushroom dish that does not require lots of cheese. 2. I like pilaf/biryani type dishes that combine vegetables, lentils and rice. They look _festive_ (a word my mom says I learned from Martha Stewart) and are hearty. 3. Indian, Thai, and Chinese have lots of veggie options but are more ensemble meals, right? it's usually not just the one entree, although sag paneer is a perennial favorite.
my current go-to veggie meal when entertaining is this pumpkin pasta dish. i like it. i don't know if my vegetarian guest really did, or if she was just being polite.
cook up .5 lb gemelli (or some other *fun* pasta) -- al dente
in a sauce pan, wilt 1/2 bunch kale. season with salt and pepper. add 1 can (15 oz) veggie broth, 1 cup water, 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto (you can buy this is the sauce aisle). bring to a boil. pour that on top of the pasta and then bake in the oven, prob about 350 for 30-40 min. voila.
as always -- i am doing this from memory, and don't have the recipe in front of me.... you can call/email/post if you want to double check.
you can bake this dish in one large 8x8 sq pan and bring the whole dish to the table. or, to be more *fancy* you could bake it in individual ramekins. serve with some nice bread, maybe a side dish of veggies, and some wine....
I'm one of those people who is not so into eggplant or portobello (sorry to be one of *those* kinds of carnivores).... So I like tofu a lot.
Is this a sit-down or buffet type deal? Would people choose an entree before hand? Because if not, I think a nice variety of dishes can be had: noodles/rice; cooked vegetables; salad; tofu; legumes -- with all bearing even weight w/o the hierarchy of the entree/side-dish paradigm. Or something.
I am a big fan of palak paneer (OK, who am I kidding, anything with cheese makes me happy) and biryani with lots of nuts and those juicy golden sultana raisins.
And of course, tofu. I think Thai and Indian dishes go together nicely - I wouldn't ever mind some tofu pad thai on my plate :)
And in the spirit of things, a link to a great song about tofu: http://www.visionsnet.com/downloads/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=59
yum.... i am getting hungry reading your comments. thanks for the suggestions.
the pumpkin pasta sounds *amazing*. i think there will be some portabella or eggplant or tofu somewhere. i agree that indian is more suited to buffet than a plated dinner.
i was trying to think back to the only other vegetarian wedding feast i've had (that is, in the u.s, since all the ones i've been to in india have been all-vegetarian) but i think that was a buffet. the pumpkin pasta does sound yummy. reminds me of pumpkin ravoli that i had at a restaurant in boston (christophers? at porter square) with cinammon sauce.
5 comments:
1. portabella and eggplant, eggplant and portabella--- sometimes it seems like they are the king and queen of vegetarian fare. Not that I am complaining, I think they have the heft to take on the entree position and be satisfying. I also think you can get away with a well-flavored eggplant or mushroom dish that does not require lots of cheese.
2. I like pilaf/biryani type dishes that combine vegetables, lentils and rice. They look _festive_ (a word my mom says I learned from Martha Stewart) and are hearty.
3. Indian, Thai, and Chinese have lots of veggie options but are more ensemble meals, right? it's usually not just the one entree, although sag paneer is a perennial favorite.
my current go-to veggie meal when entertaining is this pumpkin pasta dish. i like it. i don't know if my vegetarian guest really did, or if she was just being polite.
cook up .5 lb gemelli (or some other *fun* pasta) -- al dente
in a sauce pan, wilt 1/2 bunch kale. season with salt and pepper. add 1 can (15 oz) veggie broth, 1 cup water, 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto (you can buy this is the sauce aisle). bring to a boil. pour that on top of the pasta and then bake in the oven, prob about 350 for 30-40 min. voila.
as always -- i am doing this from memory, and don't have the recipe in front of me.... you can call/email/post if you want to double check.
you can bake this dish in one large 8x8 sq pan and bring the whole dish to the table. or, to be more *fancy* you could bake it in individual ramekins. serve with some nice bread, maybe a side dish of veggies, and some wine....
I'm one of those people who is not so into eggplant or portobello (sorry to be one of *those* kinds of carnivores).... So I like tofu a lot.
Is this a sit-down or buffet type deal? Would people choose an entree before hand? Because if not, I think a nice variety of dishes can be had: noodles/rice; cooked vegetables; salad; tofu; legumes -- with all bearing even weight w/o the hierarchy of the entree/side-dish paradigm. Or something.
I am a big fan of palak paneer (OK, who am I kidding, anything with cheese makes me happy) and biryani with lots of nuts and those juicy golden sultana raisins.
And of course, tofu. I think Thai and Indian dishes go together nicely - I wouldn't ever mind some tofu pad thai on my plate :)
And in the spirit of things, a link to a great song about tofu:
http://www.visionsnet.com/downloads/pafiledb.php?action=file&id=59
(Click on the little globe/arrow icon)
yum.... i am getting hungry reading your comments. thanks for the suggestions.
the pumpkin pasta sounds *amazing*. i think there will be some portabella or eggplant or tofu somewhere. i agree that indian is more suited to buffet than a plated dinner.
i was trying to think back to the only other vegetarian wedding feast i've had (that is, in the u.s, since all the ones i've been to in india have been all-vegetarian) but i think that was a buffet. the pumpkin pasta does sound yummy. reminds me of pumpkin ravoli that i had at a restaurant in boston (christophers? at porter square) with cinammon sauce.
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