main dish planning for 20 people

July 7, 2008

Vegan lasagne, or pasta with soy meatballs and sauce, a vegan lentil loaf.

curried veggies over cous cous, pasta primavera,

You could easily do a potato bar with lots of toppings, beans, onions,

tomatoes, chili, etc

Also fajitas, BBQ seitan, with roasted potatoes,

You can also get wraps, and have tons of fillings, including roasted

veggies, portabella mushrooms

There are many things that just require a bit of prep for the veggies and

you are done.

Let me know if you want more suggestions. I've done catering of vegan meals

for hundreds of people,indoors, outdoors, no problem.

Hope this helps.

Laura

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July 7, 2008

Hi iluvk5,

Vegan with no beans or veggies? - that's a tough one! I'm thinking if

no beans, then no tofu either? :-) I think your pasta with vegetarian

sauce is a good idea. Everything else I take to potlucks as a main dish

has beans or veggies or both - afterall, if it's a potluck that's not

totally vegetarian, we have to be able to make a meal out of the dish we

bring, just in case, as has probably happened to all of us on this list

- the green salad has bacon mixed in, and the rice has chicken broth,

and etc, etc. :-)

Best of luck! And don't worry about making everyone happy - you're not

happy when they bring main dishes with meat, you're just all doing the

best you can do within the parameters. :-) And I think the breaking of

bread together is the most important part, yes?

Have fun!

Lorraine

On

Behalf Of iluvk5

Sunday, July 06, 2008 7:13 PM

main dish planning for 20 people

I am in charge for bringing the " main dish " for our church group this

Wednesday night (about 20 people). The person responsible for the

main dish always brings meat for the group. Soooo - any ideas for a

vegan main dish that would not " offend " the others? They will feel

like I was only thinking about my family if I bring something they

consider " weird " or not " hearty " enough to be the main dish. I

thought about vegan chili made with beans, onions, and peppers but

there are some picky people who don't eat beans and would pick out all

the veggies. I also thought about some whole wheat pasta with a

veggie pasta sauce. A potato bar was also on my mind but I couldn't

think of anything they would like that is vegan. I am to the point of

just making meat, but I don't think I can bring myself to do that.

Any ideas???

July 7, 2008

I

thought about vegan chili made with beans, onions, and peppers but

there are some picky people who don't eat beans and would pick out all

the veggies.

Heck, if I had to please all the picky people at HOME, I'd never be able to

make a decent recipe! No way would I care if some bimbos who weren't even

close family would pick out the veggies or beans they didn't like. No one's

forcing them to choose your dish, anyway! Make what pleases YOU, and your family

will be able to eat. There will be lots of others who will eat and appreciate

your meal. And if you don't make a big deal about it being vegan, probably

not many people would even notice. Who would choose a dish that they wouldn't

eat 90% of, anyway?

I think, coming from where we are all coming from, we can become overly

sensitive to the possible thoughts and feelings of others, when we may or may

not

even be correct in what we think they're thinking (if you see what I mean)!

Make that chili. Make a huge tossed salad. Enjoy the dinner. Marilyn

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July 7, 2008

What about a taco/burrito bar? Refried beans; chopped lettuce, tomatoes,

onions, olives; avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, seitan with taco

seasoning; whole wheat tortillas,

Here is a very easy crockpot recipe (and easy to " veganize " )

Vegetable Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

3 cups peeled butternut or acorn squash cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can use

zucchini, eggplant, whatever)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 chopped onion

2 14-1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained (you can use any beans,

canned or fresh, or chick peas, lentils, etc.

1 cup water

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley (dried is fine, too)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 9-ounce package frozen Italian green beans or frozen cut green

beans (I use haricot verts; you can use fresh, too)

Paprika (I never add this)

In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine squash, mushrooms,

undrained tomatoes, Great Northern beans, the water, garlic, Italian

seasoning, and pepper. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10

hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

For dumplings: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal,

Parmesan cheese, parsley, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl,

whisk together egg, milk, and oil. Add to the flour mixture; stir

with a fork just until combined.

If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir frozen

green beans into stew. Drop the dumpling dough into six mounds on top

of the stew. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook for 50 minutes

more. (Do not lift lid while dumplings are cooking.)

--- On Sun, 7/6/08, iluvk5 <skerns wrote:

iluvk5 <skerns

main dish planning for 20 people

Sunday, July 6, 2008, 9:13 PM