veggie chow

[bill g]

hya everybody, kinda new here but liking it. I'm a banquet cook and we are mostly a three meat starch & veg. menu. What I need is a quik,simple yet wholesome type vegitarian maincourse. I'm not a vegitarian but we have been getting requests of this nature and I feel I should oblidge my nonmeat eating clients. Any help would be greatly welcomed, thanks bill

[Isa]

I did a search for you on Chef Talk. click here for the results. You should find lots of idea to inspire you.

[Shimmer]

This is an alteration of a recipe my friend sent me

Vegetarian Peanut Pasta

Cooked spaghetti, 6-8 oz
Frozen stir-fry veggies (or save a step and buy frozen noodles and veggies in the same bag, or go the long route and start with fresh chopped veggies, about 3-4 cups total)
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
6 Tbps water

Heat peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until slightly thickened. Toss with cooked spaghetti and veggies (if already cooked, wait until end... I throw everything in together at the beginning and get the same result). Serve!

This is easily multiplied, and is also accessible to non-vegetarians. You could throw some cubed tofu in there easily, and alter the veggies or pasta used, but spaghetti works just fine.

Its delicious. Truly! And quick!

I would also suggest veggie chili with cornbread baked on top. That sounds banquetey.

Hope that helps.

~~Shimmer~~

[vloglady]

I make these little appetizers thingys all the time for parties. CAn certainly be vegetarian.

Mini quiches

Get a packet of the wonton wrappers, either square or round. I think the round looks nicer. About 75 in the pack cost less than $1.

4 eggs, 1 cup milk, S&P, little ham/bacon/beef/chicken/whatever, maybe some chopped green onions. Press a wonton skin in a mini muffin pan, sprayed with Pam.

Fill the cup about 3/4 full with the egg mixure. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or so, keep a watch on them.

If you make the wonton cups empty, you can fill them with veggie chili, beef stew, creamed spinish, anything. They're like those little phyllo cups. For dessert, fill with pudding or fruit salad.

Even fill with crab or egg salad, garnish with parsley.

I love theese, they're so easy and look good.

[marmalady]

Just a thought here - it's early, and I'm kind of rambling, so hope I make sense!

I think that when people hear the words 'vegetarian menu', sometimes their brain freezes - oh, no - I have to do tofu, or brown rice and veg - all the 'semi-foreign' things we associate with 'vegetarian cooking'.

But just take a moment to consider the wealth of some common, well known dishes that are 'vegetarian'; lasagna can certainly be made meatless - enchiladas/burritos, etc., all can be made with beans and rice. Pasta prima vera; roasted veggie platters.

Only when you get into the realm of subcategories of vegetarian does it get confusing - do they not eat meat but will eat fish? - do they eat cheese? - or eggs? - or no animal products at all?

I do think, tho, that you can create great basic vegetarian menus using common themes and dishes, and a little imagination.

[bill g]

Hey guys, thanks for all the tips. I have not gotten too many requests lately and the few i've had seem to make do with variations on our basic menu, but its the variety that keeps 'em coming back. Most people are happy with butter garlic spagetti, I just chop up or julienne whatever veggies I have on hand and viola. Sometimes ya get lucky. Two parties and two catering orders to go out today, can't chat but thank god for you guys keeping me thinking. gotta go .....bill.

[kuan]

I used to make some veggie/mushroom lasagnas which I could microwave real quick. You freeze it, cut it into blocks, and keep it close because for some reason the waitstaff will always tell you they need an extra veggie.

Kuan

[shroomgirl]

For 2 years I organized 12 high end dinners with 12 restaurants that where local foods AND there had to be a vegetarian option.
what came out loud and clear was that many chefs did not think of a protein other that cheese....it was interesting to see. A few did amazing things...stuffed red/yellow peppers with Israeli couscous veg in a corn puree with fried chickpeas was memorable,
or the tempeh fixed by a vegan chef....There is definately room for improvement around this town, one of my fav things to get is a veg plate...
*On a slightly humorus note, within a short amount of time I had 3 clients ask me to prepare lamb cus they are vegetarian!!!????
Go figure.

[Shimmer]

About the lamb....

When the girl's aunt finds out her fiance is a vegetarian, her reply is "He doesn't eat meat? Okay, then I will only make lamb."



~~Shimmer~~

[Dances]

I am often discouraged, when people invite me over for a gathering which involves food ... well I mention that I don't eat meat ... they just go crazy .. eventually they throw their hands up and say "I'm sure they have salad" ... Is it just me or are some people totally lacking in the imagination area? For example ... if you leave the bacon out of the green beans they stay vegetable ... simple enough, same with anything else. I know some folks say "she won't know the difference, now I do eat eggs on occasion, preferably free range from my sister who has chickens, but when fried is bacon greese ... umm well ... at any rate, I was unaware the eggs were being cooked in bacon greese, other than they tasted bad ... eventually it got back to the cook that I was sick at my stomache after eating these eggs ... that was when I was told they were cooked in bacon greese. It wasn't just in my mind, after years of being strict vegetarian, and only recently adding some seafood to my diet, it wasn't just the idea of flesh in my food, it was actually the flesh in my food that made me ill. Food for thought www.meetyourmeat.com

[judy]

As a mother of three vegetarian sons I have always had sympathy for this dietary quirk We always feature a vegetarian dish on our blackboard menu and surprizingly if they sound attractive enough many meat eaters will give them a go.
Lasagne is a good one, vegetable tarts, lentil patties, into these you can put nearly any vegetable as support flavour. Field mushrooms in garlic with crispy fried polenta. Stir fries are easy. You are only limited by your imagination.
plenty of protein in pulse foods, cheese, eggs.