[Mezzaluna]

I am hoping to find a vegetarian menu for dinner guests which I can also serve to my carnivore husband. I've wanted to invite a couple for dinner forever, but there are some dietary considerations. The husband of the couple eats only vegetarian, fish or kosher meat and poultry. My own husband won't eat fish in ANY form. I don't want to buy kosher meat or chicken, as it's not usually of great quality where I can easily buy it, and I'm not interested in frozen stuff.

Anyway, I have been thinking of making some kind of timbale, similar to "The Imam Fainted" (eggplant stips overlapped in a baking dish, vegetable filling, fold the strips over and bake; unmold and serve). However, my husband isn't wild about eggplant! (Yeah, he's kind of picky. )

So what's a girl to do? I like the idea of individual timbales, and I do have dishes for them (they're deep-dish pie tins that each hold about 1-1/2 cups). I want to do some type of starch for a side: couscous, spaetzle, orzo, etc. But where do I go from there?

Yipes... I forgot a major consideration. The wife is allergic to mushrooms.

No, this is not some kind of joke!!!

[katbalou]

perhaps some kind of individual quiche, or other egg dish. omelets? with various fillings. big vegetable salad. what is that funky grain? quinoa? good served cold and in a vinagrette.
kat

[Jock]

I was in this predicament once or twice. I made a Bolognese style sauce but instead of meat I cut some portabella mushrooms into good size chunks and sauted them to get a bit of color and added them to the sauce.

I made a lasagne with it adding layers of roasted red pepper and basil as I assembled it.

Jock

[Jock]

OK, that won't work will it? your friend is allergic to mushrooms

Jock

[katbalou]

maybe if you used beans instead of mushrooms? kidney or garbanzo? or meatless chili, again with a combo of beans. if the woman is allergic to mushrooms, you probably want to watch the wine you choose also. i'm not allergic to mushrooms but to sulfites, which mushrooms are high in, and they are added to many domestic wines.
kat

[Pete]

Vegetarian Lasagna would work well. You could even make them as individual in your pans. You said the husband of the couple eats fish, your husband hates fish. What about shellfish (shrimp)? If they both will eat shrimp then you have lots of other options available. As another vegetarian option, what about Spicy Black Bean Cakes served with a Sweet Potato Sauce and topped with a Tortilla Salad (julienne of crispy corn tortillas, lettuce, onion, tomato, all dressed in either a Cilantro-Basil Vinaigrette, Homemade Jalapeno Ranch dressing or an Apple Cider Vinaigrette).

[Mezzaluna]

Thanks for your suggestions so far. Pete, my husband won't eat ANYTHING that lived in the water, so even shrimp are out.

I like the idea of quinoa (did you know that botanically speaking, it's a fruit?) and also the dishes made with beans. I'll bet something related to felafel will work, too. I guess I could always broil a hamburger for my husband.

[scottgreenwood]

How about a series of Mediterranean mezes / tapas? Some marinated vegetables, broiled peppers, different varieties of olives, cheeses, etc.

Lately I've been roasting a lot of cauliflower and treating it essentially as a main dish. Start with a medium to large head and separate into medium-sized florets. A bit of EVO, some minced garlic, a good bit of freshly ground coarse pepper, sea salt, and a splash of lemon juice, roasted for between 20 to 40 minutes at 400. At 20 minutes there's a good bit of bite; at 40 the caramelization just transforms the cauliflower completely. I've also put this over pasta with some additional EVO.


Scott

[Mezzaluna]

Yum, Scott- sounds delicious. Cauliflower made me think of some really tasty Indian dishes using that vegetable.

I'm still searching, but you helped me think of some more possibilities. I picked up a book of meze today as well as The Vegetarian Bistro. There are some possibilities there, too. Of course, for someone like me the search is half the fun!

[faith leche]

my fiance is a vegetarian, and when we first started going out i found this to be a **** of a challenge. as you already know it forces those who are interested, to pick our brains and be super creative



good luck to you