vegetarian potluck ideas???

[Sheryl]

We are doing a celebration for two vegetarians that just got married (to each other). It will be a lunch time potluck. I can bring a crockpot, but don't have access to an oven.

Okay, salad is taken! I want to make something that is more of a main course - not a salad or dessert.

I can think soup recipes... but I don't think of that as potluck food!

I was also thinking of the pita bread finger sandwiches I made once for a party. Pita bread cut into quarters, hummous inside, speared on a toothpick with a slice of cucumber and a sweet little cherry tomatoe.

Maybe you all have better ideas??

[Mary Ann]

I like your idea! Do they do dairy and eggs? Because my first thought is spinach quiche in little tartlet shells.

[Sheryl nli]

Is the Quiche good served cold? This is at work, so no kitchen.

[Trailpal]

Could you do a crockpot version of eggplant parmesan? set it up at home, plug it in at work?

Or make ahead falafel and put in the little pita pockets?

[Mary Ann]

Quiche is often served at room temperature; so yes, you could do cold.

I like the eggplant parmesan idea too.

[linda]

I'm one of the vegies. These suggestions are great. However, don't forget the flesh-eaters who will also be there. You might check out a deli tray from Costco with sliced meat, cheese and crackers (and whatever else they have on the tray.) And vegies can also select from that tray--just leave the meat behind. Then everyone should be happy (if there ever is such a thing.) I have actually had people refuse to eat at our place because we weren't serving meat--there are some pretty opinionated folks out there.

[AmberC]

Linda, some people are just extremely picky and afraid to try new things...like me! LOL! I can't explain it, it's just how I am. The foods a lot of vegetarians eat are things I'd never consider touching. And that means that sometimes I decline to go have dinner at someone else's house, or eat before going somewhere so I'm not hungry cause there's nothing there I'm willing to eat. It's ok though, I'm used to it

[Sheryl]

Amber, what vegetarian food are you afraid to eat? Do you think the food pickiness you describe goes back to the types of foods you were raised on growing up?

My ex hated seafood and fish. His parents were always suspicious of food from the sea, but felt like you SHOULD eat it periodically for health reasons. As a result, when they cooked it, they OVER cooked it, I guess to be sure it was dead...lol After eating his mother's fish dishes, I knew why he hated it - blech. Over the years, he learned to like fish and seafood by having good quality, well prepared dishes. Anyway, that childhood association really influenced how he thought of that whole food group!

[AmberC]

Well, it's easier to say what I do eat. We have a lot of peas and potatoes. I've recently started using yellow potatoes instead of white, though. And only real potatoes, I hate the box crap. And red potatoes are nasty. The peas MUST be fresh or frozen, I won't touch those nasty canned things. I'll eat corn sometimes but usually only if it's on the cob. I love onions, but only cooked. I eat more fruits, like grapes, peaches, watermelon, apples, tomatoes, oranges. I think that's about it. I do like a lot of salad greens. I don't know what most of the ones I eat are, I usually buy the bagged salad mixes at the store. I avoid the iceberg stuff, and usually get one that's got a bunch of different greens in it.

I'm not a huge fish fan. That's mostly due to pollution concerns, though. I buy canned salmon and make salmon patties with it, and also like tuna. But I don't like fish with lemon. My mom made fish once (she didn't cook fish often) and she WAY over-lemoned it. I don't care for lemon that much anyways (except lemonade, but the powder kind!) so that made it nasty. And it seems like everyone things fish needs a bunch of lemon, or other things I won't eat.

I think my aversion to trying new food was started by a babysitter. She made stuffed bell peppers, and I didn't want to try it. I'd never even seen a pepper before, and I was sure it would be hot. She just kept telling me to eat it. I wasn't allowed to get up from the table until I had 3 bites (I was about 6 at the time). To this day I don't remember what it tasted like, but I became beyond picky at that time. I used to just be picky but if you didn't push me, I'd try stuff. After that, I pretty much refused to try anything.

I guess as an adult I just kinda look at it like "I'm an adult and if I don't want to try something I don't have to." It's a little annoying sometimes but I've gotten in the habit of eating before I leave if I'm going someplace that has food but I'm not sure what's going to be there.

I also absolutely hate going to potlucks. People usually save their really weird stuff for potlucks, and don't even make a note as to what the heck it is. I won't even think about trying something if I don't know what is in it!

[Sheryl]

Okay, interesting! I smiled at your potluck comment. I enjoy trying different things at potlucks! The best ones are when people come from lots of different places and backgrounds and then you get great stuff you have never had before!!! (I know, your nightmare). What I hate is when potlucks are just store bought macaroni salad and fried chicked from a deli... boring!

I definately agree that you are an adult, and you should eat what you want! I actually think that about kids too. I just asked mine to try things, but never forced it. I know that children's palattes are sensitive and some food can overwhelm them. I hated being forced to eat foods I hated (oddly, I have my own stuffed pepper bad memory!) Both my boys love lots of different ethnic and other types of foods. One is not much of a meat eater (which is fine), but otherwise is bold about trying stuff.

They LOOOVVVEEE seafood, but only the good stuff - same as me.
To me, good seafood is what is local (or at least regional, we get alot of Alaska caught) - for us stuff like wild caught salmon, halibut or really many types of fishes as long as they are wild caught. We also have marvelous shellfish, clams, crabs, mussells. There is a restaurant in seattle where you eat a big pile of steamed shellfish off a waxpaper table covering... yum! I might need to make steamers soon....

[AmberC]

When I go to a potluck and see the fried chicken, I go "alright! Something I will eat!" I'm not big on macaroni or potato salad though. I'll eat it if I'm really hungry, but it's not my first choice.

I don't orce DD to eat anything she doesn't want. She was *really* picky for a while, but she's starting to try more things. My mom got her eating yogurt. I won't even try it, it just looks gross. But I know it's good for her and if she wants to have it, I have no problem buying it for her!

That's one of my things, I'm very particular about how food looks, smells, and the texture. If it looks or smells "weird", I won't eat it. And the texture has to be right too, or it will turn my stomach even if it tastes ok.

[Deleted]

I'm with Sheryl here... I like to try all the dishes at a potluck (except if they have okra... I DO draw the line there). Sometimes it's gross... like the sweet meatloaf and sweet deviled eggs at the last potluck (some food is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SWEETENED!! A concept lost in SW Missouri...).

LOVE seafood, almost all veggies... avocado, artichoke, asparagus (and that's just the A's ).

My dad raised us on 'new' foods. At 9 we were trying frog's legs... and some really gross stuff, LOL! He was really proud when my brother or I would order something wild in a restaurant. Then at 10 we started traveling, and in Europe back then (no McD's) you ate the food they offered... and it was GOOOOOOD. Made me open to try things.

BUT... I hated ribs until we moved here. Because my mother could not cook them right to save us... they were gooey with fat and undercooked , but HERE yummers...

I think much of a person's ability to accept and try/like new foods DOES start very young.

My DH is much like Amber, and he was raised (early age) in a home where it was meat and potatoes... nothing different. He's only now started trying other stuff. Funny thing is, his mom LOVES 'fun' food, and her second hubba does too, so she only cooked bland for DH's dad.

[Sheryl]

I wound up just making the pita/humous/cuke sandwiches - they turned out great. All the food was wonderful and several people were surprised that there was such a great variety of tasty food without meat!

Okay, my guilty pleasure is a I shared something with another lady - don't know what it was called, but it was basically a fried ball of mashed potatos with a sweet sauce poured on it - my that was good!

[linda]

I agree with you---there is such a variety of tasty food that just doesn't have meat in it. And it isn't "weird" stuff either. It is delicious and a lot of it is stuff people eat all the time--just put together a little differently. I'm glad you were able to suprise a lot of folks and introduce them to the idea that meals don't have to be constructed around meat. What so many folks don't realize is that we aren't into "fake" meat made from whatever, or tofu or yogurt---we make delicious food, ordinarily from pretty natural and wholesome ingredients. Meat is just no longer the cornerstone of the meal.

How about sharing your sandwich recipe? I'm planting a cucumber plant--this sounds like a good use for some of the bounty I will be reaping.

What kind of sweet sauce did you pour over the fried mashed potato ball?

Thanks for sharing your success! I'm very glad that it went well.

[Sheryl]

The deepfried mash potato ball was actually something called samosa. The ones I had were round, but very similiar to this:
www.food-india.com/recipe/R026_050/R032.htm
There were two sauces, one minty and one sweet. I don't really know what they were made of.

My sandwhiches were just pita bread sliced into 1/6th, slap in some nice quality humus, and a slice or two of a really nice cuke - I like english cucucumber. If you want to get fancy, spear a toothpick through it and top it with an olive, or maybe a small very swee tomato. What makes the sandwhich is good fresh pita, high quality humus and nice flavored cukes