summer vegetarian dinner party ideas

Hosting a party in honor of a vegetarian soon so I'm trying to think of creative summer main dishes (so many cheese- based and pasta-based dishes seem not quite right for farmer's market bounty season, when I would normally serve various composed salads with grilled proteins on the side; looking for something more appealing than, say, grilled tofu panzanella). Taco bar? Do a bunch of Ottolenghi mezze seem like consummate vegetarian bane of all-sides-no-dinner? Thanks for the help!

We like chick pea patties that are sautéed in a pan. they are sort of like softer fallafil. they seem hearty and can stand strong as a main protein. served w garlicky tzatziki, you will have no leftovers.

annak wrote:Hosting a party in honor of a vegetarian soon so I'm trying to think of creative summer main dishes (so many cheese- based and pasta-based dishes seem not quite right for farmer's market bounty season, when I would normally serve various composed salads with grilled proteins on the side; looking for something more appealing than, say, grilled tofu panzanella). Taco bar? Do a bunch of Ottolenghi mezze seem like consummate vegetarian bane of all-sides-no-dinner? Thanks for the help!

I like sides. But I like a bunch of different tastes so for me that is easy. Message me if you want to discuss more if you like.

P. 14 of Plenty is Perfect!

Here's a menu I used at the end of last summer ripped from my garden that morning for options. I do not eat animals.

Quinoa Pilaf
Baba Ghanoush w/ crackers and pita
Jacques Pepin's, Pan fried deviled eggs
Sungold tomatoes
Roasted broccoli
Italian Prune Cake from freezer and remainder of corn ice cream

pairs4life wrote:Jacques Pepin's, Pan fried deviled eggs

This caught my eye, googled....
Simple, interesting, going to make in the next few days, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Of the recipes I read the Pan fried deviled eggs served on bib lettuce appealed, though the addition of bib lettuce and buttermilk dressing instead of simple vinaigrette seem the authors addition not Pepin's.

P4L, Thanks for posting!

G Wiv wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Jacques Pepin's, Pan fried deviled eggs

This caught my eye, googled....
Simple, interesting, going to make in the next few days, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Of the recipes I read the Pan fried deviled eggs served on bib lettuce appealed, though the addition of bib lettuce and buttermilk dressing instead of simple vinaigrette seem the authors addition not Pepin's.

P4L, Thanks for posting!

I saw him make these on one of his PBS shows and they looked effing great.

I think a frittata is always a nice way to show off seasonal market bounties (even if you have to cook some of them before they go into the mix). Additionally, it makes a bunch of servings, you can make it in advance, and you can serve it cold or room temperature. It's great on some lightly dressed greens, too.

=R=

I am into making tortillas at the moment, so that is another alternative to a frittata.

I've been working my way through much of this, and many would fit the bill. I brought the roasted chickpea dish to a pot luck this evening and it was a hit.

i enjoy a nice vegetable terrine

This recent article on an Ottolenghi dinner may have some ideas for you:

Revel in the Bounty of Spring, With a Feast From Yotam Ottolenghi

For the main courses-
I smoked some portobello caps alongside my ribs and chicken yesterday for the veg folks.
They were a big hit.
There was also sweet corn (boiled due to lack of grill space)
potato salad, coleslaw
and Cathy2's spicy sweet corn relish (which was a big hit )

I just finished reading Jacques Pépin's memoir, The Apprentice --- My Life in the Kitchen. Great read, by the way; I recommend it and look forward to reading it again sometime. Each chapter ends with a recipe that has some significance to the part of his life covered in the chapter. Pan-fried deviled eggs are something his mother made for him and his brothers when they were young, and in the book, he names the recipe for his mother ("eggs Jeannette"). I already returned the book to the library, so I can't check the recipe, but I think the dressing is made from the leftover egg stuffing (of which a couple of tablespoons of milk are among the ingredients), mustard, oil, salt, and pepper.

Pépin says that he loves eggs because of his childhood memories of them as a treat and of his mother's cooking. Given the hardships of the war years in France and the scarcity of food --- his father was in the Resistance and was away for months at a time, and his mother spent hours each day riding her bicycle around the countryside looking for enough food to feed her children with what little money she had --- eggs were often as good as it got.

Ah, here's a YouTube video of Pépin making and plating eggs Jeannette.

What if you did it in reverse? Instead of planning a menu in advance, pretty certain your guests would love it if you let the mkt dictate what you make. Choose a good mkt to wander around a bit. Buy whatever calls to you, whatever is pristine and @ the peak of ripeness, and then choose the best way to utilize it. Get creative and mix up what you find... some sauteed or roasted, some grilled, some raw, some dressed etc... plus, you've got a good story to tell your appreciative guests, as in "tonite's dinner was custom made when I found the most amazing... @ the Green City Mkt" or wherever.

Made Jacques Pépin's Eggs Jeannette, aka pan fried deviled eggs. Simple and amazingly delicious, thanks for posting P4L!

Did the butermilk/bib lettuce variation This arrow goes straight into my quiver.

Jacques Pépin's Eggs Jeannette, aka pan fried deviled eggs

G Wiv wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Jacques Pepin's, Pan fried deviled eggs

This caught my eye, googled....
Simple, interesting, going to make in the next few days, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Of the recipes I read the Pan fried deviled eggs served on bib lettuce appealed, though the addition of bib lettuce and buttermilk dressing instead of simple vinaigrette seem the authors addition not Pepin's.

P4L, Thanks for posting!

One of my favorite recipes of 2015! You can make eggs in advance. I have had them for breakfast and used them on a sandwich.

G Wiv wrote:Made Jacques Pépin's Eggs Jeannette, aka pan fried deviled eggs. Simple and amazingly delicious, thanks for posting P4L!

Did the butermilk/bib lettuce variation This arrow goes straight into my quiver.

Jacques Pépin's Eggs Jeannette, aka pan fried deviled eggs

Thanks for posting this recipe. I made it for a dinner party yesterday. It was big hit and no leftovers!

Eggs Jeannette buttermilk variation once again, really loving this recipe. Thanks again PFL!

Not to sidetrack the eggs lovefest, I thought I should report that I went with zucchini ricotta galette (shredded zucchini, rolled in clean towels to dry out, sautéed with lots of garlic, mixed w ricotta and lemon zest), an ottolenghi rice salad, and tomato peach salad w basil, mint, lemon. This did mean turning on the oven in the heat and ending up with something cheesy, but I did it mid-day for room temp serving, and it was tasty.

annak wrote: tomato peach salad w basil, mint, lemon.

This sounds fantastic!

I've recently done grilled apricots served on yogurt, drizzled with honey a squeeze of lemon topped with a light sprinkle of sea salt and a few chopped pistachios. Its a riff on an idea from Fuchsia Dunlop's Instagram account.

G Wiv wrote:grilled apricots served on yogurt, drizzled with honey a squeeze of lemon topped with a light sprinkle of sea salt and a few chopped pistachios.

Mediocre grocery store nectarines turned into compote served over yogurt topped with lemon juice, honey, sea salt, toasted pistachio and mint. This is quickly becoming my go-to light dessert.

Talk about vegetarian party ideas...WOW! I borrowed a new cookbook from the library called "Vegan Vegetarian Omnivore: Dinner for everyone at the table" by Anna Thomas. This big beautiful book, loaded with gorgeous photos, is what we have been looking for. Lots and lots of recipes that are arranged in menus for gatherings of any size that will have food to satisfy any eater. Each menu is an array of different dishes that cover all of the three title categories so no matter who shows up for your get-together, they will find something good to eat.

See the book here

An example of the flexibility of the menus: A wonderful stew-y vegetable soup to which fish could be added for the omnivores. Or a chickpea dish with a platter of lamb meatballs on the side. Or white bean chili with some chunk chicken on the side. Or a big lentil salad that pairs with a poached salmon.

The extensive vegetable section is divided into what she calls "center-of-the-plate" vegetable dishes and "small plates and sides." There are separate sections for "Beans and Legumes" "Pasta, Polenta, Risotto" and "Pilafs, Grains and Stuffed Vegetables."

As you can imagine, the food ranges across many different cultures including Asian and Middle-Eastern but also the author's Polish background. Every recipe is clearly labeled "Vegan" or "Omnivore" or "Vegetarian" and short end-of-recipe explanations help the befuddled understand what ingredient drives the designation if it is not obvious.

The name Anna Thomas did not ring a bell for me but when I googled it, I recognized the cover of The Vegetarian Epicure which has been on my shelf for many years. Thomas is a James Beard award winner and I really think this new book is a candidate for another one.

This book is just stuffed with inspiration. And we are in the middle of vegetable season with many of us getting boxes from our CSAs or hitting the farmers' markets. I might have to break the "NO new cookbooks!" rule and smuggle my own copy into the house. Who would know! Gosh you can find 'used' copies on Amazon for $17 I say to myself, and free shipping!

G Wiv wrote:Eggs Jeannette buttermilk variation once again, really loving this recipe. Thanks again PFL!

Golden Coin Eggs for Sunday breakfast, like a Hunan version of Jacques Pepin's Eggs Jeanette. Inspiration from the YouTube channel Chinese Cooking Demystified. Used farmers market duck eggs instead of chicken, turned out tasty. Will make again.