RoughCollie Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 (edited) We are going to a New Year's party and the hostess has asked me to bring a vegetarian main dish so she'll have something to offer her sole vegetarian guest. I don't know this woman, but my friend says she likes all types of foods and eats eggs and dairy products. Since other people may like these dishes, I have decided to make two or three choices. The dishes can't be too exotic because there are no unusual ingredients sold here. This area is solidly mainstream, fondly referred to as being stuck in the 70s in most respects. The population is not exactly filled with foodies. White rice, iceberg lettuce, and ranch dressing are mainstays in the daily diet of everyone I have met here. The Chinese restaurant people rave about doesn't serve Chinese food that I recognize and has no Chinese people working there. Panera Bread is our town's exotic restaurant; the truly adventurous eat there. So, I want to make something that will appeal to everyone, is not macaroni and cheese or soup, and requires no unusual ingredients. I want it to be delicious and I want people to rave about how marvelous it is. If you have some ideas, let me know, please. Thank you very much. Edited December 26, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLG Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Quiche, ratatouille, cheese enchiladas, quesadillas... tough one! I would immediately think of yummy Indian dishes but the 'nothing exotic' got me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Quiche. Here is a simple easy quiches to make: http://southernfood.about.com/od/quicherecipes/r/bln11.htm Vegetable lasagna is easy and not exotic. Eggplant parmagiana Black bean chili and rice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 We like my vegetarian lasagne in our home more than traditional lasagne. Make a mix of different cheeses (cottage or ricotta, lots of mozzarella, a little parmesan, etc.) and add frozen or fresh spinach, shredded carrots, chopped zucchini or yellow squash. Mix in some sauteed onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Use this as the filling, and layer spaghetti sauce, noodles and filling two or three times. Sometimes I add a layer of sliced almonds as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMom Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Vegetarian lasagna is not too exotic and sounds delicious! Have you ever made tortilla rolls? They are good for parties. Just mix a bar of cream cheese with two cups of cheddar or Mexican-style shredded cheese and a can of refried beans (you can heat this a little bit for easier mixing) and then spread it on a tortilla and roll it up and cut them so they look like little spirals on the side. Did that make sense? It's easy to make and is served cold and can be done ahead of time. Good luck and Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I make a killer Peanut Tofu -- that I usually substitute noodles for the tofu. So it's really peanut butter spaghetti and super good! It's also EASY: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tofu-and-veggies-in-peanut-sauce/detail.aspx Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Thank you very much for your suggestions. I am looking forward to making some new recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Moosewood cookbook's macaroni and cheese. It is delicious and nutritious (swapping out some cheese for cottage cheese makes it more of a protein dish). We make it often for company and it is a big hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Quick and easy - Cut up veggies to bite size. It doesn't matter much which ones you use. I tend to stick with onion, celery, bell peppers, zucchini or yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, sliced carrot, maybe some chopped cabbage, mushrooms. It is easy to grab a few bags of frozen veggies too. Toss the veggies in a skillet with olive oil. Cook until crisp tender (or desired doneness). Season with salt and pepper. Sometimes I use marjoram or basil depending on mood. Boil some small pasta until al dente. I typically use Barilla's tiny bowties. Drain the pasta and toss with veggies. Serve with shredded Parmesan. The whole thing takes less than 15 minutes. Even faster if you use frozen veg. And it is easy to add chicken and make it non-vegetarian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mryann Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Spinach quiche or a vegetable stir fry with a peanut sauce. The vegetable stir fry is so easy I used to make it as a demo when I was a WW leader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 My favorite veg dish is - potatoes, corn, onions, and pablano peppers with cheese on a tortilla, but it isn't really the kind of dish you can take to a party. You could make it into a potato enchilada casserole. Mac and cheese Pasta with sauce - baked in a casserole with cheese Quiche Frittatta Eggplant and bean enchilada Roasted veg Veg soup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Cuban style black beans is not too exotic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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