I need a simple summer dinner recipe for tonight for guests: GF and no meat

[J-rap]

I'm used to accommodating lots of diets, but feel like I'm stuck in a rut and don't have a lot of time today.  Any fresh ideas?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Salad with beans? 

Gluten free veggie burgers with salad or raw veggies with a dip?  I don't have a favorite recipe.  I just look on Pinterest and use the one that has the ingredients I have.  (Or have the most of - and perhaps run to the store for one or two things.)

[AmandaVT]

Beyond Burgers are gluten free and pretty widely available. I think gardein burgers are as well. Green salad, corn on the cob? Put the burgers on the salad or in a  gluten free bun/wrap?

[MercyA]

Tacos with corn tortillas or shells, beans (black or vegetarian refried), and other fillings

[J-rap]

Great ideas,  thanks!!  I have ingredients for chilled cucumber soup, so something to go with it like veggie-burgers or tacos would be perfect.  👍🏼

[Spryte]

Another vote for Beyond Burgers, corn, salad or veggies.  Love BB!

[Drama Llama]

4 hours ago, J-rap said:

Great ideas,  thanks!!  I have ingredients for chilled cucumber soup, so something to go with it like veggie-burgers or tacos would be perfect.  👍🏼

No suggestions, but can I have your chilled cucumber soup recipe?

[J-rap]

5 hours ago, BaseballandHockey said:

No suggestions, but can I have your chilled cucumber soup recipe?

Yes!  I've made this several times already this summer and I really like it.  (And super easy!)

1 large cucumber (recipe calls for a European or English cucumber, but I just use whatever kind I can get at our farmer's market), peeled and sliced;

1/2 teaspoon salt;

2 cups plain yogurt (I use fat-free);

1 clove garlic, minced;

1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped;

1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped

 

Using a food processor or blender, combine the cucumber, salt, yogurt, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of chopped mint and 3 tablespoons of chopped dill.  Blend until smooth.  (You can taste and add more mint and dill if you want).

Refrigerate at least one hour.  You can also refrigerate it for 24 hours ahead of time too.

When serving, garnish it with a little chopped dill and mint on top.

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

GF with No Meat for Guests does not fit my idea of "simple." I know you've moved on by now, but I just saw this and now I'm interested.  If I had some prep time, I'd do falafel and salad.  If I was in a time crunch I'd probably do chili with fake meat and a box of GF cornbread, but that's not so summery.  Maybe some GF baked ziti with salad and bread?  Oooh, ooh . . . snooty cheese platter with some fruit and some sort of fake crackers!

[J-rap]

3 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

GF with No Meat for Guests does not fit my idea of "simple." I know you've moved on by now, but I just saw this and now I'm interested.  If I had some prep time, I'd do falafel and salad.  If I was in a time crunch I'd probably do chili with fake meat and a box of GF cornbread, but that's not so summery.  Maybe some GF baked ziti with salad and bread?  Oooh, ooh . . . snooty cheese platter with some fruit and some sort of fake crackers!

Haha, fake crackers!  I actually did have a little appetizer plate with cheese, olives, almonds, and GF crackers. 🙂 

Do you make your own falafel?  I've made a different cheat version of it with lentils -- (lentils that come already cooked, in the refrigerated produce section of Trader Joe's), and then mixed with just a few other ingredients and baked in the oven, but not true falafel!  Is it time-consuming to make?

[KungFuPanda]

1 minute ago, J-rap said:

Haha, fake crackers!  I actually did have a little appetizer plate with cheese, olives, almonds, and GF crackers. 🙂 

Do you make your own falafel?  I've made a different cheat version of it with lentils -- (lentils that come already cooked, in the refrigerated produce section of Trader Joe's), and then mixed with just a few other ingredients and baked in the oven, but not true falafel!  Is it time-consuming to make?

It's not hard at all.  You don't even cook the chickpeas.  You just soak them overnight and grind them.  Then mix with a few other ingredients, chill,  and fry them.  The trick is to play around with the ratios until your heart tells you it's YOUR perfect falafel.  Bland falafel hurts my feelings so I make ours a little spicier.  This recipe is good.  I posted it on another thread the other day.  https://hilahcooking.com/spicy-falafel/  I think I spiced ours up a wee bit more because 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin is just ridiculous.

[J-rap]

2 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

It's not hard at all.  You don't even cook the chickpeas.  You just soak them overnight and grind them.  Then mix with a few other ingredients, chill,  and fry them.  The trick is to play around with the ratios until your heart tells you it's YOUR perfect falafel.  Bland falafel hurts my feelings so I make ours a little spicier.  This recipe is good.  I posted it on another thread the other day.  https://hilahcooking.com/spicy-falafel/  I think I spiced ours up a wee bit more because 1/2 a teaspoon of cumin is just ridiculous.

Thanks!  That makes me hungry just looking at the picture!  I didn't realize you don't even need to cook the chickpeas.  I'll have to give these a try -- thanks!

[ScoutTN]

Grilled salmon and mango salsa.

[JFSinIL]

A bit late, but fried rice?  With whatever protein is acceptable either added in or on the side.

[J-rap]

7 hours ago, JFSinIL said:

A bit late, but fried rice?  With whatever protein is acceptable either added in or on the side.

Do you have a good recipe to recommend? 

[Bookwoman]

9 minutes ago, J-rap said:

Do you have a good recipe to recommend? 

I’m not JFSinIL but my whole family loves this recipe. I have one vegetarian and so we often eat vegetarian meals. I use whatever vegetables are hanging out in my fridge, and it’s always great. 

https://cookieandkate.com/vegetable-fried-rice-recipe/

[KungFuPanda]

For fried rice, just watch EVERY Uncle Roger video. You can blame whichever hive member posted a video here and got my son and me hooked.

ETA: It can take some practice to get the timing right so you don’t overcook some veggies and leave some not done enough. It is OK, to cook an ingredient or two at a time, remove it from the wok, then recombine at the end. I like to fry the rice by itself to get the level of fried-ness I prefer and throw the rest of the cooked ingredients in to toss before serving. I have both MSG and dark soy sauce in my house. Either one of those will elevate the flavor. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by KungFuPanda

[Jaybee]

It's too late for last night, but my dd and sil had a form of this when I went to help them with their new baby. I've made it in several forms since (can vary it a good bit, depending on what you have on hand) and we all really like it, even my bean-hater. It is very filling, much more than it looks like it's going to be. I think some versions are called cowboy caviar. This could be served as a salsa for appetizers or at a party as well, but we make it a meal. Leftovers are enjoyed too. Oh, and last time I made it, I hadn't had enough green veggies that day, so I mixed in some salad greens. 

can black beans, drained

can small white beans, drained (or black-eyed peas)

small can corn, drained 

bell peppers, chopped (halves of several colors--green, yellow, red, orange--depending on what you like and have)

halved grape tomatoes (or chopped other tomatoes)

jalapeños, chopped (I just add some canned ones), optional

onion, chopped

minced garlic

cilantro, optional

salt and pepper

Mix and add Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought. Store-bought Zesty Italian is really good with it.

Chill. Stir and serve in bowls with mini-sized round tortilla chips.

[J-rap]

2 hours ago, Bookwoman said:

I’m not JFSinIL but my whole family loves this recipe. I have one vegetarian and so we often eat vegetarian meals. I use whatever vegetables are hanging out in my fridge, and it’s always great. 

https://cookieandkate.com/vegetable-fried-rice-recipe/

This looks great -- thanks!  And so much fresh ginger in it, so it must be good!

[J-rap]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

For fried rice, just watch EVERY Uncle Roger video. You can blame whichever hive member posted a video here and got my son and me hooked.

ETA: It can take some practice to get the timing right so you don’t overcook some veggies and leave some not done enough. It is OK, to cook an ingredient or two at a time, remove it from the wok, then recombine at the end. I like to fry the rice by itself to get the level of fried-ness I prefer and throw the rest of the cooked ingredients in to toss before serving. I have both MSG and dark soy sauce in my house. Either one of those will elevate the flavor. 

I haven't heard of Uncle Roger -- thanks!  This looks like a fun way to learn how to make it. 👍🏼

[J-rap]

1 hour ago, Jaybee said:

It's too late for last night, but my dd and sil had a form of this when I went to help them with their new baby. I've made it in several forms since (can vary it a good bit, depending on what you have on hand) and we all really like it, even my bean-hater. It is very filling, much more than it looks like it's going to be. I think some versions are called cowboy caviar. This could be served as a salsa for appetizers or at a party as well, but we make it a meal. Leftovers are enjoyed too. Oh, and last time I made it, I hadn't had enough green veggies that day, so I mixed in some salad greens. 

can black beans, drained

can small white beans, drained (or black-eyed peas)

small can corn, drained 

bell peppers, chopped (halves of several colors--green, yellow, red, orange--depending on what you like and have)

halved grape tomatoes (or chopped other tomatoes)

jalapeños, chopped (I just add some canned ones), optional

onion, chopped

minced garlic

cilantro, optional

salt and pepper

Mix and add Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought. Store-bought Zesty Italian is really good with it.

Chill. Stir and serve in bowls with mini-sized round tortilla chips.

Thanks...  This looks like a good dish to bring on a picnic too.  (Also, I love beans of any kind!)