The viewing party for this whole Jeopardy thing is getting a little out of hand and it seems we’re going to be feeding a … few more people than we thought. We’re grilling and telling people to bring whatever, but I want to make sure there’s something for the vegetarians in the crowd. (Probably people will bring some meatless stuff, but I’d hate it if they were stuck only eating what they brought plus salad.) I cook vegetarian a lot but just for the two of us, and a lot of that doesn’t scale easily and painlessly. And I don’t want to do a lot of chopping and stuff, 'cause I just don’t feel like it lately. (I’m also going to do a cornbread casserole sort of thing, but that’s a mix and pour event.)
So what’s really good, not difficult, and everybody likes it, plus it’s meatless (and filling, in case there’s not a lot else they can eat)?
Hummus served with flat bread for schmearing , or bruschetta with tomato and basil topping are always crowd pleasers when we have an appetizer party. Guacamole and chips are good too, but a little less…exotic.
They all require chopping or processing, but the good news is, a little goes a long way when things are served on filling breads.
Oh, and I’ve mentioned this MANY times before, but if you want good guacamole without any of the fuss of preparing it, go to the grocery store and pick up a few bags of Wholly Guacamole. It’s the best store-bought-but-doesn’t-taste-store-bought guac you can buy.
I’ve made mini black bean burgers before, kinda like “sliders”. I have a pretty good (and not too difficult) black bean burger recipe, if you’re interested. They were extremely popular, both with the vegetarians and everyone else.
ETA: If you want the recipe I’ll type it out, just let me know!
Soup would mean having bowls or something, so that’s out. A quinoa salad might be a good idea because it’s also non-dairy, and I know we have a few of those around too. Black bean burgers are a possibility, hmm. I’d rather stay away from appetizer-type stuff, since a lot of that will probably show up on its own as if by magic.
In my family (I have three vegetarian aunts), the go-to favorite is pieroghis. You can just buy a box of a dozen Mrs. T’s, boil them up, then fry them up until they brown in butter and onions.
Throw some mushroom caps onto the grill for a few minutes. Asparagus spears grill really well, too - toss in some oil + seasonings, and they’ll feature pretty stripes and crispy tips. Oh, and slices of sweet onion, held together on a skewer, make great companions to grilled meat anyway, so you should definitely have some of those.
Maybe a chilled pasta salad and/or potato salad? You can assemble it a bit ahead, and just add the dressing when folks show up.
For dessert, pineapple slices and peach halves grill well, too, as long as you’ve got that sucker fired up anyway.
Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches made on the outdoor grill,yummy and cheap and easy.
If they’re vegan maybe you can grill up some eggplant and tomato sandwiches. Grilled portobello mushrooms seem to be a popular burger substitute (even though I hate them myself).
Grilled fruit with ice cream makes a good dessert. Grilled bananas are amazingly yummy but they soften up a lot so you need a kebab basket or similar to make them.
I do a nice Confetti Salad, basically dump together & serve, it’s easy & very tasty.
1 can whole kernal corn
1 can French cut green beans
1 can baby peas
1 sm jar pimentos
1 sm onion, diced fine
Mushrooms, if desired (I always leave 'em out)
Drain all & mix together
Dressing:
1/2 cup white vinegar
mix in 1/4 tsp salt & 1/2 c sugar, till sugar disolved. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil, mix well, pour over veggies. Chill.
You don’t win friends with salad!
You don’t win friends with salad!
You don’t win friends with salad!
Actually, although Homer and Bart were mocking vegetarians, I as a vegetarian would gladly have joined the conga line with them. It’s frustrating to be at an event and find that the salad is my only option.
I applaud your thoughtfulness as host for starting this Thread.
Although, if your invitation specified that people should bring food (as you say you did specify) then I would have no sympathy for any vegetarians that go hungry. Still, you are a good person for watching out for everyone!
All the above suggestions sound great, and I’ll chime in that Trader Joe’s always has great vegetarian food.
Any party that has hummus and a plate of olives makes me plenty happy.
Tofurkey brand makes bratwurst, which is always appreciated at cookouts by veges and vegans. Something “meaty” that goes on a bun. They’re way better on the grill than boca burgers or tofu dogs.
If you’re already doing burgers on the bbq, why not get a box of veggie burgers, too? You’re grilling stuff, just pick a part of the barbecue to not grill meat on and throw on the veggie patties. I eat meat, but I like a non-meat burger sometimes and there’s a variety of different types that are pretty tasty and readily available.