I’m trying to impress the hostess who’s given up meat for Lent.
Ideas? Looking for Entrees. My current plan, and the dish to beat is vegetarian lasagna - diced carrots in the red sauce, spinach mixed in with the ricotta, and squash slices in between.
I was thinking of a rice dish, but wasn’t sure if that’d impress. I’m also pretty bad with rice dishes. Maybe stuffed peppers?
Tomato and corn pie. It’s awesome. You can use a pre-made pie shell if you don’t want to bother with that part, but of course it will be better if you make it yourself.
Make biryani! I assume this is the type of wussy fasting that allows for dairy/oil, right? 
There are a million recipes, but you can make it fun for a party this way–the basmati rice is seasoned with mint, cumin, fenugreek, whatever, and then in a bunch of little bowls surrounding your pilaf, you have your garnishes: toasted nuts, golden raisins, yogurt, chopped scallions, chutney, even farmers cheese. Everyone serves themselves like a taco bar.
I’m having trouble finding a description of the exact thing I mean, but I swear I’ve seen it in a dozen vintage cookbooks, and I’ve made it before. When I was a kid, and somebody said come over, we’re having curry, they meant this. (usually with fake tandoori chicken, too)
Or is seafood allowed? Because then I might make something like crab or shrimp rangoon.
What about homemade lumpia?
If you wanted something to actually go with the lasagna, then make a nice big Italian chopped salad, or minestra.
Ratatouille. Simple, elegant, and delicious.
Mushroom stroganoff
Apple Kugel:
1/2 pound egg noodles
2 eggs
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 medium) coarsely grated apples
1/2 cup raisins
5 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.
Beat the eggs with half the sugar and half the cinnamon.
Add apples, raisins, and three tablespoons of butter to the eggs. Then add the noodles.
Put the noodle mix into a buttered nine-inch baking pan. Smooth out the top.
Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle the crumbs over the noodles. Drizzle the remaining butter over the top.
Bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Serve warm.
Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach:
2 pkgs (20 oz each) butternut squash, cut in 1-inch cubes
2 large red onions, peeled, chopped (about 4 cups)
3 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Toss squash, onions, and oil in bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Arrange in single layer on large baking sheet. Roast 25-30 minutes in 450 degree oven, until tender and brown.
Toss squash, onions, spinach, and dried cranberries in bowl; transfer to serving dish.
Corn Pudding:
2 tablespoons butter
1 chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup milk
1 15-oz can creamed corn
1 and 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 beaten eggs
1 cup shredded gouda cheese
Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic, bell pepper until tender.
Add flour, salt, pepper, thyme. Cook for a few more minutes.
Add milk. Cook until thickened.
Remove from heat. Mix in corn. Then mix in eggs and cheese.
Pour into a greased casserole dish.
Bake for thirty minutes. Then stir mixture in casserole dish to bring the outside browned
stuff into the middle. Cook for another twenty to thirty minutes until it’s set.
Green Rice:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 cup light cream
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 cup shredded swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 grated romano cheese
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic about five minutes until tender.
Add spinach and cook until liquid evaporates.
Mix spinach and all remaining ingredients except romano cheese in a bowl.
Pour into greased casserole dish and sprinkle romano cheese on top.
Bake 45-55 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Mayan Harvest Bake:
1 cup prepared quinoa
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 plantain, sliced into long planks
4 cup chopped kale
1/4 cup pepitas (you can substitute almonds)
ancho chili sauce:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1 cup tomato puree
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4-1/2 cup vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Puree onions and garlic in a blender with stock.
Add tomato puree, tomato paste, onion puree, sugar and spices to a small soup pot.
Heat over medium for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Scatter sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment, roast for 15 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium, add chopped kale, a few tbsp. of water and a sprinkle of salt.
Wilt down and toss for 5-10 minutes.
Spread prepared quinoa in a baking dish, top evenly with black beans.
Top with cooked kale and sliced plantains.
Take potatoes out of the oven, scatter around baking dish.
Top entire casserole with sauce.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
Sprinkle with pepitas.
Maki-sushi is a great vegetarian pot-luck dish. I found out by accident when I took some to an international pot-luck I was invited to. I wasn’t sure how well raw fish would go over with the eclectic group so I rolled a few different kinds using vegetables, Japanese pickles, etc. Depending on whether they could eat fish, you could use smoked salmon, crab meat, tuna and fish roe as well.
You can make lots of different varieties so people can pick and choose their favourite kinds, make a nice presentation with all the different colours, and give it a sort of international flair to it all at the same time. Make sure to bring chopsticks and shoyu for everyone.
Rumaki!
Just kidding. 
Good spinach lasagne is hard to beat. How about a pizza? Trader Joe’s pizza dough, meatless sauce, sliced fresh mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, olives… You could even put Tofurky sausage on it.
Or: Polenta in a baking dish, topped with sliced zucchini, sliced mushrooms, and chopped onions, covered with spaghetti sauce and shredded mozzarella.
A favourite in this house is simply acorn squash, cut in half and seeded, sprinkled with a little garlic powder and brown sugar, and a blob of butter and baked for hours until it’s tender.
Fettuccine.
Falafel sandwiches. I use Osem falafel mix I buy at the supermarket. Put falafels into a pocket pita with lettuce, tomato, kalamata olives, and tzatziki. Add feta if you like, or use feta and red onions and leave out the falafel for a Greek salad sandwich. For falafel sandwiches, don’t forget the Sriracha!
My potluck crowd likes soup. I make a red lentil soup that’s very popular. The elderly Turkish neighbor in New Orleans who taught me to make it maintained it was the very soup that Esau sold his birthright for. His family, as descendants of Esau, got the recipe from Jacob. (You can take that with the grain of salt not in the recipe.)
“When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished”… But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”- Genesis 25:29-34
Esau’s Birthright Red Lentil Soup All measurements are approximations. Vary as needed.
In a large soup pot cook a package of rinsed off lentils in 3 cups of vegetable bouillon (you could’ve used beef bouillon some other time.) Bring to boil then cover and simmer 'til tender.
At the same time:
In a skillet melt 1/2 cup of butter or margarine if you’ve sworn off butter.
Dice finely a large white onion into into it and simmer 'til onion is limp, no browning at all.
Put 3 tall forkfuls of flour one at a time, stirring stirring to blend. It’ll be yellow and thick.
When nice and smooth gradually add 3 cups of tomato juice still stirring away.
Gradually pour and stir the skillet contents into the lentil pot, and it’s soup.
We like it in small bowls topped with a handful of grated cheddar (or faux cheese if vegan.) Always serve with slices of lovely grainy dark bread.
Taco Potato Crisps This recipe is vegan but for vegetarians you could use actual sour cream to make things a bit easier.
Swiss Chard, Sweet Potato, and Feta Tart in a Teff Crust
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/swiss-chard-sweet-potato-feta-tart-teff-crust.aspx
In a room of meat eaters, this dish, which I made for the lone vegetarian, was the hit of the day. It can be served warm or at room temperature. Teff can be a little hard to find, but you can get it from Amazon.com, or probably at Whole Foods.
I was at a potluck not very long ago where someone brought that. It was a show stopper! Thanks for reminding me – and providing a recipe.