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MaryM
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 3:58pm | IP Logged
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I am tagging onto Angie's question and starting but starting a separate thread as the focus is different.
MaryM wrote:
| That makes me think of my own question I have been fretting over...I need company worthy meatless recipes for Fridays. I don't want to serve some of the really simple recipes we do just for family. So I would actually avoid Friday company dinners but it seems a good night for a lot of our guests. I do have a couple fish ones but sometimes folks are not fond of fish (or are allergic). I just feel I have so many fewer options for elegant meatless. |
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So what are some company worthy meatless recipes that you all use? I know there have to be lots - it' is just I rely so much on meat to company meals.
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JodieLyn
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OH my goodness.. if anything I have a harder time with simple meatless meals.
Spaghetti
Lasagna
cheese Enchiladas
burrito bar with all the fancy topping but only beans rather than meat.
If it's warm enough for a light meal a loaded salad with bread can be a meal
egg foo yung
stir fried veggies with rice
lots of soups that you can make "fancy" by serving a salad as a first course and then serving the soup with good breads (there's some good meatless bullion for soups that would normally have a stronger beef or chicken flavored base)
For really fancy I have a great Spicy New Orleans Shrimp recipe.. this shrimp is cooked in spicy butter sauce, serve it with bread and a green salad.
cheese raviolis or tortellini, meatless marinara sauce, salad and bread
(yes I seem to think fancy meals have green salad  )
There's meatless pierogi.
Also don't just think about making the meals fancy so much as making them themed.. for instance if you're thinking hearty country dinner you pick the dishes and types of breads and such to go with that.. a unifying theme helps it feel less like something is missing.
Oh! pasta and cornbread with meatless chili and cheese for a topping.. a veggie tray to snack on and then this hearty winter meal is great.. people can eat it anyway they like.. chili over pasta with bread on the side..skip the pasta and have the chili over the bread, skip the chili and have pasta with cheese and cornbread, etc.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 5:37pm | IP Logged
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Baked ziti (looks great with lots of cheese melted on it), green salad and bread...my go-to meatless company meal for winter.
In summer, I'd do grilled veggies and a trio of salads (pasta, green, and bean/corn).
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 7:47pm | IP Logged
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I have a Jeanne Lemlin vegetarian cookbook -- Vegetarian Pleasures (now OOP, but I think she does still have some in print) -- which has really helpful divisions: quick meals, informal meals, elegant meals, as well as a miscellany of soups and breads.
It's been a while since I've delved into it, actually, but she has some really beautiful pastas, timbales, and other more "upscale" things. She does a lot of tofu and tempeh things -- it's an old cookbook, and at the time everyone thought soy was the miracle food, which many people do not any more. But a lot of things were just really good, rich flavors with no meat. What I really liked about this cookbook was that it didn't just have dishes, but entire menus laid out. I didn't always do the whole menu for a given meal, but sometimes just have an idea of what things might go elegantly together can make even a relatively ordinary meal seem special.
Something like a heartier salad with cheese and hard-boiled egg, followed by a pasta with pesto and some nice bread, and then a good dessert, would be a beautiful meatless meal with a fair amount of protein (eggs, cheese, pine nuts in the pesto) as well as vegetables.
It's funny, we often actively avoid inviting people over on Fridays, because it's going to be meatless. I should really maybe rethink that . . .
Sally
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 30 2014 at 7:54pm | IP Logged
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Looks as though you could get a reasonably-priced copy of Vegetarian Pleasures.
I have been Pinteresting a lot lately, too, and pinning a good many quinoa meals: cold quinoa and black-bean salads, quinoa broccoli-cheese casseroles . . . Quinoa is a good high-protein grain with a nice consistency (I think, anyway), and there seem to be no end of recipes built around it that would work for a nicer meal.
Also, in summer, what about a Middle-Easter platter with hummus and pita wedges, tabbouleh salad, baba ganoush, etc?
Sally
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Christine
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We have had success serving salad, fettuccine alfredo, and Texas toast to guests. Barbecued salmon with rice and vegetables have also received rave reviews. I marinate the salmon and then have my husband barbecue it on wood boards. Guests have also liked Kimberlee's spinach lasagna, served with salad and garlic bread. Kimberlee also has some great lentil soup recipes on her recipe blog that we like. I haven't served them to friends, but I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
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juliana147
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| Posted: Jan 31 2014 at 7:41am | IP Logged
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Cheese soufflé!!! It looks impressive, but if you can get everyone seated at once, it's not that hard.
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MelissaClaire
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I posted this on the other thread--but this works here too!
Costco carries an awesome frozen marinated wild Alaskan salmon. It's $15 a box and it's enough to feed my family (or 8 eaters--but my oldest is only 12.) I think grilling from frozen takes about 20-25 minutes. I usually serve it with grilled thinly sliced potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions in olive oil, salt and pepper and thyme.
If I'm trying to stretch it though I make a salad and top it with the salmon. (This is actually my family's favorite dinner.)
Grilled salmon
mixed greens
tomatoes
grilled corn (I keep this frozen)
diced dates
goat cheese crumbles
craisins
balsamic vinaigrette
I've not tried it but PW roasted red pepper pasta looks very quick, easy and yummy too. If you keep a loaf of crusty bread in your freezer and you could bake it while the pasta is getting prepped.
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Angie Mc
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Mary, this is a great idea! I hope to get back to it this weekend, when I'm planning food again  .
Love,
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anitamarie
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Stuffed shells or manicotti are great with a salad and some bread. You can also pre-assemble and refrigerate, if you'll be gone in the afternoon, or freeze, so you can be ready for last minute guests as well.
Anita
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Pilgrim
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Broiled Tilapia Parmesan it's delicious, all the family likes it, and it's *very* easy, so you can throw it together quickly and broil it while your company is there, and have the main dish ready in minutes, esp. if you have the topping ready in the fridge, and the tilapia thawed and ready. I put this together with some potatoes and salad, and it was great company worthy meal recently. I usually like a Saturday or Sunday for company, so when our friends said friday was good for them, and we had left the schedule open to them, I was thinking "What will I serve?" as, like you, we usually have more simple fare, and last time had served Tuna Melts, on English muffins to the same friends, so didn't want to repeat. Oh, another one that we'd definitely call company worthy, and is a hit at our house is, Salmon Chowder. I didn't even think the first times i made it and used the chicken broth it calls for. When I noticed, I just switched to vegetable broth and it's fine. We use Sharp Cheddar for the cheese, as it gives the soup a more cheesy flavor. We would add some Texas Toast or french bread, and even a salad for company. This is a great thread!
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Topic: Fancy meatless meals?
