Vegetarian recipes wanted

5th September 2007

posted in Personal, Recipes |

So, the husband and I are planning our informal wedding reception for Sept. 15. I’m not only the reception planner, invitation designer and printer, cake-maker and interior decorator, I’m also the caterer.

I wanted to offer our guests, all of whom are meat-eaters, lots of delicious appetizers and light sides that just happen to be vegetarian. I’d like to show them that a vegetarian diet consists of more than just lettuce.

One problem. I can’t cook.

Really. My cooking skills are non-existent, zip, nada. I have adult ADD and following any recipe with more than three ingredients and two steps is mission impossible.

My first night in my first apartment, I was introduced to the joys of cooking and the wonders of modern kitchen appliances when I set my first dinner aflame, and no, I was not cooking flambé intentionally.

I’ve “forgotten” frozen pizzas in the oven and come back hours later to find charred frisbees that NASA could launch into space.

It is no coincidence the fire extinguisher has been located outside the past three apartments I inhabited.

So, I present the challenge at-hand to you, fine readers. Any ideas for delicious (and easy) vegetarian dishes that require little to no actual cooking?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 5:42 pm and is filed under Personal, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On September 5th, 2007, annaham

said:

There is a truly excellent veggie cooking “card deck” that I have, and I think it’s called “Quick Gourmet Vegetarian Recipe Cards” or somesuch. Speaking as a college student who cannot cook AND has a limited budget, I have found these cards to be VERY useful. Best of luck!

posted on September 5th, 2007 at 11:02 pm

2 On September 5th, 2007, annaham

Addenum to my last comment: here.

posted on September 5th, 2007 at 11:04 pm

3 On September 6th, 2007, Meowser

I am an ADD-er myself, and I actually love to cook. Timers are my friend. So are convection ovens that automatically switch off at the end of a cooking cycle.

But if you want to keep heating implements and such to a minimum, you can’t beat a good tofu-veggie stir-fry, maybe with a few nuts tossed in. Hit an Asian grocery store and check out their frozen veggies, there are some really cool combination packages. A basic stir-fry sauce would have maybe soy sauce, garlic and/or scallions, sesame oil, and ginger, and you can probably find plenty of variants on the Net.

If you want to have rice and don’t want to screw around with cooking it, get a good rice cooker or, if you have Trader Joe’s around, they sell both white and brown rice in frozen bags you microwave, and they’re actually fine (I say this as someone who CAN’T STAND icky overcooked or underdone rice). Alternatively, you could use ramen noodles or rice noodles; the latter, if dried, just need soaking in cold water for 5 or 10 minutes and maybe boiling for 3, nothing too complex. Even simpler is buying fresh rice noodles from an Asian grocery; those just need maybe a minute or two in the microwave to soften. Or you could even toss the noodles into the stir-fry and make it a noodle dish; it’s not illegal.

Anyway, have a great party!

posted on September 6th, 2007 at 1:07 am

4 On September 6th, 2007, Celeste

Check out http://smittenkitchen.com blog. I read her every day. One of her links, Orangette, just had a wedding and had lots of really neat veggie dishes, I think.

posted on September 6th, 2007 at 8:38 am

5 On September 6th, 2007, fuzzykitten

i’ve always been a fan of throwing a ton of chopped assorted veggies into a cast iron pan with a little oil, salt & pepper and scorching them at 500 degrees for 20 mintes (or until they’re soft and slightly charred). works well with cauliflower (definitely the best one), broccoli, onions, carrots, thick mushrooms, zucchini, or really any root vegetable. add cooked pasta to that and sprinkle some cheese on the top for the last five minutes and you get a veggie casserole that you can cut into squares.

i’m allergic to nuts, but i imagine it would work if you put pumpkin seeds or almonds or whatever into the mix. sometimes i’ll throw a little fresh thyme into the pan, sometimes i forget. it’s good either way and it’s very open to experimentation. beet/cauliflower/carrot is a really sweet mix, but potato/zucchini/onion/mushroom is more savory.

caramelization is your friend.

you could also buy some of those frozen puff pastry hors d’ouvres. the spinach puffs kickass. or what about a frittata/quiche?

posted on September 6th, 2007 at 1:11 pm

6 On September 6th, 2007, fuzzykitten

doh - forgot about Alton Brown’s roasted veggie spread. it’s very tasty and easy to make and serve.

posted on September 6th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

7 On September 6th, 2007, Celeste

I had something great once–sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed, tossed in olive oil and Jamaican jerk seasoning, and roasted in the oven. Toss once or twice during roasting. You could make this ahead and warm it up.

My favorite veggie to oven-roast is butternut squash. I slice in half, scoop, and poke holes with a fork, then turn cut side down on a cookie sheet. After it softens, scoop out the flesh and mash with salted butter. There will browned bits and you want to cover the cookie sheet and make more. At the end, stir in some grated Asiago cheese (tastier than parmesan) and heat to melt the cheese. This could also be made ahead and reheated at the right time.

posted on September 6th, 2007 at 2:29 pm

8 On September 7th, 2007, Jackie

OMG I so know how you feel! I can only microwave, that’s it. A friend of mine reccomended that I look into some foods that don’t require cooking.

I’m not sure of any vegetarian dishes that don’t require cooking. Seems like the other posters here have some great ideas though. All I can think of is like, a salad, or a sandwhich. LoL, so creative, I know.

posted on September 7th, 2007 at 3:46 am

9 On September 7th, 2007, Celeste

Ooooh, I have it. Cucumber sammiches! One loaf of pumpernickel cocktail loaf, one package cream cheese, one packet powdered ranch dressing, cucumber washed but unpeeled and raked with a fork and sliced thinly. Soften the cream cheese, mix in the ranch powder thoroughly, spread a layer of cream cheese on each tiny piece of bread, and top with a cucumber slice. Be sure to wrap these well until serving time because the little breads dry out fast.

posted on September 7th, 2007 at 10:29 am

10 On September 7th, 2007, Rachel

Thanks for all the yummy recipes, everyone. I wanted to try and keep most of our dishes cold ones, because I don’t have a way to heat them up in the small kitchenette at the clubhouse where we’re having the reception, but I will definitely keep them in mind for recipes at home.

I picked up a new cookbook today at the company book sale - publishers send new releases to the newsroom to review and they sell them for charity. It’s called Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello. The recipes are all short and easy but look and sound very impressive.

posted on September 7th, 2007 at 2:41 pm