I'd like some vegetarian side dish help, please. (Feeling very unimaginative here.)

S

shaun-in-to

Well-known member
Fresh pitas and a spicy walnut/roasted red pepper dip with drinks.

Ricotta gnocchi with either butternut squash/browned butter/sage sauce or (less seasonal but lighter) lemon, spinach and peas.

Shiitake mushroom and goat cheese tart with ...?

Kohlrabi and mache salad with a lemon juice/caper dressing.

Italian pear cake (with raisins and pine nuts).

Pairing the main with a salad seemed boring so it became a separate course. I was thinking braised or gratineed fennel, and then thought about the fennel and sun-dried tomato ragout I like so much, and then the fennel kept wanting to migrate to the gnocchi sauce ... I can't put my finger on it but something's not working here.

Do-ahead would be appreciated. Also, guests are the type who are easily intimidated by "fancy" cooking. Thanks for any ideas.

 
I felt the same when entertaining a vegan author recently so....

I asked for help from a chef since I was working that day anyway and would be pushed. He prepared everything ahead and I just reheated and plated.

He prepared hummus to go with drinks.

Started with a mixed greens salad and emulsified balsamic which we topped with some slices of apples since that is all we had.

Then went to a spicy black bean soup

The vegan entree was a pave of vegetables and tofu wrapped in Swiss chard while the rest of us had chicken paillards with a wonderful sauce

Vegetables were simply thin baby asparagus with julienned carrots and then roasted small potatoes (blues, reds, etc.) with garlic, dried cranberries and shallots.

Finished with an apple cobbler with an oatmeal olive oil crumble topping.

It was all outstading and the vegan couldn't stop talking about it.

 
Here is a Silver Palate vegetarian side for a buffet. It's not vegan. I made this at a Christmas

party. We ran out of party bread but broccoli was a great substitute for 'dipping'


Goat Cheese Torta with Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes


This is a killer party item. My friends stand around and inhale this stuff. If there are any leftovers, it's great the next day.

6 oz goat cheese
4 oz cream cheese
garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped ( no # of cloves, I
usually put in lots and more, at least smileys/bigeyes.gif
1/2 cup pesto (at least)
1/2 cup chopped up fine oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes,
including 1 - 2 tsp.marinade
Decor, from fresh herbs, branches of thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley
sliced baguettes *******

Mix goat cheese and cream cheese, add the garlic. Taste. Add
salt and black pepper if you want. Line a small glass bowl (about 2 - 3
cups) with plastic wrap. Put about 1/3 of the goat cheese mix into the
bowl. Top this with the pesto. Put another 1/3 of the goat cheese mix
on top of this. Put the sundried tomatoes on this. Top with the rest of
the cheese. Put plastic wrap over the top of this. Refrigerate for at
least 2 hours, and up to four days.

To serve, invert bowl on a serving dish. Carefully remove the plastic wrap.

Decorate with herbaceous materials.

Serve with baguettes.

Keep out of the way of the devouring mob. Supposed to serve up to 20 - 25 with other hors d'oeuvres.



from the Silver Palatte

 
Fennel and Orange Salad with Herb Lime Vinaigrette

I got this out of a cookbook. I don't like fennel, so I haven't tried it.


Fennel And Orange Salad With Herb-Lime Vinaigrette

1 medium fennel bulb
2 each clementines or
1 large navel orange
1 bunch arugula or watercress
----VINAIGRETTE----
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon thyme or oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the oil, lime juice, thyme or
oregano, salt and pepper and whisk until blended or shake in a
covered jar.

Can be prepared several hours ahead.

2. Remove the stalks and fronds of the fennel and discard, saving
only the bulb. Cut away any brown or dry-looking spots from the top
layer of the bulb. Julienne the fennel bulb into thin strips.

3. Peel and divide the clementines into segments. Wash and dry the
arugula and divide equally on 4 plates.

4. Toss the fennel and orange with the vinaigrette and place on top
of the arugula. Serve.

"The Occasional Vegetarian" by Karen Lee. Posted by Diane Lazarus

Yield: 6 servings

 
Winter Vegetable Puree

Winter Vegetable Puree

1 large celery root, trimmed, peeled
2 medium baking potatoes, cubed
2 medium turnips, cubed
4 medium leeks, washed & sliced
1 tablespoon salt
1 pepper, to taste

Combine the celery root, potaotes, turnips, and leeks in a large
saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over medium-high heat and
bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all of the vegetables
are tender, about 30 mins. Drain well and pass the vegetables through
a ricer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 plates and
serve immediately.

"A Well Seasoned Appetite" Posted by Dan Klepach

Yield: 4 servings

 
Sweet Potato Coleslaw

SWEET POTATO COLESLAW

Recipe By : "New Italian - Fresh Fun in the Kitchen" by Chef Tony Merol


2 medium sweet potatoes -- uncooked julienne
1 head radicchio -- diced
1 cup celery -- diced
1 medium green pepper -- julienne
1 cup sweet apple (Fuji/Gala) -- diced
1 medium Vidalia onion -- diced
1 tablespoon milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Prepare vegetables. Combine mayonnaise, milk, lime juice & sea salt in large bowl & whisk to blend.
Add all the ingredient to the mayonnaise mixture & toss to coat. Cover & refrigerate. Serve chilled.

 
Swiss Chard with Apples and Dried Cherries

Aj shared this in a group; they found it on the internet somewhere. He said they really liked it and everyone wanted seconds.

Swiss Chard with Apples and Dried Cherries


8 cups Swiss chard leaves, approx. 2 bunches
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsps. olive oil
1 fresh ripe apple, cored and diced
1/4 cup dried cherries
1 tsp. salt

Begin by rinsing the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly and removing the fibrous center spine. Roughly chop the leaves into 2 inch strips. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, apple and dried cherries and warm through. Next, add the chopped Swiss chard leaves and stir. Turn heat down to low and cook for 3 minutes to begin to wilt the chard. Season with salt, stir and continue to cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until the chard is fully wilted. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and serve.

Serves 5

 
Leek Patties - very delicious

REC: Leek patties from Triana
Leek Patties

2 kilo leeks (about 4.4 lbs)
8 eggs
200 gram matza meal (about 8 ounces)
- you could use any kind of dried crumbs -
like grissini or something- I don't know
what kinds you have but matza meal works well.
1 tsp. chicken soup powder (like Knorr)
salt, black pepper
Peel the leek until you get to the white
part and cook them for about an hour in
salted water. Drain and puree the leeks
and add the remaining ingredients. Form
patties and fry in deep oil. (you don't have
to use deep oil although that is authentic!)

I just pan fry them or sauté would be the correct term. You can even make them shortly before and reheat in oven.



 
Green Pea and watercress puree - Silver Palate I think

It was a very Green Pea and Watercress Pur?e
pleasant surprise when we discovered how well this favorite spring recipe froze. Always popular at Easter because of the bright color, quick preparation, and simple spring ingredients, making it ahead of time makes it convenient as well.

20 ounces frozen baby green peas
2 bunches washed and torn watercress
1/3 cup softened butter
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peas in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the watercress, cover, and turn off the heat. Let sit for ten minutes, then drain well. Cool to room temperature and then pur?e in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste and blend again. Pour into a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes. If you are making the dish in advance, do not bake until ready to serve, store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or freeze for up to a month.

Reheating Directions: Bake the refrigerated pur?e in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Cook the frozen pur?e in a large heavy saucepan over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until heated through.

Makes 8 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Sitting/Cooling Time: 20 minutes
Reheating Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes


Elaine's note - I have both made them ahead and also made ahead and froze. Good and easy.

 
How about adding caramelized onions to the tart? or REC: Wild Rice & Pecan Stuffed Onions with

Cranberry-Orange Glaze, a nice do ahead "entree" - so delicious:

Wild Rice and Pecan Stuffed Onions With Cranberry-Orange Glaze

Adapted from Mollie Katzen

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

1/2 cup wild rice
6 medium Vidalia, Maui or other sweet onions
Olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt
1 12-ounce can orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 teaspoons light-color honey
3/8 cup (packed) dried cranberries, more for garnish
1 seedless orange, sliced, for garnish
1 bunch chives, for garnish.

1. In a small saucepan, combine rice with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until tender and water is absorbed, about 1 hour. Remove from heat, and set aside.

2. While rice is simmering, heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim a small slice from root end of each onion so that it will stand upright. Remove skins. Use a small sharp paring knife to cut tops off onions, and with a series of small slits, hollow out a cylinder 1 inch wide and 2 inches deep. With a teaspoon, continue to hollow out onions to within about 1/2 inch of bottom. Leave enough thickness in the walls to retain their shape. Mince onion taken from cavities, and set aside.

3. Rub onions with olive oil. Oil a baking dish large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer. Place in lower half of oven and roast until they are tender but still hold their shape, about 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool.

4. Place a medium skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Melt butter, add minced onion and pecans, and sauté about 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute, then add rice and salt to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low, and sauté 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. (Onions and filling may be prepared 2 days ahead, and stored covered in refrigerator.)

5. In a shallow saucepan, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, vinegar, mustard and honey. Place over medium heat, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Add 3/8 cup cranberries and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook uncovered until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and keep warm, or allow to cool, cover, and refrigerate until needed. (May be prepared 2 days before assembly.)

6. For assembly: heat oven to 325 degrees. Stuff filling into cavities of onions. Place onions in a baking pan, and top with any remaining filling. Cover tightly with foil, and bake just until thoroughly heated. While onions bake, reheat glaze. To serve, put a spoonful of hot glaze on each plate, and top with an onion. Drizzle sauce on top, and garnish plates with orange slices, cranberries and chives.

Yield: 6 servings.

 
Sweet Pepper Rice~ I posted this before~ It's my NEW FAVORITE Side ~ so good

Sweet Pepper Rice

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 Tblsp butter or Margarine
2 beef broth or chicken broth cubes HINT: Using a mortar and pedestal ~ crush cubes to a powder
1 cup rice ~ uncooked
1 green or red sweet pepper

Bring water to a boil, adding salt and butter to melt. Add broth and rice, stir. Bring back to a full boil, set to lowest heat setting you can do. Cover. Set timer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the pepper into very small pieces. When timer rings, add pepper pieces to top of rice- DO NOT STIR, just pop cover off, then back on again. Set timer for 5 more minutes.Take it off the burner, let sit for a few minutes, stir well to incorporate.

 
Some roasted red and/or golden beets would be nice with the tart, since the salad is separate.

or Charlie's roasted red onions with balsamic glaze.

I might put a bowl of hummus next to the pepper dip for variety with the pita.

 
Joe I made your Ricotta Cheese & Orange Glaze Peel~ Big Hit and quite delicious~ I made extra glazed

orange peel now in my refrigerator ~ which is great because with Christmas baking they will be handy

My sister and her husband loved it the most and I gave them a copy of your recipe ~

 
Avocado Pie

This is always accepted with big smiles .

Avocado Pie courtesy Ray Best
1 1/2 cups Mexican salsa in mild,medium or hot 2 large ripe avocados
1 envelope of ranch style dressing mix
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch of green onions chopped, include the tops
1 4 ounce can of chopped black olives
1 cup shredded Jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
Tortilla chips for serving

Place salsa in a colander to drain.
Cut avocados in half and remove pits, scoop avocados into medium bowl. Mash with a fork until fairly smooth. Add ranch dressing mix and lemon juice and stir to blend well.

In a small bowl mix sour cream and mayo.

To assemble, spread mashed avocado on bottom of an 8 inch glass pie plate. With a spatula, cover evenly with sour cream mixture. Spread drained salsa over the sour cream mixture. Cover with green onions, then chopped olives, then Jack cheese. Sprinkle cilantro or parsley over top.

Refrigerator one hour or more before serving.

Serve with a bowl of tortilla chips.

 
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