Ideas for birthdays and other parties

[thecounterspark]

thanks for all the great suggestions! :D

[jillian]

About the rice syrup -- it's my recollection that it is fairly thick. Maple syrup will likely be looser. I would add the maple syrup a little at a time because it's likely you'll need less of it.

[Mystic]

I am going to have 150 people at my engagement party - most of those who eat dead animals :( It is a lunch thing I am organising, so here is my menu - let me know if it is good for meat eating people...
- Hummus
- Baba Gannouj
- White Bean "salmon" dip
- Avocado dip
- Tunisian Potato salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Mediterannean Pasta Salad
- Falafel Balls
- Grilled Polenta Wedges (made w/ parmazano)
- Eggplant schnitzels
- Pita Bread
- Bagels
- Chocolate Macadamia Cake
- Tropical Mango & Pecan Cheesecake
- Date & Pecan Cake

What do you all reckon????

[catmogg]

:D It sounds gorgeous, your guests are in for a treat. They get to celebrate with you and try something new and delicious!!! Have a wonderful time.:D

[Skajen]

I am going to have 150 people at my engagement party - most of those who eat dead animals :( It is a lunch thing I am organising, so here is my menu - let me know if it is good for meat eating people...
- Hummus
- Baba Gannouj
- White Bean "salmon" dip
- Avocado dip
- Tunisian Potato salad
- Chickpea Salad
- Mediterannean Pasta Salad
- Falafel Balls
- Grilled Polenta Wedges (made w/ parmazano)
- Eggplant schnitzels
- Pita Bread
- Bagels
- Chocolate Macadamia Cake
- Tropical Mango & Pecan Cheesecake
- Date & Pecan Cake

What do you all reckon????

wow what a selection. it looks to me like a nicer, more exciting, version of a family party buffet! where did you get the food from? make it? i want to have a vegan birthday buffet, but my mum refuses when we have meat-eating guests, despite the fact its my party! :(

[tabitha]

That looks absolutely gorgeous. Skajen - I reckon if you showed your mum that she would be so impressed she would let you have a similar selection at your birthday.:)

[Wildflower]

That looks yummy and very non threatening!

Some other non threatening vegan foods that are pretty simple are a fresh fruit salad, a raw veggie tray and a bowl of yummy mixed nuts. Not sure if that fits into your meal plan, but just thought I would mention it.

are you cooking for everyone or passing recipes to your family/friends catering company to fix? I hope you have help!

Can I have the chocolate macadamia cake recipe? ;)

[ConsciousCuisine]

Stickydate, you've done a beautiful job planning the menu! I hope you have help with the cooking and _even better- can get someone to do it for you!

[Troutina]

Wow, congratulations and enjoy shocking all those meaties with your yummy food!!

Skajen- why don't you take over all the food, then your Mum can't decide what gets eaten?

[berta_the_aspie]

me and a buddy are making some vegan food today! any sugegstions what to make? it should be a menu right?
i have never made a real dinner before, i mean a dinner party, not even a regular party. i wanna invite some people to, but i dunno if they will be disgusted coz its vegan:(

what shud the menu be tho?!:)

[Jane M]

Why not take a look at Cherry's site to get some ideas? She has some really good yet simple recipes on there. I wouldn't try anything to exotic or hard to make if I were you though.

http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/

Ok, to share Cherry?????

[Cherry]

:D Thank you Jane

[coconut]

Why don't you cook a few of your favourite recipes that you make for yourselves. Make the ones that you find the tastiest. Then your guests will hopefully fall in love with vegan food.

[berta_the_aspie]

i like ur site Cherry :)
yes i will certainly try and make my favourite recipes. but shouldnt it be like a 3 course meal? or at least dessert? i wanna make something italian i think. so does any dessert go with that?

[puffin]

I usually just make a cake for dessert. It doesnt take long to make either. The carrot cake on Cherrys website is easy and fast to make (except the cooking time). I think cake goes with anything and people usually wait for a while until they want to eat dessert anyway so it doesnt matter to much if it doesnt fit in with the other 2 courses.

[RedWellies]

i wanna make something italian i think. so does any dessert go with that?
Ice-cream! Do you have Swedish Glace or another vegan ice-cream where you are? Or did you want to make the dessert yourself?

Risotto is a nice dish to make and seems to go down well with non-vegans too. You could have bruscetta to start.

[tabitha]

Ice cream definitely! You could serve it with fresh berries. If you had time you could make a cake as well. I had risotto at a restaurant the other day and it was fantastic! very easy to make but looks a bit sophisticated I think. I hope it goes well. cherrys website is absolutely fantastic by the way.

[GoodbyeGirl]

if you wanted to do courses i would think that italian would work well. you could start with a vegan antipasto tray, then maybe some minestrone soup or pasta a fagiole (pasta & bean) soup, and then a pasta for the main course with some italian ices for dessert. italian is something that everyone is used to and loves.
i think it's more fun to have a dinner party that is served 'family style' instead of courses. you make 3 main dishes and serve them all at the same time and everyone can just pick at them and put what they want to on their plates. this works well with asian food. you could make a stirfry, a noodle dish, and maybe some steamed veggies, or whatever else you like and put it all on the table with a big bowl of rice and then serve a tray of fresh fruit for dessert with a pot of mint tea, or cocktails. chinese is another cuisine that most people, vegan or not, like equally.
whatever you decide though don't work too hard because you don't want to be too tired to enjoy your own party. good luck.

[Wildflower]

Things I serve with friends over -

Appetizers -
samosas and chutneys
guacamole and chips and maybe a salsa
nice italian bread w/olive oil, basil, tomato salad (just throw them all together in a bowl with some garlic, or layer slices for a pretty effect)
warm bread w/flavored olive oil for dipping
mixed olives (except none of my friends like olives but me :confused: )

Salads
green salad (put dressing on right before serving)
potato salad (i call it greek potato salad, but add some ittalian herbs, use an ittalian olive and maybe some lemon juice and call it itallian) quarter and boil red potatoes, chill and mix in some grape tomatoes, kalmata olives (use a siciallian olive) and a bit of spinach for color. Then seperately, mix some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, cracked black pepper and garlic to taste, pour of potato mix, stir and chill)
pasta salad (pesto, veggie, anything really! but fun shaped pastas.)
veggie salad (sometimes I roast mixed peppers, or grill up some onions, mushrooms, broccoli, etc and mix with olive oil, garlic, or maybe also some balsamic vinegar)

Desserts
I like to do a platter of fresh fruits and dark chocolate (just buy a few good bars and break into squares). also, you could do fruit salad - fruits you like, covered with a lime juice/syrup sauce (sugar syrup, agave necter, whatever you like)

Bushetta sounds lovely! As does italian ice, and all the other things people mentioned.

I like to stick to things I know I like, and really simple "rustic" recipes. And I agree that you should put it all out togher, don't worry about courses. The only exception being that if you have appetizers out when people get there, you can have some time in the kitchen to do the main course. Dessert could be later, but for the main courses, put them all out at once. :)

Your dinner's probably over by now, but still wanted to share my ideas. Hope it went well!

[TracyK]

Hello all,

I will be having a graduation party to celebrate earning my master's degree at the end of the summer and I'm looking for food suggestions. I really have no idea what to serve - there will be anywhere from 40-65 people attending, the majority of whom are omnivores. Sadly, I'm the only vegan in my immediate social circle here. My parents will be springing for the party, so it's possible that I may not have to make all the food myself (providing that there is a vegan-friendly caterer in the vicinity). I'd appreciate any suggestions of vegan party food that omnivores and vegans alike might enjoy.

Thanks much!
Tracy

[Wildflower]

will it be buffet style or sit down? Or will you have those guys who carry trays around...what style is that? :p

[TracyK]

The food will be buffet-style and the whole affair is pretty casual. Unfortunately, we don't have the budget for a fancy sit-down meal.

Also, the age range of people attending will vary widely. Most people will be other grad students (20s-30s) or professors (30+), but there will probably also be several professors' children, as well as older relatives of mine.

[fiamma]

The food will be buffet-style and the whole affair is pretty casual. Unfortunately, we don't have the budget for a fancy sit-down meal.

Also, the age range of people attending will vary widely. Most people will be other grad students (20s-30s) or professors (30+), but there will probably also be several professors' children, as well as older relatives of mine.

Little pasties, like samosas (you can make a whole load and freeze them), salads made with grains, sandwiches, vegan mini pizzas, dips.. I think the list is endless if you decide on what kind of catering you want, and maybe a theme. Veggie spring rolls with filo pastry,,, If you give me some more info I'd gladly help with more suggestions. I'd pop over with my pinny on but Indiana is kind of far :D

[Mr Flibble]

dal and rice. 10 cents per person, easy to make huge batches. Perfect :)

[Wildflower]

i think it is always good to go with foods people are used to already, that just happen to be vegan.

chips and salsa
guacamole and chips
veggies and bean dips
hummus and pita
fruit salad
potato salad (i always make one w/olive oil and vinegar, but I have heard veganize tastes just like mayo)
pasta salad
tabouli
olives
chips and dip - better than sour cream is pretty close to cow sour cream, maybe that would work with some onions, veggies chopped in
bread and dipping oils
samosas
cake
punch
couscous
roasted or grilled veggies
walnut pate and crackers

Ok, so no main dish really...you could do veggie burgers on the grill? Or maybe a pan of spagetti and marinara? tofu and veggie kabobs? cheeseless pesto lasagna? roasted veggie risoto? veggie chili? build your own burrito? you could do lots of veggies and refried beans...

maybe a make your own sandwich area? allthough people I suppose will be opposed to meatless sandwiches...