Vegetarian/Vegan Dish Ideas for a Graduation Party...

[mvazul]

Our son is graduating in just a few short months. My family is hosting a party for him when my husband, kids and I travel to Pennsylvania in May. We have a couple of vegetarians who will be joining us.

One is my father. He had a triple bypass almost two years ago and has gone completely vegetarian. Also, we have friends who are, I believe, vegans. They eat no meat, dairy products, etc. I want them to be able to enjoy themselves and not walk away hungry. However, I have no clue what to have for them besides fruit and vegetables.

Dishes need to be fairly simple. My husband and I are going to be extremely busy the two days before the party. We are wedding photographers and that is the main reason for us traveling from Florida to Pennsylvania that weekend. We will be busy with the rehearsal Friday night and then, of course, the wedding all day Saturday. Sunday, the day of the party, we are going to be exhausted. My family will be making all of the food and I want to make sure they know we have some vegetarians/vegans coming.

So, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Michelle

 

[etoiles]

Have you decided on any of the other dishes you are serving?

For a nice warm day I would serve a hearty main dish type salad with black beans, corn, diced red pepper, green onion, and avacado. Dress it with a dressing of lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

If you have not decided on everyone yet, you could do a taco bar and have everyone add their own toppings. Have a vegetarian refried beans or black bean mixture for the vegetarian/vegan version. Have everyone add their own toppings and it could please everyone.

Make your own sandwiches with a variety of toppings. Have a spread such as hummus for the vegetarian/vegan base. Check that the hummus and bread are vegan.

 

[mvazul]

Have you decided on any of the other dishes you are serving?

For a nice warm day I would serve a hearty main dish type salad with black beans, corn, diced red pepper, green onion, and avacado. Dress it with a dressing of lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

If you have not decided on everyone yet, you could do a taco bar and have everyone add their own toppings. Have a vegetarian refried beans or black bean mixture for the vegetarian/vegan version. Have everyone add their own toppings and it could please everyone.

Make your own sandwiches with a variety of toppings. Have a spread such as hummus for the vegetarian/vegan base. Check that the hummus and bread are vegan.

I am pretty sure my mother has decided on hot dogs/hamburgers for the kids and grilled chicken/brats for the adults. Basically, simple stuff on the grill with fruit and vegetable trays and pasta, macaroni and potato salads.

Thank you for the ideas!!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Some sort of pasta dish with tomato sauce.

TC

 

[mvazul]

Some sort of pasta dish with tomato sauce.

TC

I will also be asking them what they would like to have. Most of the time, they bring their own food, but I don't want them to have to do that.

 

[etoiles]

I am pretty sure my mother has decided on hot dogs/hamburgers for the kids and grilled chicken/brats for the adults. Basically, simple stuff on the grill with fruit and vegetable trays and pasta, macaroni and potato salads.

Thank you for the ideas!!

Why not grill some vegetables and tofu or veggie burgers? Please note that some veggie burgers are not vegan. Then make the pasta salad vegan with an oil/vinegar dressing and no cheese added.

I think that would be very considerate and as a vegetarian myself I always appreciate when someone make an effort to make something I can eat.

 

[cornflake]

I agree grilling some portabellos and strips of squash and peppers and stuff and having some rolls and cheeses to make sandwiches would be a good option - HOWEVER - please to have a totally separate grilling surface. Either a section of the grill that was thoroughly cleaned and that is reserved for the veg (with separate tools and platters used for the veg) or a separate grill if there's more than one, for the veg, that was cleaned very well and will not have meat on it.

If you grill the burgers and chicken and vegetables on the same surface, at least some of them and probably all won't touch it, it gets meat all over it.

A pasta salad would also be nice, as it's filling - no mayo so the vegans can eat it. You can just do like pasta, peas, carrot, julienned summer squash, thinly sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, blanched asparagus pieces, whatever, pasta, in a vinagarette of olive oil, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper.

Or a tabouleh salad, also simple, or the corn thing above.

 

[cornflake]

I am pretty sure my mother has decided on hot dogs/hamburgers for the kids and grilled chicken/brats for the adults. Basically, simple stuff on the grill with fruit and vegetable trays and pasta, macaroni and potato salads.

Thank you for the ideas!!

Remember vegans can't have anything with mayo, so if she's thinking those sides will do for them, they won't touch them.

Oh! Also don't put honey in any dressing for the fruit salad if you make one if there are vegans (or yogurt) as then they won't be able to have that either.

No dairy, no eggs, no honey, no butter...(so please read the ingredients on bread products to make sure it's vegan-friendly)

 

[Talking Hands]

I am pretty sure my mother has decided on hot dogs/hamburgers for the kids and grilled chicken/brats for the adults. Basically, simple stuff on the grill with fruit and vegetable trays and pasta, macaroni and potato salads.

Thank you for the ideas!!

There are vegetarian hot dogs and hamburgers available. Just be sure they are cooked on a separate grill so not to contaminate them. My daughter makes assume pasta salads without meats. Some cheese on the side for those who are not vegan. Also something I used to do was make the salad greens in a big bowl and place toppings in smaller bowls around so people could top with whatever hit their fancy. Lazy susan makes that really easy.

 

[Parkers_girl]

Quinoa is great for vegans and vegetarians because it has lots of protein but can be served cold on a hot day..it's quick and cheap to make (4 dollars for a large bag at BJ's) and you just boil it like rice. You can add feta cheese, chopped tomatoes, cukes, basil and onion for a cool, healthy lunch option. Even the non-veggie's will be scarfing it down..it's good!

Also, veggie burgers if you're grilling, or maybe some portobello mushrooms instead of a burger.

 

[NaLisa]

Good suggestions here. Just wanted to add that you can purchase vegan "cheese" (American-type slices, grated vegan parmesan) and other meat- and dairy-free products in the produce section of most grocery stores. Maybe purchase a couple of vegan sides at a local grocery specializing in vegetarian and vegan offerings.

 

[Minnesota!]

I would scrap the hot dogs and burgers and do, as someone suggested, a taco bar.

The vegans could make taco salads with black beans, lettuce, veggies, fresh salsa, avocado, the vegetarians could do all those with chips/shells.

And the carnivores would be pleased, too!!

Sides of grilled corn on the cob, fruit, and maybe a southwestern pasta salad?

 

[caitlinsmom]

This can be made ahead of time and can be made without the cheese. It's sooooo good.

http://www.carascravings.com/2009/05/wagon-wheel-taco-pasta-salad.html

 

[Janepod]

No tomato sauce in the summer - too heavy. But another pasta dish would be good.

Also try a vegan risotto.

 

[giantstoindy]

It's so nice you're thinking of us vegans out there!

I also like the idea of a taco bar. They're pretty filling with beans, brown rice and veggies as the ingredients. Soy, coconut or almond milk ice cream would also be a great treat. My favorite is Purely Decadent's chocolate and peanut butter (what can I say...I'm a Buckeye?!) or Trader Joe's cherry. Perfect meal for me! **runs to freezer**

 

[cornflake]

No tomato sauce in the summer - too heavy. But another pasta dish would be good.

Also try a vegan risotto.

That's funny, I think tomato sauce is quite light.

Risotto, however, is like a starch brick.

Taco bar would work well too yah - just remember to keep items separate with separate utensils as vegans don't want cheee/sour cream/etc. contamination any more than vegetarians want chicken touching their stuff.

It's really not hard, just set up one side as vegan, and have cheese and dairy options in the middle with their own utensils.

 

[mvazul]

Good suggestions here. Just wanted to add that you can purchase vegan "cheese" (American-type slices, grated vegan parmesan) and other meat- and dairy-free products in the produce section of most grocery stores. Maybe purchase a couple of vegan sides at a local grocery specializing in vegetarian and vegan offerings.

I really wish we could just run to the grocery store for a vegan dish. Unfortunately, there are two grocery stores in town. The "specialty" store is 10 miles away and specializes in meats! They're a local butcher The nearest "big" town is 40 miles away. The last thing we will want to do after driving from Florida to Pennsylvania and doing a wedding the day before is driving 80 miles round trip for food.

More than likely, my mother will be the one preparing everything. She will be driving 4 hours. However, now that I think about it, she lives near Pittsburgh. She might be able to pick up something before driving up for the party.

I appreciate all of the ideas. I think many of these could work. Also, thank you for reminding me about different cooking surfaces and utensils. That is something I did not think of.

 

[peacelover]

Quinoa is great for vegans and vegetarians because it has lots of protein but can be served cold on a hot day..it's quick and cheap to make (4 dollars for a large bag at BJ's) and you just boil it like rice. You can add feta cheese, chopped tomatoes, cukes, basil and onion for a cool, healthy lunch option. Even the non-veggie's will be scarfing it down..it's good!

Also, veggie burgers if you're grilling, or maybe some portobello mushrooms instead of a burger.

I was going to suggest Quinoa as well, I'm making Quinoa stuffed tomatoes tomorrow, simple, but you could also do Quinoa stuffed peppers.

 

[mvazul]

I was going to suggest Quinoa as well, I'm making Quinoa stuffed tomatoes tomorrow, simple, but you could also do Quinoa stuffed peppers.

Thank you! I will have to look that up. I have no idea what it is.

 

[happymommy]

I have a son who is allergic to dairy and eggs (he's had anaphylaxis twice and could have died!) so I'm very familiar with vegan items. It used to be so much harder to find things that he could enjoy when he was little, like cookies and treats. I was lucky that we have a store nearby called Roots, which is like a tiny Whole Foods, that carried things I could get for him.

Tofutti makes excellent ice cream treats, but I don't know how much freezer space you'll have. They also make good vegan cheese.

You can get cookies from a company called Alternative Baking Company (or ABC for short) that are really great! They are totally vegan, and come individually wrapped, and you can (I think) buy them online direct! I wish they were also calorie free, because I used to steal them from him!!!!

I also make quinoa a lot - I saute some finely diced onion in olive oil, then add finely diced carrot and celery, add some seasoning (I like Goya Adobo - it's like garlic salt) and some vegan margarine (we love Earth Balance), then cook the quinoa separately in broth (you can use Swanson vegetable broth) - make sure it's kind of dry, so cut down on the broth a bit. Then toss it all together for a nice pilaf that can be served room temp. Oh, and I top it with toasted almond slivers. I've bought it to pot luck parties and it's always a hit. Very high in protein and fiber, and vegan! My son loves meat but he loves this dish too.

My DD and I like vegan burgers (mostly I do since they taste good and are so much better for me) - we like Morningstar Farms and Boca burger ones - it's true make sure they are vegan since some aren't. I also love vegan hot dogs.

For tacos - Boca used to make a veggie crumble but I haven't seen it lately. It's like ground beef but meat-free.

I like the idea of a pasta salad made ahead of time - we like pasta with cucumbers and tomatoes, maybe olives, and just a bit of vinaigrette.

Wonder bread added dairy to their breads a few years back (ugh, found out after my son reacted to the same bread I had been buying!) so do read labels for breads.