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06 October 2008

Help! vegetarians coming for dinner! What's a good entree that isn't soy? Bonus for easy and quick. Extra bonus for mushrooms :)
post by: small_ruminant at: 12:55 | 36 comments
I'm a little worn out on the big plate of pasta that vegetarians are always stuck with, but they'll be stuck with it again unless I can come up with something else.

The mushrooms are just because mushrooms are meaty enough that I don't feel deprived of my meat when they're featured. My guests aren't so mushroom obsessed I don't think.

Also, they aren't that into eggs, though they're not dead set against them.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 12:57
Wheat. Just throw a bushel on the table. It's wholesome, it's healthy, it's all-American. What could be bad?
posted by jonmc 06 October | 12:59
Hey, I have to eat this too, you know.

Butternut squash enchiladas. Too weird? It involves sour cream and guacamole, so I'm good but...
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:04
What else are you serving? And what cuisine?
posted by special-k 06 October | 13:05
Spinach and ricotta lasagna with pine nuts. It's pasta, sure, but not the same old lasagna. And it's very quick and easy to make. I don't have my recipe here, but here's one that looks good.
posted by amro 06 October | 13:06
Oh, and no reason not to add sauteed mushrooms to the lasagna.
posted by amro 06 October | 13:06
Brown rice risotto and some really delicious bread + olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
posted by jessamyn 06 October | 13:07
Zucchini, eggplant and spinach 'lasagne'.

Boil tender young spinach for 2min. Drain in a colander, press, then tip out and slice through the pile twice. Meanwhile, make béchamel sauce by melting 2 tbs butter and, off the heat, stir in 2 tbs flour. Put it on a very low heat and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring all the time. This will minimise the 'flour' taste. Add half a teaspoon of salt.

Gradually beat in 1 cup milk, return to heat and beat briskly as it comes to the boil. Reduce heat and keep beating to make a smooth sauce.

Season and simmer for 5min. Stir in spinach and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Trim and slice down 2-3 eggplants and zucchini, approx a quarter-inch thick.

Smear slices with olive oil, heat griddle and cook three at a time, turning after 2min. Layer eggplant, zucchini, spinach and sauce, (seasoning each layer with a little salt and pepper) cover with Parmesan and bake until heated through (it's all cooked so doesn't need much cooking. Place under the broiler until the cheese goes crusty.

Serve with good crusty bread. If you can't find really fresh bread, you can freshen up a loaf by sprinking it with cold water and putting it in a hot oven for five minutes. It'll come out all crusty on the outside and soft inside, just like new.
posted by essexjan 06 October | 13:09
I think I'm too intimidated by the lasagnes.

The brown rice risotto looks good. Why do they mix in arborio rice? Any suggestions one veggie broths that don't taste like salt/MSG factories? Can I use mushroom brother or will that taste gross?

I don't know what else I'm serving- they're bring a soup, but I don't know what kind. Probably have a green salad. I was thinking of making tabouleh, but I usually think it's a quick thing and then an hour's gone before I'm finished washing and chopping things.

I don't know what cuisine it is. California, maybe?

Monday's a bad bread day here but I'm sure someone's got some! Mmm. Warm bread with olive oil. Or bruchetta?

Any other suggestions?
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:18
Cheeseboard, hummus, olives, warm pita bread, warm crusty bread.
posted by essexjan 06 October | 13:22
You simply can't lose with stuffed mushrooms and risotto.

Any suggestions one veggie broths that don't taste like salt/MSG factories?

Safeway sells vegetarian bouillon cubes that make a decent broth.
posted by cmonkey 06 October | 13:36
Okay- just bought some bread before the bakery closed. Have good butter. Have okay olive oil. Have hummus and pita, though that's more hors d'oeuvre-y.

Hmm- on preview, stuffed mushrooms sound divine. Do you have a recipe?
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:43
Any other suggestions?

Convert them. Bring out the snarling carnivore that is hiding somewhere in their back brain.
posted by King of Prontopia 06 October | 13:45
I have goat cheese already. Can you stuff them with goat cheese? And can you make them with mushrooms that aren't the little boring white ones? I guess I don't have that many choices- it's not like I can afford morels or chantrelles. Would portobellos work?
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:46
King of Prontopia, alas I love these people and would like for them to speak to me again. They've been kind enough to never ever give me the meat-is-murder/you're-killing-the-planet speeches that it seems like every vegetarian/vegan is honor bound to give to us heathen. Berkeley people are big on proselytizing.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:48
Goat's cheese and herb stuffed mushrooms.
posted by essexjan 06 October | 13:50
This looks fab - roasted butternut squash stuffed with goat's cheese.
posted by essexjan 06 October | 13:53
I have goat cheese already. Can you stuff them with goat cheese? And can you make them with mushrooms that aren't the little boring white ones? I guess I don't have that many choices- it's not like I can afford morels or chantrelles. Would portobellos work?

I lost my recipe, but this looks pretty close. Portobellos are fine - all you really need is enough mushroom to form a little bowl for the stuffing.
posted by cmonkey 06 October | 13:54
Mmm the herbs in those mushrooms look awesome. I wonder if I could use almonds or something instead of the breadcrumbs...

I found this recipe for stuffed mushrooms with goatcheese and leeks and fennel- has anyone tried it? Does it sound too weird? Not everyone likes fennel.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:56
cmonkey, why are those so brown? I can't figure it out from the recipe. Maybe they just used really dark bread, like russian black bread?

Can you stuff mushrooms with more mushroom? Because that would be pretty cool.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 13:59
Plus I learned a new word: courgette = zucchini.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 14:01
No, you bake them for 20 minutes, and that makes the outside brown and crispy.

Now I really want to soak mushrooms in wine, and then stuff them into other mushrooms before baking but all the stores are closed :-/
posted by cmonkey 06 October | 14:04
where are you, that the stores are closed? That's terrible! When you get round to trying that out, will you post the results please?
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 14:06
Not entirely sure what you mean by entree. To me it's a starter, but I suspect you're talking about the main course.

If it is the main course you're looking for, then I'm currently a big fan of rice cooked in chopped tomatoes. Cook the thing like a risotto with onions, garlic, courgettes and some kind of bean. Fry up some mushrooms and serve on the side.

Simple, and different enough to be unrecognisable as a standard veggie meal.

Alternatively, layer some filo pastry (12 or so sheets) and cover with a light tomato sauce, then pizza it up with courgettes, tomatoes, mushrooms. Sprinkle a few pine nuts on the top of it and bang it in the oven til brown. Serve with salad.
posted by seanyboy 06 October | 14:16
yup- main course. Sorry. Thanks for the suggestions. I forgot about the filo dough options.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 14:21
If it's not too late, stuff bell peppers w/ rice & mushroom mixture, and season w/ whatever you like?
posted by mightshould 06 October | 14:22
Those butternut squashes look truly amazing. Not too hard, but very special.
posted by Miko 06 October | 14:26
Almonds probably wouldn't work as a substitute for breadcrumbs. The fennel recipe sounds good if you like fennel. I'm not that keen on it and find that I'm tasting it for days afterwards.
posted by essexjan 06 October | 14:31
I have a few hours. I'm at work, not working. I'll email them to find out their fennel preferences. I wonder if celery root might be nice instead?
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 14:33
Why do they mix in arborio rice? Any suggestions one veggie broths that don't taste like salt/MSG factories? Can I use mushroom brother or will that taste gross?

Arborio is a really starchy rice so it creates the sort of creamy feel that is typical of a risotto. It's not too hard to find, a little more expensive. With some nice cheese tossed in here, it can be a decent entree. Mushroom broth is totally fine. I forgot that recipe had chicken broth. It's not much to look at, fyi, so you may want to add some colorful veggies [corn, red pepper, pumpkin] to spice it up a little.
posted by jessamyn 06 October | 15:34
hee... mushroom brother. Just noticed.

Thanks, jessamyn.
posted by small_ruminant 06 October | 15:43
OR....take those large portobellos and stuff them like a stuffed pepper for an entree. Rice cooked in veggie stock, some sauteed diced red peppers, some kind of herb (poultry seasoning?) some sauteed onion, and cheese on top of the whole shebang. Put some white wine in a shallow pan for the baking. Then a nice side of pesto green beans and a baked potato. Yum.
posted by Stewriffic 06 October | 16:46
Pan fry baby mushrooms in olive oil with a HUGE amount of garlic, cool, dress with balsamic vinegar and serve alongside a cheeseboard with some fruit pastes (quince is so damn delicious) and some crusty bread.

Oh, forget that. Just go with Stewriffic's stuffed mushroom dish. Man, that sounds tasty.
posted by ninazer0 06 October | 20:02
Try Curried Nut Roast (don't add the Marmite - that's an addition to Delia Smith's original recipe). Check it after 30 mins - you don't want it overcooked. I serve this for guests with plain yoghurt (not the thickened variety - you need an organic brand to accompany this type of dish) and homemade tomato sauce. Everyone loves this -- even meat eaters.
posted by Susurration 06 October | 22:03
Entirely too late for your purposes, but for future reference, Autumn (Quinoa) Bake. (I use quinoa rather than millet, because then it's gluten-free.)

We're a very meat-and-potatoes(-and-greens) household. This dish is, as far as I can remember, the only vegetarian dish either of us thinks of as "main course." (Though I make it with chicken broth, so it's not totally vegetarian, but vegetable broth is probably actually what the recipe calls for. I've also tried a variation in which half the broth is substituted by cream, which is yummy yummy yummy.) We had it on Friday. It was very much a "YAY, AUTUMN!" dinner.
posted by occhiblu 06 October | 22:56
Heh- thanks, occhiblu! Anything that says Yay, Autumn! I'm down for.

I ended up making a variation of essexjan's butternut squash with veggies and goat cheese on top.

I ran into my guest at the store and we figured it out together.

Totally yummy! Goat cheese (mixed with parmesan/romano) on butternut squash is awesome. I might skip the thyme next time, and/or add sage butter, with the sage crispy bits on top. But over all the goat cheese plus butternut is a great combo. For the veggies I used onion, jerusalem artichoke, mushrooms, a little courgette :) and a few tomatos.
posted by small_ruminant 07 October | 01:46
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