Attn: Omnivores - Need your opinion on vegetarian entrees!

[cara]

I loved most of the items on the initial list, but I am a food-loving, unpicky omnivore. I don''t see a lot of items that are "meat and potatoes" friendly.

I think you will do MUCH better with the buffet - that way people can pick what they like, you get more choice, and they can sample items that they would not feel comfortable ordering full on.

Where and when is this shindig? That will affect things. I would really recommend going with one of the cheesy pasta dishes (the fusilli sounds awesome and hearty, or a more traditional lasagna would be safe). Corn cakes also sound good, but spicy is not for everyone.

 

[rockzilla]

It will be summer 2009 in Malibu, CA

 

[Dreamgirl]

Im a veggie! I''ve been one since the age of 4. I never thought of having an all out vegetarian meal for my future wedding. I kind of like that idea! But then again, Im the only one who doesn''t eat meat. So that probably wouldn''t fly.

 

[E B]

These sound the best to me:

Spicy Corn Cakes w/ Smoked Cheese and Chilies
Enchiladas Verdes w/ Spinach and Tomatillo Sauce
Crepes Stuffed w/ Asparagus and Fontina in a Beurre Blanc Sauce

Fusilli w/ Toasted Walnuts and a Gorgonzola Sauce
Portobella stuffed Ravioli with a Butter Sage Sauce

 

[tenfour]

i think it is unfortunate that most people would dismiss most of these dishes without even knowing some of the ingredients. anyway, here is some feedback from a meat eater who loves and cooks with all vegetables, grains, and meat-substitutes (except tempeh...could never get into tempeh!!)

Eggplant Lined Soufflé w/ Millet and Veggies topped w/ a Basil Aioli
yes please!! i love millet and basil is my favourite herb.

Grilled Polenta on a Spicy Smoked Tomato Sauce
a lot of people don''t know that the consistency of polenta isn''t always mushy. charcoal grilling a chunk of polenta is delicious.

Crepes Stuffed w/ Asparagus and Fontina in a Beurre Blanc Sauce
i make something similar from time to time. i''ll echo what everyone else says about feeding asparagus to a crowd - might not work, unfortunately.

Winter Vegetable Pie
yes please!! root vegetables in a crust...mmmmm...

Potato, Fennel and Leek Gratin
fennel addict here. i''d be curious to see how a chef would prepare this as a main because it sounds like more of a side dish.

Spicy Corn Cakes w/ Smoked Cheese and Chilies
anything with spice and smoke is good.

Enchiladas Verdes w/ Spinach and Tomatillo Sauce
this might be the safest one. if the food is wrapped up in a tortilla, nobody will know or question what it is. haha.

Eggplant Filled w/ Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ricotta and Pine Nuts
yum. okay, i am starving now.

Zucchini filled w/ Corn, Chilies and Smoked Cheese
see above.

Roasted Peppers filled w/ Eggplant, Summer Squash and Basil
basil again. yes please.

Grilled Tofu in a Ginger Marinade over Basmati Rice
tofu is excellent, but i''ll agree with what other people are saying. most meat eaters snub the stuff. too bad. it''s so versatile and comes in so many forms. oh well. their loss.

i hate to say this because everything else sounds so great, but the pasta thing would probably be pretty safe. it sucks that people aren''t more adventurous with food.

 

[Fancy605]

I eat meat, but I also sure do love egg plant dishes. I cook meat free dishes from time to time just because there are so many yummy vegi combinations out there. As far as your menu goes:

Eggplant Lined Soufflé w/ Millet and Veggies topped w/ a Basil Aioli
Crepes Stuffed w/ Asparagus and Fontina in a Beurre Blanc Sauce
Eggplant Filled w/ Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ricotta and Pine Nuts

These 3 in particular sound absolutely YUMMY to me. I don''t think the absence of meat would be noticed with such substantial dishes.

 

[FrekeChild]

I''m a would be carnivore. Of course, I''m also a culinary school grad-so that means I''ll eat anything. Except raw broccoli, but that''s just a personal thing. The most appealing sounding thing to me is the gratin, but I LOVE potatoes gratin, so you can''t go wrong with that. I would eat just about everything else, but as i said, I''ll eat just about anything. I would say try to stick with what they normally make and have on their menu-with dishes that only get made for special events-things can very easily go wrong--nothing serious, but they just tend to not be as good as stuff they make really often.

$0.02

 

[gtn]

Eggplant Lined Soufflé w/ Millet and Veggies topped w/ a Basil Aioli
[COLOR=######]This sounds like a "safe" option for omnivores[/COLOR]

Grilled Polenta on a Spicy Smoked Tomato Sauce
[COLOR=######]This would be hit or miss for most people, but it sounds heavy, but not satisfying. More like an appetizer [/COLOR]

Crepes Stuffed w/ Asparagus and Fontina in a Beurre Blanc Sauce
[COLOR=######]This one sounds amazing[/COLOR]

Winter Vegetable Pie
[COLOR=######]I''m not sure what to make of this. Is it like a pot pie? If so yum, but if not, what is should I expect[/COLOR]

Potato, Fennel and Leek Gratin
[COLOR=######] This one sounds fantastic, but more like a side dish to me[/COLOR]

Spicy Corn Cakes w/ Smoked Cheese and Chilies
[COLOR=######] Yum, I think might sound like my favorite [/COLOR]

Enchiladas Verdes w/ Spinach and Tomatillo Sauce
[COLOR=######] This one sound really good too![/COLOR]

Eggplant Filled w/ Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Ricotta and Pine Nuts
[COLOR=######] I don''t like the sun dried tomatoes in this one, the first one sounds better [/COLOR]

Zucchini filled w/ Corn, Chilies and Smoked Cheese
[COLOR=######] I like this one too, but I don''t believe meat eaters would want this one, but it sounds good[/COLOR]

Roasted Peppers filled w/ Eggplant, Summer Squash and Basil
[COLOR=######] I like this one too, but I don''t believe meat eaters would want this one, but it sounds good[/COLOR]

Grilled Tofu in a Ginger Marinade over Basmati Rice
[COLOR=######] I like this one too, but I don''t believe meat eaters would want this one, but it sounds good[/COLOR]

Pasta Primavera in a light Pesto and Orange Reduction Sauce
Penne with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic
Lasagnas with Meat, Veggies or Cheese
Portobella stuffed Ravioli with a Butter Sage Sauce
Fusilli w/ Toasted Walnuts and a Gorgonzola Sauce
Linguine w/ Tri Colored Peppers in a Sundried Tomato, Fennel Cream Sauce
Udon or Soba noodles in a sweet Soy-Ginger-Peanut Sauce
Linguine w/ Shitake Mushrooms, Red Onion, Capers and Olives
[COLOR=######] Any of these are nice safe options

Also, I like the idea of the buffet so people could pick and load up on what they like. Personally, I prefer a veggie lasagna, but more people like cheese over veggie.[/COLOR]