Vegetarian buffet?

Question

Hello

Me and my fiancee are both vegetarians and we are geting married soon. Ive decided that against the wishes of some of my guests i would like to have an all vegetarian buffet at my reception that iw ould like to make myself as i really enjoy cooking and making food. Ive got a fair few ideas but i just wanted to to ask if anyone had any other ideas that i hadnt thought of? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

KISS, keep it simple sweetie. Cooking for tons of people is hard hard hard work! The simpler you go, the better it will turn out for you and people who are dancing don't want to eat much anyway.

Pasta with choice of sauces, lots of lettuce with add-ins like tomatoes and onions seperate around the salad bowl, french bread and butter, cake. You can throw out a big smoked salmon and crackers as appetiser. Have an "open" bar. Have a good friend supply party favors for the table settings.  

I suggest the music being either polka or mexican, because it's upbeat, generic and even a clutz can dance to it and have fun.

Congrats!

Answer 2

First, perhaps to appease the people who think you ought to have some meat there, make some more common appetizers and such that they can be familiar with but are meat-free: a good example might be hummus and pita chips, Mexican 7-layer dip, that kind of thing.  Those aren't very classy choices, but you can probably come up with something familiar but more "formal" kinds of fare.  You'll want choices for people who are not very adventurous in their eating habits, but who may actually eat more meat-free stuff than they realize.  

Other ideas:

*Vegetarian Lasagna

*A mix-n-match pasta/sauce bar

*Stuffed mushrooms

*Dips made from silken tofu and can be made either savory with herbs, onions and garlic for veggies or sweet with honey, fruit and other flavorings for fruit

*Homemade salsas, spreads etc. with a selection of gourmet breads

*Meat-Free antipasta salad (but include plenty of yummy cheeses) Plus an antipasta salad is just beautiful to look at

*Veggie tofu kabobs

*Fondue

Sesame Tofu Bites

Rince and cut 1 lb. of extra firm tofu into 1" cubes

Place cubes in shallow dish with 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp. fresh grated ginger, 1 tbsp. soft brown sugar and 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours and then drain well.  Combine 1 cup sesame seeds, 1 tbsp. cornflour, and 2 tbsp of all purpose flour in large mixing bowl.  Add tofu cubes and toss to coat.  Heat 1/4 cup oil (I use peanut oil) in frying pan.  Add tofu in batches and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels.  Chili topping:  2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 2 tbsp. lime juice, 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, and 6 1/2 oz. plain yogurt in a small bowl and stir well.

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ALMOND HONEY DIP

3/4 cup (6 oz.) soft silken tofu

1 (8 oz.) package Neufchatel cheese

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vanilla soymilk

1 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary. Refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors. Serve with pear and apple slices or crackers. Makes 1 ½ cups.

FAVORITE FRUIT DIP

1/2 cup firm silken tofu*

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1 tablespoon honey

Mix tofu with electric mixer until creamy. Add vanilla yogurt and honey. Serve with fresh fruit. Makes 1 cup dip.

STRAWBERRY FRUIT DIP

1 carton (6 oz.) strawberry soy yogurt

½ cup (4 oz.) soy cream cheese

2 tablespoons strawberry jam

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve as a dip with fresh fruit or layer fruit and dip in clear glass. Makes about 1 cup fruit dip.

ORANGE GINGER DIP

1 c. light or fat-free mayonnaise

1/4 c. orange juice

2 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. grated orange peel

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Combine all ingredients. Cover; chill. Serve with fresh fruit.

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I cooked most of the food for our wedding reception a few years ago and had a blast.  We aren't vegetarians, but I did alot of vegetarian dishes because they're so easy, keep longer than meat dishes, are less expensive, and we have several vegetarians in the family.  Have fun.  I'm having fun just thinking of ideas!

Answer 3

congrats on doing it that way!!!!  i'd loooove to have a vegetarian wedding, but i'm leaning away from it now (bc i have immediate family members who will probably starve if i don't give them chicken, but i'm going to severely limit the meat) anyway,

eggplant rollatini or eggplant parm

polenta (spelling?  i had at a wedding this weekend and it was soooo good. i had a side of grilled veggies with it)

for small foods, how about stuffed mushrooms, domades (stuffed grape leaves), hummus and pita, cheese and crackers, fruits, veggies and dip, spring rolls, dumplings, mozzarella and tomato.... spinach and stuffing balls, falafel...

pastas! haha any... cheese lasagna, veggie lasagna, various stuffed raviolis, penne with mushrooms and/or veggies....

good luck with it!!! and congrats!

Answer 4

Don't listen to the nay sayers.  Last time I checked it was YOUR day.  You make the food all vegetarian and if they don't like it they can grab some globs of flesh on the way home:)  This is not just a wedding, it's a chance to show people that your food is really good.

1. smart dogs and baked beans

2. fresh fruit/ vegetable and fruit trays

3. pasta salad with fresh veggies and chunks of soy cheese

4. hummus and cracker tray

5. nuts and seeds tray

6. vegan chili and thick slices of corn cake

7. meatless meatballs for subs

8. light life lunch meats and soy cheese platter with rolls

9. stir fry with tofu in a heated container with rice

10. soy cheese pizza with vegan pepperoni (it's great)

11. stuffed mushrooms

12. sweet potato chips



The list is endless

Go all out and show them that we aren't boring people!  I love my veggie food and I could never go back.  If you haven't tried Smart Dogs yet, you really should.  They are amazing:)

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials.  I hope you have a wonderful veggie life ahead of you.  My husband and I are too.  It makes things much easier!  Your bond goes beyond love...You two are connected by your love for animals and our planet.  Your vegetarianism should give you a few extra years of marriage as well:)

You could even free some doves.

Answer 5

first of all, congrats on getting married! and being a vegetarian. the only thing i could think of would be wedding soup without the meat. its just vegetable broth with spinach.

Answer 6

I'm also a vegetarian actually more like a new vegan/raw foodist.  I'm realizing how creative food can really be, try:

Sushi

Hummus

Polenta

Wraps

Bean Soups

Gazpacho(summer wedding)

Grilled Veggies

Beets (yum!)

Hope I helped!!

Answer 7

My advice? Plan the menu but have it catered or at least done  by someone else. Brides should be pampered on their wedding day and need  not slave over a stove. Besides with so many things to worry about on the Day, the last thing you need is to be worrying and fussing over food in the kitchen.

Enjoy your day.

Answer 8

I think its a brilliant idea...go for it!!

Get some Indian food catered -if tht works for u.... extensive veggi menu.

Answer 9

Serve lots of the (no meat) foods that meat eaters eat every  day: Pasta dishes, etc. Stay clear of the more exotic stuff like marinated tofu.

Tofu is the stuff meat eaters are afraid of. I think they have figured out that is where we hide the v/v conversion chemicals. :-)

Answer 10

WOW! Very cool that two veggies are getting married and they are having a meat-free buffet!

I'm not sure if you have a "theme" idea for the food or if you just want to cook your faves. If you want, you could go for:

- An Asian theme: veggie fried rice, veggie egg rolls, veggie lo mien, a "beef" and broccoli or a sweet and sour dish with soy meat, veggie wontons, etc.

-A Mexican theme: rice, build-your-own tacos/fajitas (with fresh green and red peppers, onions, jalapenos - scratch that, salmonella - poblanos, tomatoes, cheese, black beans, etc.), chips and salsa, taco bake with veggie ground beef, hot pepper/cream cheese roll ups, and so on.

- If you just want your regular comfort foods, you can always have a variety of tossed salads, pasta, potatoes, vegetables and desserts.

Congrats and have an awesome wedding!

Answer 11

kudos on being vegetarian AND standing by what you believe in for your own wedding (too many times people forget who the wedding is really for!)

A great website for vegetarian recipes is www.fatfree.com

they have a wide variety of cuisines.  Good luck!!

Answer 12

Marinated roasted vegetables,  brown rice pilaf, garden salad, baked ziti.

Some of your guests tried to dictate what you should serve at YOUR wedding?  I would think twice about inviting them..that's pretty freaking rude of them.

Answer 13

That's pretty gutsy to try to do the catering yourself!  You're going to be very busy just mingling with your guests--you will need help for sure!  Personally, I would suggest getting somebody to take care of it that day (you don't necessarily need a professional caterer--you could get a woman's group from your church to do it as a fundraiser...)

As far as the menu--I LOVE Indian, but it was an acquired taste and the only Indian my parents actually liked when I took them to my favorite Indian restaurant was the Tandoori chicken.  I would stick to dishes your guests would be accustomed to.

Pasta dishes (veg lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, pasta primavera, pasta marinara)

Salads

A selection of cheeses (assuming you're not vegans)

roasted veggies

Avoid tofu and things that look like stereotypical hippie food.

It's rude for them to dictate what they want, but you don't want to alienate everybody by feeding them "twigs and bark"!

Enjoy your day (pay somebody to take care of the food--throw a party later on, but let somebody else worry about your wedding day).  Good luck and congrats!

Answer 14

I've been to and helped with a number of vegetarian buffets/ wedding receptions etc.  and my first piece of advice is get some help!  You will have plenty to worry about that day in adition to the food!

There are a lot of tried and true meatless recipes that meat eaters eat all the time.  After all a complete meal with meat is usually one meat and the accompanying side dishes  which are many times meatless. But some might enjoy trying something new, too!

Do your best to make your food look good--use garnishes and serve it on pretty dishes.  And most of all--enjoy your day!

Answer 15

Well seeing as you love to cook right?

Get yourself an Indian Food Cook-Book...more vegetairian dishes for Indian Food.

Trust me...you will love to cook with different spices...so fun!

Plus something new as not many weddings do Indian Home Made Food.

hope it helps!