I would stick with your menu of fish---no added gluten-free grain dish as a lot of those things are terrible. Fix what everyone else will eat and maybe add a rice or potato dish or another vegetable. Enough is enough already!

My go-to dish for GF vegan is Vegetable Paella. Everyone loves it and it is nutritious, along with easy to prepare. From the Fanny Farmer Cookbook - this URL is an adaptation but already posted for the world to see if you don't have the cookbook (that is my fav "big" cookbook).

I use drained canned diced tomatoes, artichoke bottoms, organic vegetable broth, and I dice the frozen green beans and fresh red bell pepper instead of using chunks as this recipe does.

I didn't have saffron so I used achiote - find it in a little bag on the rack with Latino spices and ingredients at your grocery store. It imparts a lovely golden yellow color but no discernible flavor that I can tell. Taste for the other seasonings - I added some freshly ground pink peppercorns for color and bite.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: Vegetable Paella

I would fix that yummy sounding tofu and squash dish (I just pinned it to try) as a protein for the vegetarians (just be sure to use wheat free tamari - some soy has wheat) and stick with your original menu.

Toss a head of brocolli at them and call it good! LOL
Roasted veggies stir fried with gluten free pasta? I'm no help, I don't even, really, know what gluten is.

Toss a head of brocolli at them and call it good! LOL
Roasted veggies stir fried with gluten free pasta? I'm no help, I don't even, really, know what gluten is.

Angelaid, gluten is a composite found in wheat, rye, barley, some other grains. It's the tough elastic protein that holds the air created by yeast and helps bread stay "risen".

So, Gellchom, vegetarian chili and corn bread?

Since Amanda is lactose intolerant, Elery's daughter has celiac disease and mother is allergic to lemon, it's interesting here sometimes too.

There are actually some pretty decent gluten free pastas now, so if you could find some you could do pasta for everyone, their choice of butter and cheese or as an alternative, maybe pesto or a tomato based sauce. I do have a recipe for Alfredo sauce made with cauliflower, but it has 1/4 cup of cream, unfortunately.

The roasted vegetables are a good idea, and quinoa is always an option for a main dish too. You could stuff zucchini, acorn squash, onions, tomatoes, peppers, whatever, with a quinoa and veggie mixture.

Hummus? I'd maybe do Moroccan or Indian or Ethiopian food, if you think that'll fly, they all rely heavily and vegetables and if you can get injera bread, the teff flour used is gluten free.

Lots of dessert options if you want a fruit based dessert, like crisps and crumbles using gluten free oats or cereal in the topping.

Good luck!

Annie

Haha. Yeah, a common topic. Roasted mixed veggies are my only way to please everyone. I've even done them hassleback style where they are sliced then reconstructed back to their original shape, then roasted. Not all mixed up but in piles together and served that way on a platter. It does help if your grocery sells in bins so you can just get one or two beets, or just 6 brussel sprouts, etc.
One year my sister did not eat things grown in the ground. And over-roasting was a problem since she will not eat anything with a 'char' or roasted brown spot.

It got to a point where i started laying out fresh veggies for a salad on a long platter so everyone could make their own at the table. Just tossed un-dressed greens in a bowl and tomato, olives, onion, beans, fetta, etc. lined up to choose like a salad bar. Just lemon wedges in a bowl and a few vinegars and oils on the table to dress it yourself. With a couple homemade dressings as well.

My BIL is easy. He eats a raw diet..."help yourself to the fridge!"

how old is the daughter? If she is younger than HS I would pick up a gluten vegan pizza, maybe an individual size, and bake it for her.
Yes! her mother should have told you AND offered to bring a main dish.
Uddi's (SP?) is now in most groceries frozen if not fresh. Gluten free and mostly tasty.
Pick up some rolls for them.
Good luck.
Plan on making the paella myself.

I'd take this as license to try new things and not worry about it. With those dietary restrictions, I'm sure they have been served some interesting stuff in the past.

Here is a gluten free vegan website with a colorful corn chowder using almond milk. It looks pretty and you could get some gluten free bread for dipping.

Also possible is a red spaghetti sauce with lots of roasted mushrooms (a reasonable stand-in for meat), served over spaghetti squash. Everyone I've served spaghetti squash to, has loved it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten free vegan

Hmmmm...well, I'm a vegetarian (no fish) with an ill-defined problem with wheat and a reluctance to rely too much on dairy, so these limitations are familiar.
Why is it that no one thinks of beans? How about a big pot of bean-vegetable-(gluten free)pasta soup? Make the pot of soup, measure out how much the guests will want, and cook the pasta into it. The dietetic rice-and-corn-based pasta I've had was reasonable in soup (pretty bad when served on its own with a pasta sauce). Or you could cook rice into it instead. There are many combinations of legumes and grains: Indian dal, prepared with lentils, served with rice, for example (the Vegetarian Epicure, Book 2 has a good recipe), black-eyed peas and rice or red beans and rice, both of Southern inspiration. These are traditionally made with meat for flavoring, but they don't have to be.
By the way, I notice that your dinner is for tonight and these suggestions will probably be too late, but perhaps they'll serve for another day. I love the thought of your dinner with the neighbors, and agree that difficult guests ought to give warning and offer to help solve their dietary problems. Good luck, I hope you have a great time!
To continue,
Is it possible that eggs somehow slipped through the mesh? How about a frittata, loaded with vegetables, not having to be stood over during the meal like an omelet?
I find that potatoes are a great friend, lending weight to a meatless spread. You could make oven French fries or roast them with salt, olive oil, and rosemary, or make cold potato salad, or just boil them and serve them warm, to be dressed with salt and olive oil (though this last is harder with a group dinner).
With best wishes for great food!

melissa_thefarm - vegans/vegetarians don't eat eggs - it is a meat product, as is dairy or anything that comes from animals.

If fish is to be off the menu, Worcestershire sauce has hidden fish in it (anchovies).

Thankfully new labeling laws have improved the ingredient listings for those with allergies and dietary restrictions. I have a from scratch gluten free bakery that should really be called a "work with me" allergy free bakery as people have long lists of things besides gluten that they won't eat. So many more people have noticed or been diagnosed with odd allergies with a myriad of side effects. I even had a customer who said she couldn't tolerate nutmeg. A seemingly innocuous ingredient!

Let us know what you served, gellchom.

Nancy

sigh. yes, it's the way things are going now...

I just wanted to note that MANY people are going "gluten-free", but there's a huge difference between preparing food for someone trying to not eat gluten and someone who is a celiac and cannot tolerate *any* gluten. When preparing foods for the latter group you must be much more careful about cross-contamination from foods/products that "may contain trace amounts of [things containing gluten]" simply because they were manufactured or packaged in a facility that is not certified gluten-free. For severe celiacs, there is also a problem of cross-contamination from the kitchen applicances and tools used! e.g., a celiac must use a toaster that is dedicated gluten-free, same with a cutting board... because ingesting even the tiniest crumb of anything containing gluten can make them very ill.

I have some friends who are severe celiacs and I'm a nervous wreck when I cook for them. But I've never made one sick yet!!!!

This post was edited by party_music50 on Fri, Jan 24, 14 at 8:21

Oh, thank you so much! I knew you'd have great ideas.

Meanwhile I also started thinking Asian. Tofu pad Thai, egg foo yong, or even just a simple stir fry. But that has to be cooked at the last moment That's also the problem with frittata (I asked about eggs and honey and they do eat those). Or can you keep a frittata warm in the oven? Or maybe breakfast for dinner altogether: waffles or German pancake and eggs to order.

These are such super suggestions that now my only problem is that I want to make them all, and it's too hard to choose for tomorrow! Thank you very much. You are the best!

There is a vegetarian biryani in from Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World. If you use oil rather than ghee, it is dairy free. The vegetarians/vegans like it as a main and it can serve as a side for the rest. It has a layer of rice, then a layer of vegetables including garbanzo beans and topped by another layer of rice mixed with nuts.

Vegetable Biryani
RICE LAYER:
3 tablespoons ghee ( Indian Clarified Butter ) or vegetable oil
2 cups white or brown basmati or other long-grain rice
4 cups water (5 cups for brown rice)
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
About 1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons table salt or 1 tablespoon kosher salt

VEGETABLE LAYER:
1 ⁄ 4 cup ghee or vegetable oil 1 large onion, chopped
1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ⁄ 4 to 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cayenne
3 small or 2 medium-small eggplants, peeled and diced, or
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 large zucchini, diced
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed (white removed), and diced
1 cup lima beans or green peas
2 cups tomatoes purée, or 1 cup water mixed with 3 seeded and diced plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
About 1 teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 ⁄ 4 cup cooked or canned chickpeas (optional)

NUT MIXTURE:
1 ⁄ 4 cup ghee or vegetable oil
2 ⁄ 3 cup raw slivered almonds
2 ⁄ 3 cup raw cashews
2 ⁄ 3 cup golden raisins
1 ⁄ 4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch
baking dish.

2. To make the rice layer: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the rice and sauté until opaque, about 3 minutes. Add the water, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes for white rice; about 40 minutes for brown rice.

3. To make the vegetable layer: In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mustard and poppy seeds and sauté until they begin to pop, about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the coriander , cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne.

4. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the eggplants, zucchini, and bell pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the lima beans , tomato purée, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. If using, add the chickpeas.

5. To make the nut mixture: In a small, heavy saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add the nuts and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the raisins. Remove from the heat.

6. Spread half of the rice in the prepared dish and top with the vegetable mixture. Combine the remaining rice with the nut mixture and spread over the vegetables.

7. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve warm.

VARIATION Omit the mustard seeds and poppy seeds and add 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger with the other spices.

Marks, Gil (2008-03-11). Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World (Kindle Locations 14024-14031). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.

For vegetarian chili, I don't use a recipe.
If not using canned beans, I soak dried beans overnight (or do a quick soak by bringing the water to a boil with the beans, turning off heat and letting them sit for a few hours). I usually use a mix of pintos and kidney beans or black and pinto beans.

I saute onions. Add some other diced vegetables - bell peppers, summer squash and carrots are good. Add to the beans and pour in a can of diced tomatoes with the juice (or you can use tomato sauce or tomato paste and water). Add chili powder to taste (for 3 16 oz cans of beans, I start with about a tablespoon). Making it for our family where the grandkids don't like it too spicy hot, I usually add some ground cumin and oregano to flavor it without getting more chili heat than they will accept. Also add a bit of salt.

Sometimes I'll add soy crumbles (i.e. some soy ground beef substitute). but most of the time I don't

Sorry I came rather late to this, but I hope your dinner went well, gellchom.

Just wanted to add, you can use coconut milk or any of the nut milks, in place of dairy. Our market even has a new line of coconut yoghurts available, as well as a soy-based Greek yoghurt.

Last year I made a coconut eggnog, just an experiment. Worked very well.

Vegans don't eat eggs, but vegetarians do unless they're ovo-lactarian vegetarians.

I know it's hard when someone tells you at the last minute that they are on a special diet! I hope your party went well. We just had a big company party and the venue always offers a vegan entree. This year it was one of those huge portabello mushrooms stuffed with quinoa and roasted vegies. It was served on pasta, but if someone cannot tolerate gluten the best brand I have ever tried is Tinkyada Gluten Free brown rice pasta. Nobody will ever know it isn't your usual flour based pasta. Sides of roasted vegies, salads, fruit, etc.

Thank you all!

The "indoor block party" went very well. We all had a fun evening.

And I have a funny story for you all, too.

It was hard to choose from the yummy suggestions. I decided to make the vegetable biryani that Cloud-swift kindly shared (I have another Gil Marks cookbook that I think is excellent). Yum, the nuts especially sounded delicious. [By the way -- the recipe doesn't say when to add the cauliflower; I put it in with the other vegetables, and that was fine.]

Okay, so after all my kvetching about Zelda's last-minute dietary restrictions, in the end *I* was my own biggest problem!

I'm scheduled for a routine colonoscopy tomorrow, and while I knew that meant a clear-liquids diet today from the first time I had one, when I looked at the instructions, it seems my doctor has changed the procedure to include, for TWO days before -- that's right, including the party -- no raw vegetables, no seeds, and no nuts. (Look at the recipe -- 2 kinds of seeds and 2 kinds of nuts -- that's what makes it so yummy looking.)

Wait, there's more --

I figured I'd just make a small pan with no nuts, and I was delighted to notice at the end of the recipe that a variation is to replace the seeds with ginger. Fine! I took some grated ginger out of the freezer.

And then forgot to use it.

So you'd think the whole thing would be pretty bland. But it wasn't, it was good (especially with some sriracha on top). I can't wait to make it again with the spices. I had a lot of red lentils in the house, so I made some dal to go with it, too.

Well, it goes to show you, as much as we here all love cooking and eating, it's not what's on the table that's important -- it's who's on the chairs.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, GW friends! You always know what to do.

gellchom, I'm glad it all went well, and good luck with your colonoscopy tomorrow!

I've often said that I'd happily eat peanut butter and jelly with someone I love rather than filet mignon with someone I don't. It's always the company that is most important, the food is secondary. It's a double bonus, though, when both are wonderful!

Annie

Hi Gellchom - I'm glad you liked it. I've always made it with cauliflower because our vegetarian son hasn't liked other dishes with eggplant. I forgot about that flaw in the instructions - I just add it when it says to add the eggplant since the recipe is eggplant of cauliflower. It does the same thing with the peas and I put them in when it says to add lima beans.

I know it's too late for you, but maybe next time....I recently had a party and I served a vegetarian chili which is made in the crock pot.. similar to the one below, only mine includes some unsweetened cocoa powder like a mole sauce so it really tastes meaty without the meat. I served the cheddar and sour cream on the side for those who want to add it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crock pot vegetarian chili