I'm a huge fan of braised cabbage. I've done it with onions, apples, (fake) bacon, carrots, caraway, dill and any combination of them, with a little cider vinegar or tomato sauce and sugar, or lemon juice and honey, etc. Just a touch. Very, very good, IMHO. Here's one that hasn't been mentioned AGRODOLCE, which is "sweet and sour" in italian. I do this mostly to use up all this never ending mint that I have dried from the garden. I am making cauliflower agrodolce tonight for dinner. Squash Agrodolce from "La Cucina Ebraica" by Joyce Goldstein 2 lb. of squash, sliced about 1/2 inch slices, in the case of butternut or hubbard squash, peeled. 1/3 cup olive oil 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint (Note: I am NOT a mint fan so I'd probably use half of this. Since I use dried mint, I use about 1 TBLSP. Can always add more later if you want) 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, sliced paper thin 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup sugar Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional) Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Put half of oil in large saucepan. Sautee the squash until tender. Combine with mint and garlic. (Note: you could add some onions to this too, if you wanted). Season with salt and pepper. To the remaining oil, add the vinegar, sugar and cinn, if using, and cook until the sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens, about 5 min. Season with salt and pepper if desired (I use as little salt as possible, so would probably skip that step) Pour the sauce over the squash. Serve warm or at room temperature. Cauliflower Agrodolce from "Moosewood Restuarant Lowfat Favorites" 2 cups onions, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tsp. olive oil (I'd probably double) 1 large cauliflower 1 28 oz. can undrained whole tomatoes 2/3 cups raisins 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Sugar, salt and ground black pepper to taste Saute the onions and garlic in the EVOO in a large saucepan/braiser/dutchoven. Meanwhile, cut and core the cauliflower into smalish florets. Chop tomatoes or squeeze by hand. Add the tomatoes and wine vinegar, and raisins to the pan. Simmer for a few min. to blend flavors. Then add the cauliflower, and cook for 10-12 min., until florets are tender. Adjust seasoning to taste with sugar, salt and pepper. Serve hot, room temp. or chilled. Note: you can combine the two recipes, and add mint and cinnamon to the tomato sauce. You can add other veggies to this too, such as cabbage and carrots.

I love cauliflower in any form, but roasted is one of my favorites, too! Roasted Cauliflower with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan 12c cauliflower florets (about 2 heads) 1-1/2 T olive oil 1T chopped fresh parsley 2Tsp chopped fresh thyme 2tsp chopped fresh tarragon 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 c grated parmesan cheese 2T fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 450F Place cauliflower in large roasting pan or jelly roll pan. Drizzle with oil, toss well to coat. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and garlic, bake 5 minutes. Combine cauliflower mixture, cheese and remaining ingredients in large bowl, toss well to combine. Yield: 8 servings, about 1 cup each And Carrots are another that roasts well. This recipe is exceptionally good. I actually cut the carrots in half, then quarter them lengthwise. For me they take less time to brown than stated, too so watch them carefully. ROASTED CARROTS W/ THYME AND GARLIC GW-posted by Rosemarythyme 11-06 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil 2 1/2 lb large carrots, halved lengthwise diagonally 1 TBSP unsalted butter 1 ( 2 - 3 inch) head of garlic, cloves separated but left unpeeled 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1/4 tsp Maldon sea salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/2 c water Put over rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in heavy ovenproof skillet over moderately high heat until very hot and just beginning to smoke, then add half of carrots, cut sides down, and cook, undisturbed, until they begin to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Brown remaining carrots in same manner but leave in skillet. Add butter and stir once, then return carrots on plate to skillet. Continue to cook over mod high heat, turning frequently until carrots are golden brown on edges, about 5 minutes more. Add garlic, thyme, sea salt, pepper and water and cover skillet tightly with foil. Roast in oven until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue roasting, turning over carrots with tongs occasionally until edges are slightly crisp, 10 to 15 minutes more. Linda

You had quite a challenge and met it well. I like the buffet style and who cares if people only go monochrome. Maybe they like it that way. People tease Scandinavians about all the white food. No big deal to me. I'm not sure I'd have the patience to deal with all the dietary issues. I might send invitations on a paper bag and say bring your own! :) I've got a cousin who has her own cooking challenges. Let's see, she cooks for: -A granddaughter "vegetarian", who won't eat vegetables -Husband who's is a hypochondriac and lately is a wannabe Celiac. (And is nearly televangelistic in preaching to anyone who will listen that everyone is Celiac and doesn't know it.) This "Celiac" btw frequents pizza buffets and White Castle. Yep, that's gluten intolerant! -A friend who's on the Atkin's diet. -Parents who were "meat & potatoes only" people. Don't add any of that salt & pepper... don't like things spicy! -Daughter who is a serious diabetic. Anyone care to plan & cook that one? :)

Balsamic roasted asparagus 1 pound asparagus 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Preparation Preheat oven to 425°. Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Place in a jelly-roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar; sprinkle with salt, garlic, and pepper, tossing to coat. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes, turning once.