Here's something you might not have thought of...

VEGETABLE ENCHILADAS

Serves 4-8

4 Tbs butter
2 medium green bell peppers -- seeded and sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper -- seeded and sliced
1 medium red bell pepper -- seeded and sliced
1 large onion -- sliced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
½ pound mushrooms -- sliced
1 medium zucchini  julienned (or Mexican, gray, Lebanese)
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
pepper -- fresh ground, to taste
1 can enchilada sauce
½ cup oil
8 large flour tortillas
1-½ cup Asadero or Oaxaca cheese  shredded (or sub Monterey Jack)
¼ cup Cotija cheese  grated (or sub Parmesan cheese)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bell peppers and onion. Sauté until just soft.

Add garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini. Sauté until just browned. Remove from heat and add chili, cumin, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the enchilada sauce. Mix thoroughly.

Heat enchilada sauce in a wide skillet over low heat. Pour about 2 Tbs of the sauce into a rectangular casserole dish or baking pan (about 9 x 13).

In another skillet, heat oil on medium high. Quickly slide the tortillas, one at a time, through the hot oil, to soften them, making sure both sides get covered.

Dip the tortillas into the enchilada sauce to cover at least one side. On a plate, fill the center of each tortilla with 1/8 of the vegetable mix. Roll it and place it from side-to side in the casserole dish. Repeat with all 8 tortillas.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce around the edges of the tortillas. Mix the cheeses and cover the tortillas completely.

Place in pre-heated 400 F oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese becomes bubbly.

Serve with dollops of sour cream, chopped black olives, salsa cruda and guacamole or chopped fresh avocados sprinkled with lemon/lime.

Joe

With ham, greens are good, and they don't suffer from being made ahead of time or from sitting in a warmer. Buy a mixture of whatever greens your grocery carries...mustard, turnip, kale, chard. I'd probably buy 1 bunch of greens for every 4 or 5 people.

Chop up about 3 slices of bacon for each bunch of greens, and render out the fat until you have crispy bits left. Take the crispy bits out and save for later.

In the fat, over a med-high heat saute a half an onion for each bunch of greens until just turning brown on the edges, and add a smashed garlic clove for a minute or two, and 1/4 t of red pepper flakes per bunch of greens.

Then, add the pre-washed (still wet), chopped greens, and stir them around until the sizzling stops. Lower the heat, and simmer until the greens are the way you like them. If they seem too dry, add a wee bit of stock. Then sprinkle with the crispy bacon bits, which will soften up nicely when you reheat the greens to serve.

Here's what I made last night at the last minute when I found I had a few more guests than anticipated:
Its very simple and goes a long way. I had 8 people and used 3 medium zucchini and 3 not so big tomatoes.I think a zucchini for every 3 people is a good ratio.

Zucchini And Tomatoes (any amount of each)

Slice zucchini in rounds 1/4 inch thick
Slice tomatoes in rounds 1/4 inch thick
Layer in an oven proof covered dish with zucchini as the first layer and tomatoes last.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano to taste or use whatever seasonings you like on zucchini. Last night I used powdered seasonings because it was a last minute addition to the meal.

Bake in hot oven (375) for about 30 minutes.

You can add cheese to this dish if you want to. I have layered mozzarella over the tomatoes on occasion. That works nicely too.

Marinated Green Beans

From Best Ever Recipes vol.II

¾ lb fresh green beans, trimmed
¼ c finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-1/2 T olive oil
¾ tsp salt
3 T lemon juice

Cook green beans in pot of lightly salted water until crisp-tender. Drain beans but do not rinse them

Transfer beans to medium size bow, toss with onion, garlic, oil and salt. Marinate at room temp for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Just before serving, remove the garlic and discard. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat the beans. Serves 4

Joe - OMG those enchiladas sound awesome. I'm going to use that recipe for another party I have coming up.

Rachellen - The greens would be perfect. Thanks!

mimsic - Thank you!

Linda - Do you think I could use frozen green beans, I have several packages in the freezer from last year's garden or would they be too limp?

The zucchini and tomato dish sounds good. I also think that with the menu you're working with, maybe doing something with green beans or asparagus would be good. Here's a recipe for asparagus that's served at room temperature, which would come in handy for a pot luck. It serves 4, so you'll have to increase the recipe accordingly.

Asparagus with Lemon-Shallot vinaigrette

From The complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook by Jack Bishop

1 1/2 pounds medium asparagus
1 teaspoon grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 large lemon
1 medium shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Bring several quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Snap the tough ends from the asparagus. Set the asaparagus aside.

2. Whisk together the lemon zest and juice, shallot and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil until smooth. Adjust the seasonings and set aside.

3. Add the asparagus and salt to taste to the boiling water. Cook until the spears are tender but not limp, about 4 minutes.

4. Drain the asparagus and place in a single layer on a large platter. Whisk the dressing again and drizzle it over the asparagus. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The asparagus can be kept at room temperature for 1 hour.)

Here's a spinach recipe I found while looking for a different recipe. I've made this once to good reviews. Then I totally forgot about it. Go figure, since spinach is my favorite veggie, and Ina Garten never fails me.

Spinach Gratin
Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All rights reserved

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Episode#: IG1A02
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

Good luck with your pot luck.

Sally

That sounds like a pretty all-American ham scalloped potatoes event to me.
I don't think something like a tomato-ey or or Mexican, like the enchiladas sound like they go to me....and with the scalloped potatoes, I wouldn't want another creamy baked thing.
How about frying up some bacon and onion and when the bacon is crisp and the onions cooked, and adding your green beans and a can of chicken broth, cooking for about 15 minutes and calling it good.
Linda C

How about a broccoli salad? It's served cold.

1 Bunch fresh broccoli florets
1/2 c chopped onion
1 lb bacon fried crisp & crumbled
1/2 c sunflower seeds
1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

DRESSING:
3/4 c mayo
2 T vinegar
1/4 c sugar

Combine salad ingredients together in large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients.

Pour dressing over broccoli mixture; mix up.
Serve chilled.

Too bad she specified green 'cause I sure would want baked beans with my ham and scalloped potatoes!

I'm inclined to green beans as well. I have a recipe similiar to what Linda describes but it also has diced red peppers. The red pepper is sauted briefly, along with some garlic, and then tossed with the cooked beans. Quite pretty.

I, personally, am not fond of the texture of frozen green beans because they are not really "crisp-tender". But I can't see why they wouldn't work in this recipe.

I think the addition of red pepper would be very nice and also add some color!

Linda

Like Chase, I'd want baked beans. Oh well, they aren't green, at least not if they're fresh. LOL And I love green beans the way LindaC just mentioned, I sprinkle a few slivered almonds on top for a crunchy texture.

However, I think a tomato-and-green vegetable dish would go fine. I like the zucchini/tomato combination and this is my version, a little bit more involved but very good.

Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground
3 cups zucchini, thinly sliced, fresh
1 pound tomatoes, fresh, sliced
1/4 cup bread crumbs, white, fresh
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preparation:

Combine chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley flakes, garlic and onion powders, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Place half the zucchini in a lightly greased 6-cup casserole. Layer with half the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the seasoning mixture. Repeat the layers.

Combine bread crumbs, oil and remaining parsley flakes, sprinkle over vegetables.

Bake, uncovered, in preheated 375 degree oven, until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

This is another spring recipe although I leave the mint out. I like mint tea or mint candy but somehow I don't like it in other foods. Yeah, I know. I'm strange. I like peas and lettuce, though, and in the spring when there is fresh baby lettuce and the peas are sweet and new, oh yum. I've done it with frozen baby peas and it's still pretty darned good.

Peas & Lettuce
Makes 6 servings, about 1/2 cup each

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups shelled fresh peas (3 pounds unshelled)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
4 cups thinly sliced Boston lettuce (about 1 small head)
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add peas and stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mint and cook for 30 seconds. Add lettuce, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Per serving: 113 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 13 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 5 g fiber; 206 mg sodium; 225 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (70% daily value), Folate (22% dv), Vitamin C (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 vegetable, 1 fat

Then again, I like just plain roasted green beans and red onions, drizzled witholive oil mixed with a bit of balsamic vinegar and seasoned with just salt and pepper.

Annie

Does anyone else find that cooked from frozen green beans kinda squeak when you chew them? I don't like that.

I want my green beans to squeak!
Ideally, some roasted asparagus would be just the thing...but I don't think it would transport....but it would be easy to cook once you got there...if the oven wasn't full.
Linda C

LOL, Shaun, I don't like them to squeak either, that's why I can mine and don't freeze them. I like 'em DONE, not half done.

And yes, I know that "crisp tender" is all the rage, but I still like mine fully cooked.

Annie

I just noticed that I posted the same spinach gratin recipe that Linda did. Oops. If it's not too late, and it probably is, that asparagus recipe I posted could be done with green beans, just cook them a little longer. I've done it with both vegetables, and it turned out fine. I don't know if it's because they're shaped the same, or what, but I find that green beans and asparagus, even though they don't taste the same, can be prepared and presented in very similar, if not the same ways. For that many people, though, green beans would be much more economical, but asparagus is in season.

Sally

Thank you all for the help. As it turns out once in the grocery store I got inspired and opted for what looked the freshest. I managed to get an assortment of greens, fresh white & green asparagus, and some baby vegetables. I started out with zucchini & summer squash in my shopping cart until I saw the baby zucchini. Needless to say I was inspired so I changed my plan.

Here's what I brought:

1. Lightly sautéed assorted greens. I sautéed them with garlic infused olive oil, just a tad salt pork fat and leeks.

2. Roasted green & white asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon.

3. Fresh baby vegetable medley: baby 3" long zucchini, baby carrots, baby corn, baby snap peas. I steamed each type of vegetable individually until crisp tender then tossed all the veggies together with a little garlic infused olive oil, fresh ground sea salt and pepper and some crisp fried shallots.

I undercooked all the veggies, covered everything with foil, wrapped the dishes in bath towels and brought them to the party. After an hour drive, everything was still warm enough to serve and amazingly perfectly cooked!

I was worried because some of the girls eschew meat but to my surprise they had no problem with the greens or asparagus.

Must have done OKÂthere were no leftovers! :-)

How smart of you to bring more than one kind of green veggie. I didn't think of that. Glad it went well for you.

Sally