A Carnivore Prepares A Vegetarian Meal

Vegetarian main dishes also make great vegetable sides.

Our friend Paul, who has been a guest poster a few times, recently volunteered to cook dinner for a bunch of vegetarians. Before you carnivores all run off to the next web site, remember that vegetable dishes good enough to be main dishes make stupendous vegetable sides. And these days, more and more of us are having to cook for vegetarian friends.

He didn't include recipes, but these dishes are self-explanatory to good cooks — or are the sorts of dishes that are easily found on the Internet. Many, like the grilled corn and tomato salad and the mango salsa and roasted potatoes are pretty easy.

Either way, this menu is good food for thought.

Hors d’oeuvres

·  Crostini (grilled ciabatta with toppings: garlic roasted with balsamic vinegar, mushrooms in
       butter and herbs, tapenade, roasted red peppers, mozzarella in garlic/herb infused olive oil)

· Sautéed zucchini blossoms stuffed with herbed ricotta or bufalo mozzarella

Pass-around main dishes

· Brown & wild rice with toasted walnuts, scallions, and dried apricots

· Butternut squash ravioli with toasted walnuts, chives, and apple-infused butter

· Grilled zucchini/summer squash layered with shaved goats-milk Gouda and fresh herbs
· Grilled corn and tomato salad
· Pan-roasted Portobello mushrooms with red pepper sauce and pecorino shavings
· Insalata Caprese with heirloom tomatoes and bufalo mozzarella
· Roasted potatoes with homemade pesto on arugula
· Mango salad or salsa (chunks of mango, cherry tomatoes, scallions, jicama, bell pepper, and mint)

Dessert
· Grilled white peach halves filled with mascarpone and fresh blueberry/port reduction

See Paul's other posts: Red Pepper Sauce, Tapenade, Italian Salsa Verde (All-Occasion Green Sauce), and Make Your Own Chutney.