I cook for events at my UU Church. I am carnivorous but I have learned to fix some very tasty vegan/vegetarian dishes... I even adapted my personal chili recipe to use lentils and carrots instead of chuck meat. The recipe below has never failed to please... there is rarely anything left. I usually serve it with a crusty loaf of garlic bread.

Makes 8 to 10 servings
Takes about two hours from prep to table

Ingredients:

o 2 1/2 lb tomatoes (4 large)
o 8 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
o 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
o 20 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
o 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
o 2 lb eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
o 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
o 2 large onions (1 1/2 lb total), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
o 3 assorted bell peppers (green, red, and/or yellow; 1 1/2 lb total), cut into 1-inch pieces
o 4 medium zucchini (2 lb), quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick pieces
o 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings and fresh basil

Preparation:

1. Cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch together in a 4-quart pot of boiling water 1 minute. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel off skin, beginning from scored end, with paring knife.

2. Coarsely chop tomatoes and transfer to a 5-quart heavy pot with garlic, parsley, basil, and 1/3 cup oil. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

3. While sauce is simmering, toss eggplant with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large colander and let stand in sink 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook onions in 3 tablespoons oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer onions with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, then add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook bell peppers with 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer peppers with slotted spoon to bowl with onions. Add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook zucchini with 1/4 teaspoon salt over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer zucchini with slotted spoon to bowl with other vegetables.

5. While zucchini are cooking, pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Add remaining oil (about 1/4 cup) to skillet and cook eggplant over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to12 minutes.

6. Add vegetables, remaining teaspoon salt, and black pepper to tomato sauce and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool, uncovered, and serve warm or at room temperature.

This one may or may not be economical depending on whether or not fresh asparagus is currently expensive in your neck of the woods and/or what you might have in your fridge, but I can vouch for its appeal with young vegetarians. I made it for a church potluck a couple of years ago (just throwing together stuff at the last minute that I already had in the kitchen), and people asked for the recipe, so I typed up what I did, adding some suggestions that might make it more economical. The general idea would probably work fine with a pound of small pasta (say, orzo), but in that case I'd throw in some chickpeas to add protein:

Here's how I made the quinoa. I sliced the asparagus on the diagonal (1 bunch of pretty thick stalks) about 3/4 in thick, blanched it, and let it marinate in the dressing (see below) while I was waiting for the quinoa (1.5 cups uncooked) to finish cooking. Then I fluffed up the quinoa and let it cool a little before I mixed the whole thing up.

Here's the dressing:

juice of two lemons
1/2 c olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
heaping spoonful dijon mustard
salt and pepper (to taste--I used quite a bit)
~3 T capers (with some of the brine) (some chopped olives would work instead if that's what you have)
4 oz chopped feta cheese (this is really good, but probably not absolutely necessary)
5 - 6 sliced green onions
fresh thyme leaves (just a few stems' worth--oregano might be good, if that's what you have)

Shake it all up in a quart jar.

Good for you that you're helping in this way! Hope this helps!

For a crowd is baked spuds! Everybody likes them. You can offer various fixings so that any omnivores/vegetarians/vegans will be happy.

We eat vegan style and love to put hummus on baked potatoes. Salsa is also great on potatoes.

Another good option is burritos--everybody adds their own filling. Meat for some, beans for anyone, cheese to sprinkle on if not vegan. Chopped vegetables, hot sauce. Yum!

This is a link to the Vegetarian recipes in the cookbook I'm writing. I believe most of them are at least 6 servings.

http://artbymichelewilson.com/vegetarianindex.htm

This is naturally vegan. Makes 1quart, or more, depending how much liquid you add. I'm not too consistent by now, so sometimes it's thinner, which makes it easier to use as a dip. With the exception of the garbanzo beans, all measures are "suggested".

To make 1 quart:

1 lb. dried garbanzo beans (chick peas)
4 Tbs. Tahini
1 head of garlic
1 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1 Tbs. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
(optional spices: Sumac, and/or Zatar--a blend of Middle-Eastern spices: sumac, thyme, sesame seed.)

Begin by soaking beans until they sprout (+/- 3 days.)
Soak for 12 hours, then keep moist but not soaking wet for the remainder.
Rinse beans every 12 hours.
When sprouts develop to 1/2", 72 hours +/-, advance to cooking phase.
(Sprouting converts the beans to 25%>30% protein.)

In a large pot, cover beans with at least 2"s of water.
Add the 1/2 tsp. of baking soda. (This breaks up the skins, converts the starches, and makes for a very smooth paste when finished.)
Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. (Total cooking time 45/60 minutes.)
After the beans have been cooking for a while, skim off the scum that has developed on the surface of the boil water. (This is why it's helpful to have more water at the start. You can't actually have too much water to boil the beans.)
Once cooked, allow beans to cool to room temperature.

Garlic--two versions--raw or cooked. Raw produces more bite, but not "insanity" garlicy flavor (like you might suspect.) Cooked produces more mellow.

Peel garlic.
For "raw": Reduce cloves to paste in a food processor. (Pro Tip: add olive oil sparingly while processing to make paste easy to grind.)
For "cooked": Add cloves to beans at 30 minute mark of the boil procedure.

Once the beans are cool, begin to process in processor.
Add: Tahini
Add: lemon juice.
Add: garlic
Process
Add: olive oil
Process
Add: spices
Process until all ingredients are blended.

Keeps well in the refrigerator for 10 days>2 weeks. LOL "Right! Like it's going to last 2 weeks."

The spices are what allow this dish a have varied flavors despite the standardization of the rest of the ingredients.

The basic recipe hinges on the cumin. I use unroasted cumin seeds and dry-roast them in a small black iron skillet until they are a deep, deep brown, (just beginning to smoke.) Then I cool them quickly by swishing around them in a large stainless steel bowl to stop the cooking. They get ground to a fine powder in a devoted coffee grinder.

Sumac and Zatar: Both are spices that a certain dryness to the background flavor. If you've used them in other dishes, don't be afraid to use them in your hummus.

Final note: When preparing this dish, don't go light with the olive oil. Err of the side of "too much". Like split-pea soup, hummus soaks up the liquids over time and turns into stone in the container. Very creamy in the beginning turns into thick paste after a day or two.

Enjoy!
AB

I have made this vegetarian chili recipe from doorsixteen.com for numerous chili suppers at our local schools. It's great on it's own & even better served over some mac & cheese. It's easy to scale up for larger batches & holds well for several hours.

VEGETARIAN CHILI.
October 11, 2007

This really is the best vegetarian chili (or any kind of chili, really) recipe, honestly. I make a big pot of it just about every other week and freeze it in containers for lunches and dinners.

Vegetarian Chili
serves 6-8

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil*
14 oz can black beans*
14 oz can kidney beans*
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup bulgar wheat
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots and garlic; sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add yellow pepper, jalapenos, celery and chili powder; cook another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans (with liquid), corn, salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in bulgar wheat. Cover and simmer at least 30 minutes (I usually let everything simmer for a couple of hours to let the flavors really develop, but it’s okay to take it off when the veggies and bulgar are soft), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Just as you’re taking the chili off the heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar. I know it might seem weird to put it in, but trust me—it really does make the chili taste extra amazing.

*I take the easy route and use canned beans and tomatoes. You can soak dried beans and use fresh tomatoes if you prefer, of course, but you will want to add water to make up for the liquid in the cans.

If you're like me, you've bought bagel chips at the store, brought them home, opened the bag, and the fuckers are 80% broken chips or dust. Never settle for crummy chips again!

It used to be that if you wanted bagels you had to get them at a deli or Jewish bakery. Not anymore. But that, sadly, only means that the babels in stores are mostly only extra-hard donuts with no sugar. It's my considered opinion that any bagel that be eaten with your dentures in is a WonderBread bagel*. Bagels are supposed to be hard as a brick and half as tasty.
* WonderBread bagels deform when you squeeze them.

At any rate, let's proceed to making the best bagel chips you've ever had.

Three bagels makes about a gallon of chips

(like the "family-size" of chip bags at the store.)

Step 1: Assuming you couldn't get bagels, let your WBbs get a bit stale before proceeding; a day or two on the counter or in a paper bag will allow your gluten conduit to stiffen up enough to slice predictably.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 400°F

Step 3: Slice bagels with a sharp butcher knife into 1/8" slices until all bagels are cut up.

Step 4: Grease cookie sheets with spray oil, or manually, with olive oil.

Step 5: Arrange slices on sheets close together. Spray or brush with olive oil.

Step 6: Apply spices.
Spices: salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, habanero pepper powder, use your imagination.
(Use any combination for endless varieties. Finely ground sage is an interesting departure.)

Step 7: Set your kitchen timer for 8 to 10 minutes. Bake until edges begin to brown.

Voila!
Enjoy
AB

Hubby and I made this a while ago; it makes a LOT of food:

olive oil
1 small onion
minced garlic
3-4 carrots, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bag of cubed butternut squash (or about 1/2 of a small squash if you don't mind butchering it yourself)*
1 small can tomato paste
assorted bell peppers (we used a few of the mini ones)
~1 cup frozen green beans
~1 cup frozen corn
salt and pepper
rosemary and thyme (dried or fresh)
pasta (any kind)
shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

Saute onion, garlic and carrots in olive oil until carrots start to soften. Add the rest of the veggies and tomato paste, S&P and rosemary and thyme. Simmer until everything is heated through.
Take cooked pasta and toss everything together in a big bowl. Serve with shredded parmesan.

*We used butternut squash as I don't really care for eggplant, zucchini or summer squash.
The recipe is kind of poorly written as I forgot to write it down at the time. It was basically just throwing stuff together but it turned out really good.