Every couple of months I'll call a few guests and then get really excited to create a menu that will dazzle. The result is a wrecked kitchen that takes double the time to clean. I am inspired by youtube videos and the internet in general. But the fun part is using that inspiration and making it your own. It's really not that hard to create a 'fancy dinner party' menu if your desire is such.
Please note, I am very conscious of the fact that I am choosing to make fancy vegan food with a lot of expensive ingredients. This doesn't mean you can't eat vegan on the cheap, you can and it can be delicious! It's just that I love to indulge every once in a while (and have the privilege to), so therefore THIS.
I had my Uncle and his partner Vasanti come over today to share lunch, life updates, and exchange notes on movies and books we've watched and read. The menu I planned required prep work the night before. So lets' start with the menu:
To Start
Cashew-Cheese Log studded with Roasted Almonds & Dried Blueberries + Baked Pita Chips
Roasted Sweet Potato Coins + Peppered Cherry Tomato
Main Course
Pear & Carrot Salad/Romaine Lettuce + Coconut Cream Balsamic Dressing
Millet Casserole with Zucchini & Mushroom in Herbed Creamy Sauce
Vegan Sausage Fry + Green Peppers
Dessert
Apple Pie Crumble +Lemon Cake Base +Whipped Cream Cups
So it's a 6-course meal that's pretty light on the stomach but hella satisfying. Here are some basic notes on how to 'think' about making them. I am not going to write exact recipes for everything, this more for you to gauge how you can make stuff pretty easily.
On Starters
Think dip! There are so many vegan dips to make, the obvious one being hummus. You could throw in a habanero pepper to make it spicy, or add a special seasoning of your choice for a new flavor. But this time I decided to make a cashew cheese log. You need a high-powered blender for this.
Quick Recipe for Cashew Cheese Log
1.5 cups cashews that have been soaked in regular water for 6 hours OR one hour in boiling hot water
3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar (optional)
One pod garlic
1 tablespoon brown or white sugar
Pepper and Salt to taste
1 tablespoon seasoning of choice (like Italian, thyme, dried basil) (optional)
In a blender add all ingredients and blend in rounds, taking breaks to stir it around and unclog any clumps. Please make sure not to run your blender for more than 30 seconds at a time- it can be dangerous. Take breaks! One it's all creamy and smooth pour out into a plastic cling-wrap and wrap it over. Shape like a log and put it in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours). Once it's taken shape, gently cut the plastic and roll in anything you wish. I rolled it in roasted almonds and dried blueberries. Serve with vegan crackers or pita chips.
Sweet Potatoes
Are yummy on their own. Simply cut into desired shapes, put on an oven tray, splash some olive oil, herbs of choice, pepper and salt and bake at 180c for about 25-35 min. Make sure to flip them in between. After they are cooled you can get inventive and top them with greens or olives or cherry tomatoes (like I did) and add toothpicks.
On Main Course
The millet bake came out really well. It's super easy to make. Just use 1 cup of raw millets (I used little millet, you could use foxtail, or even quinoa). Cook the millets with water, drain and keep aside.
In another pot fry some onions, garlic, with desired veggies (i used zucchini and mushroom) and herbs of choice ( I used thyme and Italian seasoning and red chili flakes). Now add 3/4th cup of coconut mylk or any other plant-based milk and 3 spoons of nutritional yeast. Add lots of pepper! You can even add chili sauce to it.
Then just grease a baking tin, cover the bottom with bread crumbs, pour out your veggie sauce and then cover that with all your millets. Don't forget to season the millet with salt/pepper/seasoning of choice. Now bake at 180 for 15 min. You're done!
Something 'Meaty'
If you don't have access to vegan sausage ( I get mine from Namdhari) you can use soya chunks that are soaked and then fried with green peppers, chili powder, salt, and a splash of jaggery syrup and seasoning/sauce of choice.
On Salads
Salads can really brighten up a meal. I love using fruit. Today it was sliced pears, shredded carrots, and romaine lettuce. Just three things here and they all stood out well. Dressings can get really inventive. Today I used 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar + 3 tablespoons of coconut cream + Italian seasoning. You can do all sorts of things to make yummy dressings. Want something creamy? Toss in some cashews, plant-based mylk (soya, coconut, cashew, rice, whatever!) and seasoning to a blender- you're done! Want to brighten it up some more? Add a splash of orange juice to the cashew mix and you have a creamy orange salad dressing. Or add a green chili to the blender to make it spicy! You can even add some fresh cilantro for a 'green' dressing. Just experiment.
On Dessert
Apple Pie Crumble
I was going to make a lemon cake for dessert but I managed to burn most of it. So instead I took off the unburnt parts and pressed them into small bowls. Then I chopped up some apples, put them on an oven tray with coconut oil and added oats, 4 tablespoons of flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I mixed it up on the tray and baked it for 15 min at 180c. Once cooled you have apple pie crumble!
I added the crumble on top of the lemon cake base and then swirled on some vegan whipped cream. If you don't have vegan whipped cream, you can use the thickest part of coconut cream- just whip it for 15 minutes (off and on) with powdered sugar till it forms stiff peaks.
And that my friends, is the story of today's vegan lunch party!
I hope this gives you some inspiration <3 p="">
