food for women's buddhist retreat? and maybe dessert tonight

[Zoe Girl]

So I agreed to bring food for the saturday of a women's retreat. We are keeping it simple and cost effective for people. There will be 15 of us including the nun leading it, and it should be vegetarian. I am offering because I am local and others are traveling. Here is my idea,

* large sandwich wraps
* hummus
* avocado slices
* lettuce, tomato, thin cucumber,
* cold salads
russian beet salad in raspberry vinaigrette
tabouli
green bean salad (with walnuts and cilantro)
* something sweet like cookies
* corn chips
* deviled eggs (mostly because i have a great way to transport those and keep them cold)

Any ideas? We do not eat an evening meal so I am focused on making it filling, there may be some vegans but I am waiting to see, also most of these things I can make a day or 2 in advance,

Also I want to have dessert tonight if any of my kids are home, lol, we are having taco salads for dinner. I cannot eat any fruit but all sorts of dairy are good and sugar

[Kestra]

I would just add some kind of plain bean, either just separate or in one of the salads, as there will probably be some vegans and they may not like hummus. But otherwise, that sounds great. What a nice thing you are doing for them.

[Zoe Girl]

Good idea, I am part of the retreat myself so it is part of the deal. I am studying to be better able to lead meditation groups as a peer and facilitate discussions.

[Dhiana]

Interesting what I see missing from the list is the same mistake I make when going grocery shopping :)

I hate watermelon so I never buy it. But I don't just shop for myself and have to remember my husband does!
So instead of the "something sweet" being a cookie option, make that something sweet a fresh fruit salad option,
the fiber will help keep guest full, too.

Have fun at your retreat!

[Selah]

Those sound like wonderful things to serve! You might have on hand some gluten-free rice cakes or crackers, just in case you have people who have celiac disease and can't eat the wraps. I have found those things to be great food-delivery devices when dealing with stuff that normally goes into a wrap or a taco shell! :)

[Ahh The Simple Name]

Hello, I would recommend this salad (perhaps in place of the plain green one):
Ingredients
1. Mixed salad greens or lettuces
2. Watermelon chunks
3. Blueberries
4. Blue, gorgonzola, or feta cheese – crumbled
5. Almonds or pecans or walnuts, toasted
First Steps
1. Wash and dry the greens.
2. Cut the watermelon chunks into 3/4 – 1 inch cubes.
3. Wash and drain the blueberries
4. Crumble the cheese.
5. Toast the nuts in the microwave. Spread nuts evenly in a flat microwaveable dish. Cook on high power for 3-4 minutes for 1/2 cup of nuts, or 4-5 minutes for 1 cup.
Directions
Simply layer each ingredient on the plate, or in the bowl, starting with #1 and finishing with #6.
Serve with a sweet sort of salad dressing, such as Newman’s Own Lite Raspberry & Walnut Dressing.

My blog "Ahh The Simple Life" http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/) has all vegetarian (several vegan) recipes that you may like.
Since you are obviously interested in food and recipes, I'd love it if you would see the start of my new blog cookbook: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/easy-as-a-b-c-healthy-recipes/
and offer suggestions as to what kinds of recipes you would like to see!
Thanks!

[RosieTR]

For a vegan dessert, try firm silken tofu processed or blended with some sort of berries, sugar to taste, and maybe a bit of lemon or orange juice. Also/instead perhaps a touch of pure vanilla extract (which does contain a small amt of alcohol if that's an issue, even with just a trace). You could layer this with fresh peach slices (color can be preserved for pre-sliced peaches with some lemon juice) since it's peach season, coming up with a parfait.
Another easy vegan dessert is basically a fruit crisp: layer sliced fruit (stone fruits, berries or apples) then a granola-type mix of oats, some sugar, a bit of cinnamon and some roughly chopped nuts. Bake for long enough to soften the fruit (apples longer than stone fruit or berries) so maybe 20-45 min at around 400F. This won't last a long time, but perhaps can be made up to a day in advance and can certainly be served room temp. You could put honey rather than sugar but then it wouldn't be strictly vegan. I'm not sure what your group entails. Note: this would also not work for gluten-free/celiac because I think oats are a problem despite not being wheat.
If nobody's wheat-free or vegan, why not do cookies? Easy to transport, keep, and have people munch on later in the day. I would suggest perhaps including some nuts in them so there's more protein for a lower glycemic index, which will aid with the full feeling lasting longer.
It's always a little intimidating cooking for a group but your menu sounds like it will be great! Keep in mind proportions-group cooking usually winds up with far more than anyone can eat, but if there's a plan for leftovers then you're all set!

[Zoe Girl]

I am thinking about the cookie, sweet muffin route. I have a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that everyone tends to love, and I make super large batches which freeze well. It doesn't hurt to have some extra food around huh