Hold the Meat – A very veggie wedding

I’m not going to sit here and disparage all veggie lasagna; I have had a few in my life that have been nice, but I have never really had a good experience with generic banquet hall veggie lasagna, AKA, the ONLY VEGETARIAN OPTION ON EARTH. Now, it used to be that if you went to a work-related banquet, or a wedding, there weren’t any vegetarian options at all, so the fact that the rubbery, bland veggie lasagna is even an option is sadly, a step up.

Lately though, I have had some really good veggie dishes at weddings and other events. None of them, however, were quite as amazing as the reception I went to last weekend, for my friends Laura and Dave. They had a very unique wedding that lasted over two days. Friday night was a small ceremony followed by a catered dinner for the guests. Laura is a vegetarian, so the veggie option was ohmygodamazing. Saturday though, was a large, casual potluck reception, and it was vegetarian heaven.

Dave and Laura totally put me to work at the potluck, and I was in charge of food. So for a few months before the reception, guests emailed me what they were bringing– and nearly all of it was vegetarian. It was amazing. Dave and Laura were going to grill, so they provided hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers. Everyone else was in charge of appetizers and side dishes. Here’s a small sampling of what was brought:

• veggie trays
• hummus
• assortment of cheese and bread
• tossed salad with almonds, cheese and blueberries(!)
• at least three varieties of potato salad, including dill potato salad
• At least three varieties of pasta salad, including an angel hair capellini
• lentil soup
• vegetarian baked beans
• corn salad
• quinoa salad with black beans
• Waldorf salad
• sweet potato casserole (which, gross, but still!)

That’s before we even get to the desserts, and the heroes who just said, “Screw it,” and brought more wine. Point is, I pretty much had to be rolled out of the reception hall by the time all was said and done. Seriously, this whole thing was as if someone whispered in my ear and said, “Hey baby girl, what could we make to make you totally fat and happy? Just name it and we’ll do it.”

There was such a huge amount of food, that everyone there was satisfied, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Quite frankly, there aren’t too many large events (there were around 150 people in attendance) that can boast that. So when you’re planning your next wedding, family reunion, or divorce party, just remember that it pays to think outside of the box, and beyond rubbery, tasteless lasagna.

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Oct 13, 2009 @ 10:03 EST5EDT