Some luck for my pot?
Over ten years ago, my first potluck ever, I made curly noodles and then put a can of corn and a can of peas and then a can of beans and then some spike in a bowl and mixed it up. I was really proud of that. This was from the time period I have often referred to as my "canned food" phase. Thankfully, that didn't last longer than a couple months. I left the leftovers at the house, hoping they would finish it. And I never got my bowl back, a great bowl that I didn't even realize at the time was so fully and excitingly retro except for in retrospect. Just for my friend Stormy and housemates to eat my cold noodles.
Next, I made two vegan pies (about a year passed in between these two), and I watched them get scarfed up so fast only for my third potluck dish, a huge pot of lentil soup, to just sit there, barely eaten. I only realized later that hardly anyone had a bowl to eat it with!
I've been to lots of potlucks since then, but then had a severe potluck draught for much of my time in NYC. Why this is, I don't know. Sometimes I'd see someone on a train with a big pot and I'd know and I'd get really excited -- for them! But even seeing someone participating in a potluck was rare, let alone participating myself.
So I had been back and forth about hosting my own potluck, and my neighbors wanted to co-host it and have it be like a mini-neighborhood "block" party (though I wanted to invite friends from outside the neighborhood, too), but right while we were deciding, we found out that our neighbor Sarah (who Michelle M. just told me was vegan!) decided to host a BIG neighborhood potluck and flyered all kinds of neighbors we haven't talked to before. I'm really excited! Except, that I need to decide what to make.
Anyone have any great potluck recipes? I know that I could just make anything and that it would be good, but I have a desire to make something very delicious and vegantastic. Don't be shy...what should I put in my pot to fill it with luck?
posted by Michelle @ 10:13 AM
5 Comments:
I have a great, easy, perfectly seasonal potluck dish
- cook wild rice
- cook quinoa
- mix together with dried cranberries and maple syrup
- optional: top with toasted nuts
I love this because it can be eaten at room temperature, it has great texture, it's colorful and a wee bit sweet. Plus, for non-vegan potlucks, it's easy enough to explain the ingredients.
This dish is also the base for my Thanksgiving stuffed squash dish - and, if I ever open a diner, this will be the house side dish.
I make samosas a LOT for potlucks. They're different, tasty, happen to be vegan, and I can make them ahead of time, freeze, then warm in the oven just a bit and stow them in a large Tupperware container. I make fresh chutneys all the time, so a container of that is easy, too.
Another thing I like to bring is marinated green beans, though they really aren't in season now. Noodles with peanut sauce is another favorite, and Indian spiced basmati rice always gets eaten, too. I usually bring something with veggies since potlucks so rarely have much in the way of produce.
when i was with the union we'd have potlucks a bunch - i had good luck w/two world veg dishes - carrots, potatoes & peas (i think you know which one i mean (i think i blogged it once) and punjabi kidney bean stew. both of them can make a good amount of food easily and relatively inexpensively
also, if you want to do finger food, like samosas, i did the lentil-thing wrapped in filo. it was the red lentils w/zucchini and i used less water, so it was a thick, thick globby lentil dish and chilled it and then wrapped it into filo triangles.
i think that NYC can be pretty devoid of potlucks! i can't think of one particularly good thing of mine for you to bring :( i'll have to watch and learn on this one.
Sweet potato and Red lentil stew = Yum-o!
Lotsa garlic and onions sauted with olive oil. A Chipotle pepper. 3 strips of Vegan bacon. 3 cups veggie broth. 2 cups water. 2 or 3 cups cubed sweet potato. 1 cup red lentils. 1 tsp cinnamon, some salt and pepper. Chopped fresh Cilantro as a garnish. Makes 1 large pot and will give you plenty of luck.
Viola! Made this stew yesterday for lunch and had it again for dinner. And there's plenty more leftover for today's meal...mmmm.
p.s. Bonus luck - The hubbie is a mega Carnivore and loved this stew!!!
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