Vegetarian Dinner Party

Ok, we all say we will make time to see our friends, but life is busy and who has the time to catch up with everyone?  For me, sometimes as much as a year can go by in between actual visits with my friends. But recently I have discovered a  solution – host a dinner party.  This way you can invite some of your good friends, get caught up, have fun and do it all in one evening. 

Sound like too much work – well, I won’t lie, it does take a certain amount of planning and getting organized.   I wanted to make sure my bathroom was clean and there were no sticky things on the floor, so yes, I had to commit to a bit of cleaning.

Hard to feed carnivores?  Not at all.  If you are like me, you don’t have a lot of vegetarian friends (I have one).  However,  I knew my friends would be open to a vegetarian feast.

Worried about breaking the bank?  No need.  A vegetarian diet could save the word from starvation.  I decided on a mezze-tapas style dinner.  I didn’t want to be in the kitchen cooking the whole time, so I decided to offer things that could be prepared in advance.   While I did have some store bought items for the party, I made most of the things, which I think made the food even better.  Here is a rundown of the menu.

Hummus, Babaganoush, Tzaziki,  lentil salad – all made a few days in advance – easy, economical, and so, so much better than store bought.

Spinach filo triangles – super easy – really –and I make these a week in advance, froze them, and then baked them the night of the dinner – this was the only thing I had to cook during the party.

Home- made cookies made the week before.

Things I had to buy – nuts, salad, fresh bread, pitas, great olives and artichokes and roasted red peppers, cheese, and fruit for dessert

Really, other than being organized in advance, it didn’t take as much time as I thought.  The most important thing for me was that the payoff for my efforts was so worthwhile –  a great evening with my girl friend, lots of laughter and some great memories. 

And one last essential item – once you get a glass of wine into your guests, light some candles and dim the lights and let the party begin!!