Vegetarian, gluten free buffet ideas for 10 people - any recommendations please

[Yoghurtpotsatdawn]

I am a lousy cook. So it needs to be simple. Oh and savoury. I’m bogged down with all the online recipe sites and my mind has gone blank. I need It for Friday. Has anyone any go to dishes they could recommend please . TIA

You can make a tomato sauce. Make it thin. Peel and Cut pumpkin into chunks and parboil for just a couple of minutes. Slice then layer in a dish like lasange. Grate nutmeg between layers, just a bit .

Into the oven with cheese and or gf breadcrumbs over until browned. Pumpkin will finish cooking in the watery sauce.

Freezes well. Very forgiving. Very filling. Very yum. My recipe calls for bacon bits in the sauce so do that another time.

Well, lots of salads for a start!

Potato salad
Mixed leaf salad
Tomato salad with basil and mozzarella
Coleslaw

I have a lovely recipe for a pea salad, that uses fresh ginger, chopped pimento-stuffed olives and candied peel, with paprika and a vinaigrette dressing (can copy it out for you if you're interested)

If you go to the Low Carb Bootcamp topic, and check out the vegetarian recipes you might find something there - in particular, there's a recipe for a shallot and Gruyère tart, which uses ground almonds instead of flour to make the tart case

Cheese platter, with celery and grapes, and gluten-free crackers (Nairn make some)

If you want hot dishes, lots of vegetarian curries, or a vegetarian chilli. A moussaka, using lentils instead of lamb mince.

You could possibly use a jar of sauce but check the ingredients.

Does new potato, halloumi, baby spinach and cherry tomato salad help?

Cheese board

Aubergine parmigiana?

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spinach-sweet-potato-lentil-dhal

this Dahl is really easy and can be made ahead with the spinach added at the end. Serve with rice. I’d do one other curry as well - maybe a chickpea with coconut milk for a bit of contrast.

Raita is gluten free and you might be able to find some Indian pickles and mango chutney too.

Dessert can be sorbet from the shop (get a couple of flavours).

I make a thing that’s a bit like a quiche without pastry, but bake it in a deep oven dish (I am gluten free). I put bacon in mine, but with just vegetables in could be vegetarian.

Fry the filling ingredients off in butter till softened, I would suggest onions, mushrooms and peppers. I would work on a couple of eggs per person beaten in a large bowl, around half a pint of cream or crème fraiche per 6 eggs, beat throughly add salt and pepper and some mixed Italian herbs to taste. I then throw in a couple of handfuls of grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese. Mix it all together and pour into a greased oven proof dish, I bake at 160°C in my fan oven for around 30 minutes, it should be set and lightly browned.

I leave it to cool for 10-15 minutes if serving hot as it cuts better, but it is lovely cold as well and keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Please be aware though of being very careful about cross contamination with gluten.

Gluten Free because someone reckons they feel a bit bloated when they eat toast? Or gluten free because somehow has coeliac disease? If it’s coeliac disease then you have to make sure there’s not a single crumb of gluten containing anything in the food. I’d be calling my guest for advice and tips of things to avoid - sometimes things that don’t usually contain gluten are still too risky for Coeliacs - like oats. There’s non gluten in oats, but often a little bit of wheat pops ip in the field from previous years’ planting and contaminates the oats.

Frittata could work.

Are you providing the complete buffet or just contributing a dish? Can you serve hot food?

@BIWI

oh an edited post in the wild!!

must go check this feature out!!

Thanks so much everyone. It’s just a contribution to a buffet not the whole buffet. Forgot to mention that!

shallot and Gruyère tart sounds perfect. And not too complicated. I’m going to get some GF pastry as making any sort of pastry will end badly. And as these get togethers are a few times a year, thanks for all the other ideas everyone. I will look at the low carb bootcamp recipes too . Thanks for GF warnings. Both people are intolerant not coeliac so I don’t have to ensure every trace is removed thankfully

I would honestly provide something that doesn't include GF pastry because it's indifferent at best.

I've eaten a lot of Spanish tortilla since going gluten free!

(and that's where they've hidden the. Button!)

Mercimek kofta.... lots of recipes out there, basically lentil balls, don't know if bulgar wheat is GF.... guessing not but tabbouleh is easy enough...are there any other grains that could be substituted?
Old fashioned cheese n pineapple (or pickled onion) on sticks.
Lots of Turkish/Lebanese/Mediterranean food would work.

Honestly @Yoghurtpotsatdawn, the pastry for that tart couldn't be easier to make. Almonds, butter and an egg white in your food processor, and blitz till it starts to form a dough. Put it straight into your tart tin and press it down/round the sides with your hands.

I'd just do a couple of large curries, rice, you can buy gluten free naan and could get some onion bhajis etc

Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean Fare, like:
Hummus
Tabouli
Lentil or The bean salad
Chick pea salad
Marinated Olives
Basic Crudités Platter
Falafel
Corn chips w/ fresh salsa and sour cream (unless it's strickly vegan, in which case....no dairy), guacamole
Baba ghanoush
Vegetable croquettes
Vegetable duplings, spring rolls or egg rolls
Stuffed mushrooms
Assorted roasted nuts
Beet salad
Grilled asparagus
Wilted greens or sauteed spinach
Vegetable maki rolls

BIWI I have to admit that pasty sounds easy (in theory ). I could probably not mess that up too much. Thanks.

If its a collective bring a dish affair you need to agree on a theme so all the food goes together.

Any of indian Mexican, Middle Eastern, Greek of tapas would work.

Something with pulses in sauce, something with potatoes, cheese or egg, leafy salad, dips and bread, with a gluten free version for those who need it.

That sounds brilliant- what quantities would you use?

Here's the original recipe - I make it with or without the bacon, depending on who I'm cooking for:

Bacon, Shallot and Gruyere Tart

serves 6

225g ground almonds
55g butter, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg white

for the filling:

25g butter and a splash of oil (this stops the butter burning)
100g smoked lardons (or diced smoked streaky bacon)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or use a garlic crusher)
150g shallots, thinly sliced (this will be 3-4 echalion shallots)
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks (the white from one of these is used in the base)
dried oregano
100g Gruyere cheese, grated
300ml double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/GM4

To make the pastry, mix the almonds, butter, egg white and salt until it forms a dough. This is easiest done in a food processor. Keep processing it until it starts to come together into a ball.

Press the dough with your hand/fingers into a 20cm flan tin or dish. Push the pastry up the sides of the tin as well. There is quite a lot of filling, so it's important to get the pastry as far up the sides as you can.

Prick the base of the flan all over and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until set and golden brown. (It's better if it's cooked longer, as it hardens up a little more - just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn)

While the dough is cooking, saute the shallots,garlic and lardons/bacon in the butter and oil, till soft. Season with salt and pepper and about a teaspoon of dried oregano. Leave to cool.

Next, whisk the eggs and yolks, and then gradually add whisk in the cream. Add black pepper and whisk again.

Tip the shallots and bacon into the flan case and add the cheese, then pour over the egg and cream mixture. (It's a good idea to put the flan tin onto a baking tray, as it is likely to be very full, and this makes it easier to get into the oven without spilling anything)

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and just set. Serve warm or cold.

Thanks BIWI. Wish me luck . Will be making this minus the bacon to fulfil the veggie brief.

Good luck!

BTW, I've found that this is better eaten the day after you've made it. It's lovely cold, but you can always warm it up again if you want to.