to ask for recipes?

[alwaysrubbishatnicknames]

It's DP's birthday today, so I've said I'll cook something nice; then we're off to the cinema with some friends.

DB is babysitting, so I suggested that he should come for birthday tea first. And I invited our friends for food as well.

Aside from the fact that I've realised that we don't actually have enough chairs / table for everyone to sit down, I'm struggling to think what to cook.

Our friend is gluten & lactose intolerant, so I was planning roast chicken wrapped in bacon, roast spuds etc. But i've just remembered that DB is (as of two weeks ago) vegetarian...

So it's 3pm, I finish work in an hour & I need to go shopping & get something a bit special on the table by 6.30, so that we've got time to put the kids to bed before going to the cinema.

AIBU to ask for your help?

Do your chicken maybe lemon chicken and a big dish of roast veggies and couscous/ roast potato

canyou was hoping to do something that DB can eat too, so that he doesn't just eat "sides"

Takeaway.

loads of recipes here www.bbcgoodfood.com/ and you can select for special diets. You could print them off at work and take them with you to the shops. You can even select prep/coking time and "easiness".

We are having roast veg and cous cous as dinner to night no meat so that was where the suggestion came from tbh the meat would be a side dish for me as we are not huge meat eater
Risotto, pasta bake, bean and lentil stew,
Soup and bread with a cheese board, baked potato with toppings and green salad

Deemented I thought that, but I did say I'd cook something nice & don't want to disappoint - we're a bit skint so I haven't been able to get much present-wise, so this was sort of part of the present.

happycamel not much use on this occasion - 7 deserts, 4 side dishes & 1 main (& what is Quinoa anyway...?)

ooh once I had to cook a vegetarian meal PLUS cater for someone who wasn't veggie but didn't eat potatoes or cheese!!

Mexican food works well here - taco shells (or those baskets)with a spicy veggie bean filling and/or meat/chicken option, with platter/bowls of lettuce, tomato, avocado, spring onions, salsa, sour cream, grated cheese or feta, olives etc so everyone can build their own bespoke to suit taste & tolerances. You can do some spicy rice and salad to accompany too. Quite a fun & social way to eat.

you can use tinned beans and by packets of pre-blended Mexican spices if you like to speed things up. You could use chopped avocado or buy pre made guacamole.

For spicy rice, fry dry rice in oil in frying pan on medium heat until lightly browned, add hot veggie stock & chilli sauce to taste & cook until al dente.

Chopped corriander nice in accompanying salad.

As you haven't got much time, I would be tempted to do the roast for everyone else... and buy something already done for the veggie option (nice nut roast kind of thing). I wouldn't be giving yourself the stress of trying to cook something new under pressure... whenever I do this the stress isn't worth it.

What does DP fancy anyway as it is his birthday? Maybe that gives you the answer.

altinkum no, he doesn't eat fish (of course this may have changed by this evening...)

canyou thanks for suggestions. We're bean stewed out at the mo (sunday lunch / monday leftovers - should have saved that recipe...), pasta bake / bread & cheese are out (gluten & lactose intolerant friend).

Risotto a possibility though - any ideas on what to put in it (mine is usually smoked haddock - no use tonight...)

Finding good idea - should be able to throw that together fairly quickly

lucy - her birthday; and food's not really her thing - "oh, I don't know - anything" is the usual response...

Vegetarian Risotto Recipe
Ingredients: 1 cup risotto rice, 2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock, 1 tsp. chopped garlic, 1 small onion, chopped, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tbsp. chopped parsley, 1 cup button mushrooms, quartered, 1/2 cup snow peas, 1/2 cup broccoli florettes, 1 red pepper, diced, 3 oz. dry white wine, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp. truffle oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: In a large skillet heat the butter and olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add the vegetables and saute for 5 minutes more. Deglaze with the white wine. Boil the rice until half-cooked, rinse it and add it to the vegetables in the skillet. Add the hot stock and cook stirring until the stock is absorbed. Add the truffle oil, parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, and season to taste with pepper and salt if needed.

Leave out the parmesan or just put on the table so they can serve themselves and change veg to what you have

yes it's quick, easy, spicy, tasty & flexiable

I am vegetarian and the risotto recipe sounds delicious.
Is rice gluten free though? That may just be the most stupid question I have ever asked, not sure!
All these funny eaters making lives hard!

canyou veggie risotto wins out, I think!

Finding - I've changed my mind - if we any more beans this week we won't be allowed into the cinema...

propercrimbo - according to the power of google; yes, as long as it's not "enhanced" rice (no, I don't know either...).

I don't mind gluten/lactose diet, it's DB being vegetarian that's a pain: he's done this once before & it lasted right up until we went to the pub & he had a burger... Of course, I'm not going to complain as he's driving half an hour to babysit for us...

if we eat any more beans...

Ahhhh enhanced rice... yes, the stuff that has been injected with funny stuff and sent packing to the gym to bulk up the gluten content! I see...