Super vegetarian salad recipe for Christmas Party Buffet

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

MN hive mind, could really do with picking your brains about some food please. We're hosting a big family Christmas party with a big tasty buffet. We have lots of lovely meat and fish options but am struggling on finding another good vegetarian side dish. We have potato salad and tomato salad but are looking for something else to add. We've done bulgar wheat with roasted veg before. Does anyone have any go to recipes please?

smittenkitchen.com/2010/10/spicy-squash-salad-with-lentils-and-goat-cheese/

this is lovely and could be made a bit more Christmassy with pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries.

I'd love to find something nutty and tangy in a buffet, maybe like a Thai peanut salad or riasted beetroot and chestnut (plenty of recipes for both online). Otherwise something with spicy chickpeas.

My favourite salad is Fattoush. This Anissa Helou recipe is the nicest one in my opinion: www.houseandgarden.co.uk/recipe/fattoush-salad-recipe but I would want something more substantial midwinter with the other ones you mention.

There's a lovely one with burrata cheese, roasted pecans and figs, honey and thyme on rocket. Is that any good?

Or goats cheese with artichoke hearts, roast peppers and shallots, tossed in giant couscous

Ottolenghi's rice and quinoa with orange zest, cranberries, apricots spring onions and pistachios is really popular with the veggies in our family.

Equally delicious cold:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/veggie-tahini-lentils

What about a red cabbage and apple coleslaw?

Winter slaw realfood.tesco.com/recipes/winter-slaw.html or Christmas slaw www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/890635/christmas-slaw
Chickpea salad www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/no-cook-chickpea-salad
I often do a quiche for a veggie side, or halloumi skewers

For Boxing Day etc. buffets I usually make a coleslaw type thing that invariably goes down well. Added advantage is that all the ingredients keep very well.

Roughly similar parts of all ingredients, except onion, , though rather more cabbage than the others.

White or red cabbage, finely shredded
Onion chopped fine
Carrots chopped small
Apple (don't peel) ditto
Celery ditto.

Mix together with just enough mayonnaise to hold it together - not swimming in it.

Goes very well with cold meat, jacket potatoes and macaroni pie - another favourite buffet staple that's always popular.

I dont knowing it's been mentioned but, nigellas christmas slaw is amazing. I made it last year for the first time and everyone loved it.

Ottolenghi's Jerusalem book has a great recipe for a spicy chickpea salad with crunchy radish, cucumber and tomato. It's delicious and quite fresh tasting

I make a lovely Jocelyn Dimbleby recipe - green pea salad with fresh ginger and olives. It's really easy, very unusual but totally delicious!

12 oz/350g frozen peas
2 oz/50g stuffed green olives, roughly chopped (I use olives stuffed with red pepper)
2 oz/50g candied peel
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 inch/2.5cm fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons/2 x 15ml spoons of lemon juice
7 tablespoons/7 x 15ml spoons of sunflower oil
1 heaped teaspoon/2 x 5m spoons of paprika
sprinkling of salt
bunch of fresh parsley or mint, finely chopped

Put all the ingredients, except the parsley/mint, into a saucepan.

Put over a medium heat, cover the pan and cook gently, stirring now and then, for 10 minutes

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley/mnt

Allow to become cold, then spoon into a bowl

(From Salads for All Seasons, published by Sainsbury's, 1981)

Tabbouleh would be nice with the dishes you mentioned

Ottolenghi roasted butternut squash and onion with tahini dressing
Or just anything Ottolenghi!!

Puy lentil, roasted parsnips, candied walnuts or peacans, rocket, radish with honey dressing.