A Magnificent Vegan Entrée For Your Wedding Feast

Vegan food doesn’t have to be bland, tasteless fare. By choosing the right recipes and dishes, you can create a magnificent vegan entrée that will please the palates of everyone at your reception, from the most confirmed carnivore to the pickiest eater amongst your friends and family. You have to be creative, of course, but you can craft wonderfully delicious vegan entrees that don’t use mock meats, or rely too much on tofu-based meat substitutes. When you’re envisioning what to feed your guests, think outside of the box. Don’t be afraid to base your entrée on grains, legumes, tubers like yams and sweet potatoes, leafy greens, root vegetables or nuts.

Here’s a recipe for a hearty vegan entrée that played well at a recent vegan wedding reception I heard about.

Vegan Fall Squash and Herb Risotto
6 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon: each of finely diced garlic, onion and shallots
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups risotto rice/arborrio
1 1/2 cups small diced acorn or butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons vegan margarine
Salt and pepper

PREPARATION: In a saucepan bring broth to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer. In another saucepan sauté the garlic, onion, and shallots in the olive oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Stir in rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the squash and brown.

Then, add the stock in 2-cup increments, stirring constantly, and keeping at a simmer throughout, until cooked al dente, but still tender and creamy-looking. This should take about 15 minutes. Do not cook it until, dry. Add more stock if needed. Fold in the herbs and margarine, making a creamy sauce. Season the dish with salt and pepper. The recipe presented here makes approximately 6 servings, so if you’re feeding a large group, scale it up appropriately depending on the number of people that you have to feed. If the crowd you’re feeding includes a great many carnivorous types, then you might want to start your wedding reception dinner off with something like soy meatballs in sweet and sour sauce, or teriyaki tempeh strips grilled on skewers so they’ll feel like they’re getting a hearty meal. Be sure to provide lots of tempting finger foods, bowls of salted nuts or dry roasted soybeans. Not everyone is used to eating a vegan diet and even a nutritious entrée like the one I’ve described above will leave them feeling full at the end of the meal. As always, be conscious of the needs and comfort of your guests and do your best to accommodate them. Bon Appetit!