Dinner Party Menu...am i missing anything?

[fairygirl]

Hey guys,
so for tomorrow's dinner party, im trying to think of anything else i can make thats in "theme" - mexican - well cept for the appetizers.

Please let me know...i wanted to do ceviche but i dont have any young coconuts. Is there another way? Other ideas? thanks!

Here's what i have so far:

Apple/lime cocktail

Appys:
Alissa's Pesto stuffed Mushrooms
Crunchy Asian Sticks with dipping sauce

Main:
corn chips
chili chips
lettuce "wraps"
guacamole
salsa
sour cream
refried beans
ground beef
nacho cheeze
salad
carrot juice "shots"

Dessert:
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake with raspberry sauce

what am i forgetting? i feel like i need something else...

[Veganforlife]

I think you need all of us "regulars" on the forum to um, come over and help taste test this all?
Sounds wonderful! Take lots of photos!
*says wiping mouth as drool hits the keyboard* :eek:
:D

[carolg]

Fairy,
Sounds wonderful. I second that we come be tasters. One question: Ground beef? I would be very interested in this recipe. Can you please share. No competition from this side of the world. Enjoy the dinner, but remember us too!
carolg

[Bobbie]

the Chillie recipe http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1231&highlight=chilli That is one of the most popular recipes on this forum.

Cheezey tortillas I found on this forum somewhere would be nice to serve your refried beans in.

Soft Corn Tortillas by Pure Food and Wine http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/sarma/Soft-Corn-Tortillas/index.php
“We sometimes get large, skeptical men in the restaurant who may have been dragged in by a girlfriend or family member and who proudly insist ‘I’m a meat and potatoes guy!’ For them, I always recommend this particular dish. It’s very filling and hearty. Then I smile graciously as the same guys later inevitably tell me something like, ‘I thought I was going to have to go for a burger after this, but I’m really full!’ I’ve had so many variations of this conversation, and it’s always the tortillas that get the best response from the self-proclaimed ‘carnivores.”

White Corn Tamales by Pure Food and Wine http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/sarma/White-Corn-Tamales/index.php
The tamales get rave reviews, I haven't tried them yet. Here's what other people have said:
"The food is incredible and impressive! By the way, I'm a devout carnivore, ok? I had the white corn tamales with cacao mole. It was SLAMMING! People, I would come back whether on a raw diet or not."
"For my main course I ordered the white corn tamales (I love tamales) with the raw cacao mole -- these were absolutely incredible. I found myself scraping the inside of the corn husks for every last morsel."
"Sushi and tamales are amazing (in fact, tamales and lasagna I think are the best mains on the menu at present), desert was fine."


I don't have a recipe but maybe you could invent Spicy Mexican Bean Burgers, I used to buy these when I was cooked vegetarian and they were my favourite food.

[Bobbie]

btw a traditional mexican meal, called a comida, is 5 courses -

soup
rice or pasta with vegetables
meat (usually with mole sauce on special occasions) with tortillas
beans
dessert

[Bobbie]

"The comida, more than any other meal, is still structured much as it was during the time of the Spanish colonials, and hasn't changed much even in the last hundred years. It starts off with a soup course, called the sopa aguada, which may be anything from a clear broth to a rich cream soup. This is followed by the sopa seca, which is either a rice or pasta dish. Although rice would normally be served with the main course in many other countries, Mexican tradition dictates that it be served separately. Next comes the main course, which may be a meat or chicken guisado - stew - or mole, meatballs in sauce, pork loin in adobo, chiles rellenos, or any of countless other regional specialties. The main course is followed by beans, for those who still have room for them, and many do.
Dessert is most frequently a lighter affair than the cakes and pastries that serve as between-meal treats. Often it consists of flan, gelatin, or fruit in syrup. Pitchers of fresh fruit drinks, aguas frescas, traditionally accompany the comida. A fresh, homemade fruit agua, such as jamaica or tamarindo, is a wonderful accompaniment to the many flavors found in the comida."

[Bobbie]

Oh! and nachos -

Nachos in their simplest form are usually tortilla chips covered in melted cheese. Common additional toppings include:

Ground beef or chicken
Jalapeño pepper slices
Refried beans
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour cream

there's a recipe in Juliano's book, Raw.

[trinity082482]

Sounds delicious.

What are Crunchy Asian Sticks?

[Raw Jewelrylady]

Fairygirl...One more thing...After all that work...RELAX & enjoy your party!!!

Yayyyyy....so happy for you ! ;)

The menu looks fab & sounds delish. I know it will be a hit!

Lana

[Sharon in Colorado]

I have made ceviche using jicama.

[Conscious Midwife]

Tomatilla Salsa f. Papaya

1 Small Red Onions -- diced fine
1 Small Papaya -- cubed
1/2 pound Tomatillos -- cubed
1/2-1 whole Jalapenos -- minced
1 tablespoon Fresh Cilantro -- chopped
1 tablespoon Agave or Honey
2 fluid ounces Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix all together and serve chilled

Mexican Corn salad

4 Ears of Corn-- remove kernals from ears
Red Bell Peppers- DICE
Green Bell Pepper--chop
Yellow Bell Pepper-- length wise slivers
Orange Bell Pepper-- Length wise slivers

Mix

Cilantro fresh or dried, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, 1Tbsp cumin mixed with EVOO and drizzled over the Mix above

[fairygirl]

Wow, thanks guys! you are such a big help. i wish now that i had asked earlier than the day before the dinner! I dont have the time to make anything that needs dehydrating at this point...but im keeping those ideas in mind for another time.

Bobbie, whoa, thanks for all the info!!!!

Carolg- the beef recipe is from alissa's book - by Chad Sarno.
It has tones of carrot pulp (well in this case i had to make 12 cups of it!) , sundried tomatoes that are pureed, red onion, olive oil, and lots of mexican spices.
This was my first time making it and honestly, i wish i had gone with the walnut style ground beef instead. Its tasty but doesnt resemble gr beef.

Im gonna go look at the chili recipe...

[Veganforlife]

OKAY! So we still have time to come over and taste? Gosh. Hmmm, how long from Maryland to Canada...?...as the crow flies...?....just maybe...?
*running out the door, trying to hop on the crow's wings*
We'll be thinking of you and anxiously (drooling) waiting for photos.

[fairygirl]

Trinity,

the asian crunch sticks are something that came up with as an experiement and decided to use them for the party since they turned out so well, IMO.
They are basically a nut stick with an asian influence, and one end is dipped in a crunchy/spicy cilanto coating. I will serve with a sesame/lime/ginger dipping sauce.


Lana, thanks! Last time i threw a dinner this size, i didnt eat, instead i was running around serving my friends! Now i plan sitting and enjoying :)


Wish you could all be here to join me!

[fairygirl]

Veganforlife,

LoL, you are so funny. Hey where in MD do you live? I used to live in Bethesda.

Yeah, hurry up and get over here already! You can help me with the rest of the prep :D

[fuzzywater]

Hey Fairygirl, the menu sounds delicious!! Dare we hope that all these recipes will be coming out in your highly anticipated ebook?

[eatyourbroccoli]

fairygirl..all looks great to me! bethesda, eh? never happened to play soccer, did u? bethesda had a great soccer club..one of the best in the nation. used to always have to play them at nationals.

[Veganforlife]

Northern Maryland, close to the Pennsylvania line.

[Bobbie]

Oh I forgot to mention Alissa's enchiladas, but there's a thread on this forum where someone said they were terrible, oh well.
Oh I've just checked and it was your thread, doh, sorry.
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24805&highlight=tortillas

Also tacos and burritos.

See if I can remember this correctly -

tacos are made from small corn tortillas the size of cds, they're either served flat with filling on top or they're folded over.
burritos are made from wheatflour tortillas which are larger. They're rolled up.
enchiladas are corn tortillas fried and then dipped in enchilada sauce. Then they are filled, rolled up, and layered with sauce and other things like cheese and chopped onions.
Fajitas - grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla with condiments.

Also Pico de gallo which is a salsa which is less liquid than other salsas so better for using to fill tacos etc.

[Bobbie]

A while ago, Doe said:

"I take the better than beef recipe posted here in the recipes area, (with less or no chili powder,) form it into patties, dehydrate and freeze until needed. Then place the number of patties needed in blended tomato juice to rehydrate. To my daughter and I this tasted just like corned beef. Made with the chili powder it reminds us of taco meat. Couldn't find the original "better than beef" post. The search engine will only look for beef and there are too many posts with that word to go through. So I'm posting it from my hard drive. It did come from here. I believe Alissa also has it in her book. I do not use the miso.


Better Than Beef

By Matt Samuelson

Serves 8-10
4 cups pulp from your juicer of carrot, parsnip and/or celery root
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked one hour or more and pureed in a blender
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3-1/2 red onion, finely minced
3 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
¼ tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
1 Tbsp. unpasteurized dark miso paste
Using your hands, mix all ingredients together well in a large bowl. Let sit for an hour or more for flavors to meld.

Best served just after warming in the dehydrator at 105 degrees.

I posted the recipe the way it was created. I never make a recipe exactly so. Mine is carrot/celery and or carrot/spinach or maybe carrot/cucumber pulp. I have never used miso, usually use RP's marinated mushroom sauce. Have made it with half the oil. It honestly tastes better to me with a good amount oil maybe not 1/3 cup though. It has to sit to develop a good flavor. So what we eat without dehydrating has usually sat for hours at least."

Thanks Doe!

[Bobbie]

Jen posted this:

Taco Meat (no specific measurements)

Soaked walnuts
chili powder
cumin
nama shoya
sea salt
water if needed to move in processor

I dice up jicama for rice, mix with the meat and add some diced sundried tomato and stuff in a bell pepper or cabbage leaf. No dehydrating needed unless you want to.

[Bobbie]

There's a taco recipe here: http://www.rawguru.com/recipe15.html
The tortillas don't contain contain so they should really be used for burritos or fajitas.

[Bobbie]

Mexican Rice http://www.rawguru.com/recipe17.html

[Bobbie]

Dara said:

"Actually I do not like cooked enchiladas but I LOVE Alissa's raw enchiladas. I have served them to my non raw friends who were very skeptical about eating a raw meal and they all loved them too. One of my friends wasn't even going to eat but after seeing how much everyone else was enjoying the food got a small piece of the enchilada. She loved it and when back for more- much more! She asks me all the time when I am going to invite her over again for enchiladas. I do not put broccoli in it. The first time I did but have left it out everytime since. I really like broccoli but I just don't like it in the enchiladas.

The first time I made the corn chips they were ineatable (spelling?). They were thick and chewy. I had followed the recipe exactly. So the next time decided to use the Corn Tortillas recipe instead of the Corn Chip recipe. I did use fresh corn instead of frozen corn and I spread it paper thin. One batch will covers two teflex sheets. And it will take at least 24 hours to get them very crispy so you don't hurt yourself eating them. I do put orange juice in them like the recipe says but I have been planning to replace the orange juice with lime juice or maybe 1/2 lime juice and 1/2 water. You do need to keep the ground flax seeds in the recipe. It is a binder. My friends prefer my corn chips to store bought. They can't believe they are not cooked."

[Bobbie]

Nachos http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10383&highlight=tortillas

[Bobbie]

from Jan:

"I just found this recipe, but I haven't tried it yet. It sounds just right for your spicy dish.

3 ripe avocados
1 lg. onion
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped
2-3 chopped jalapenos
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
romaine or leaf lettuce

Cut the avocado into chunks, and pour lemon juice over it. Chop onion in food processor, then add the rest of the ingredients and process untill smooth and creamy.
Spoon some of the mixture into a lettuce leaf and wrap around mixture. I promise, this tastes like a taco!
You can add more or less of the jalapenos if you wish, the dish is quite spicy, but VERY good!
Enjoy"

[Bobbie]

from Raw Jewelrylady:

"Well, I figured out a chile conqueso dip recipe. You will need Alissa's book. (I am not going to give out her recipes as it is against my principles & the rules of the forum.) If you don't have her book/dvd I would highly suggest ordering.

Make a batch of Alissa's sour cream-I did not have any miso-used Braggs & less water.

1 cup of Alissa's Nacho cheese recipe- Mine were dehydrated & in the freezer. I would use only dehydrated cheese for texture reasons. (Maybe the frozen cheese makes for an even better texture..not sure)



Blend well in food processor then add :

1/2 lg jalepeno (I may have used a serrano as my peppers got mixed up.)
1 Red Fresno Pepper (found mine at walmart)-
1/2 onion
4-5 tbsp. olive oil- or enough to make the dip smooth.

This is a very rich recipe...but if you are craving some conqueso, I think it is the "bomb."

We think it is really good & spicy...but we like spicy so you could cut back on the peppers.... enjoy."

There's a picture here: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10170

[Bobbie]

I finally found the tortillas I made from this forum. They were really nice - soft and bendy and bready although not cheezey. When they were halfway through dehydrating (still wet) I thought they tasted like scrambled eggs but other people said they didn't. They were posted by Raw Truth:

"Here is an unusual, really delicious tortilla (orginally from krosto@4Vibrance.com).

At first glance, it seems to contain a lot of ingredients, but, really, the last six are seasoning. It's quite easy. I hope you like it.

"Cheesy Tortilla Rolls

1/2 C. flaxseeds,soaked
3 C. corn kernels
1/2 C. cilantro, chopped
1/2 C. orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 T. Celtic sea salt
1 tsp. habanero chili, chopped
1 tsp. ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced (optional)
1 tsp. cumin, ground
1 tsp. lime, juice and pulp

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Spoon onto unbleached wax or parchment paper and form 3 - 6 inch cirlces. Make them approximately 1/4 inch thick to firmly hold veggies. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for about five hours or until they assume a chewy texture. Do not dry until brittle, unless you desire to make them into chips. You can also cut into strips for "cheese"."

[Bobbie]

I knew there was a recipe on this forum I'd forgotten:
these fajitas were really really popular (talked about on lots of other threads as well as their own)
I haven't tried them - I can't afford raw cashews

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18501&highlight=fajitas

[Bobbie]

Another thread about Alissa's enchiladas with a pic

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10599&highlight=tostadas

[Sunshine9]

Your menu looks delicious!

The only suggestion I would make is perhaps instead of making two kinds of chips, make a soft corn tortilla, so that it feels like more of a meal than just snacks.

I think the pesto stuff mushrooms seem slightly out of place since the rest is mexican and those are more italian flavored. Perhaps serve fresh mango and strawberries with lime. The carrot juice might be a bit too much also. Were you planning to serve any sort of salad?

One of my favorite things to make was a "taco salad" with greens, then put the refried beans, salad, guac, sour cream, all on top of the salad and eat it with chips.

Enjoy your dinner party!! I've seen your photos and clearly everything will be perfect and your guests will be blown away.

[light&happy]

two desserts might be nice. a really easy 5 minute dessert is the walnut fudge in alyssa's book. i add a bit of all-natural butterscotch flavoring and call it blonde butterscotch fudge. everyone, sad people included love it!

[fairygirl]

Thanks guys for all the ideas. Of course i waited too late to post my thread , so was unable to take action on most of the ideas, however I will use them for the next mexican dinner.

Sunshine - lol, i know the mushrooms are totally out of place. they were a request tho, so i made them as an appy, completely separate from the main so it was fine.

Bobbie - ure great! thanks for taking so much time to post the links and ideas. i appreciate it!

[Veganforlife]

fairygirl - hello? Um, where are the fotos?
*sitting up all night waiting*

Not really... :p

[fairygirl]

Yippee...the party was a total success. Everyone raved about the food and wanted the recipes. I made so much food! People had 2 plates of food each and there are STILL lots of leftovers so im taking some to friends today and then we'll be eating this for the next week, lol.

ill post pics later today when i have time.

sunshine - thanks for the lovely compliment

light&happy - i love the blonde butterscotch fudge idea! thanks for sharing!

[fairygirl]

haha Veganforlife - you are cute...im going to do yoga and some other things but promise to post them by the end of the day. Im esp proud of my new dessert creation :D
ciao!!

[Raw Jewelrylady]

from Raw Jewelrylady:

"Well, I figured out a chile conqueso dip recipe. You will need Alissa's book. (I am not going to give out her recipes as it is against my principles & the rules of the forum.) If you don't have her book/dvd I would highly suggest ordering.

Make a batch of Alissa's sour cream-I did not have any miso-used Braggs & less water.

1 cup of Alissa's Nacho cheese recipe- Mine were dehydrated & in the freezer. I would use only dehydrated cheese for texture reasons. (Maybe the frozen cheese makes for an even better texture..not sure)



Blend well in food processor then add :

1/2 lg jalepeno (I may have used a serrano as my peppers got mixed up.)
1 Red Fresno Pepper (found mine at walmart)-
1/2 onion
4-5 tbsp. olive oil- or enough to make the dip smooth.

This is a very rich recipe...but if you are craving some conqueso, I think it is the "bomb."

We think it is really good & spicy...but we like spicy so you could cut back on the peppers.... enjoy."

There's a picture here: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10170

Hi Bobbie- I actuallly revised my chili conqueso recipe..& it is EVEN better. Here is the new link..with a photo. I just wanted to post it so folks would make the better version. Thanks,

Lana

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php? t=24146&highlight=chili+conqueso

Fairygirl-I'm glad your party was a HUGE success & you actually ate & enjoyed yourself.

Lana

[Bobbie]

Hi
Thanks for telling us but that link doesn't work :(

[Bobbie]

I knew there was another, simpler, tamales recipe but I couldn't find it. Finally found it:
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/2005/04/raw_tamales.html#more

[Bobbie]

There's also another, simpler chilli recipe but it doesn't look like the normal cooked chilli.
Probably more authentic to Mexican cuisine though.

Raw Chili

http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/images/rawchilibyjoel.jpg

by Chef Joel Odhner of Rawlifeline.com*

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes
1 cup each red and yellow peppers diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup celery diced
tbl chili powder
1/2 tbl cumin
Sea Salt to taste
2 cups purified water
Directions
Place water, tomatoes, spices in a blender and blend until smooth. Add peppers, onion, celery mix and enjoy.

[fairygirl]

OMG yummm, that chili looks divine!
love the bright colours!

thanks bobbie!

[Bobbie]

OMG yummm, that chili looks divine!
love the bright colours!

thanks bobbie!

Thats what my mum said. :p

[Bobbie]

Oh and Chilli Relenos!

There's one in Alissa's Book
and I found this one on the internet:

CHILI RELLENOS by Robert Yarosh and Lisa Soto

(requires a dehydrator)

For the Paté:
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, soaked
1/2 c. almonds, soaked
1/2 c. walnuts, soaked
1/2 c. chopped red peppers
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 T Mexican seasoning
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1 T. yellow miso
6 to 8 Hatch chili peppers

For the Cheese:
1 tsp. yellow miso
1 tsp. tahini

For the Salsa:
3 tomatoes, diced
2 mangos, diced
2 avocados, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup papaya, diced
1/4 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic [pressed I guess]
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp. Celtic sea salt
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. chili powder

Directions:

Combine the pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, red peppers, onion, Mexican seasoning, cilantro, garlic, sea salt and yellow miso in the paté ingredients list in a food processor and blend to a chunky paté.

Stuff the chili peppers with the paté. Place the chilis in your dehydrator at 115 degress Fahrenheit for 2 hours.

To make the cheese, combine the yellow miso with 1 tsp. tahini and 2 tsp. water in a bowl and mix well.

Mix together all the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Top the warm rellenos with the salsa and cheese. Enjoy!