Sandwich buffet side dish ideas?

[amnesiac]

I'm going to a holiday event where the main course will be a buffet of cold sandwich fixings. Desserts are covered as are chips & dips. I'm trying to think of a side dish I could take that would go with this lunch theme & that would be a lighter alternative to typical sandwich side dishes. We considered baked sweet potato fries since that's something we might eat at home but I figured it would be a soggy mess by the time we got there & served. Any healthy side dish ideas that would be enticing for mainsream palates?

[mommy212]

fruit salad

homemade potato salad

baked beans

bean salad

raw veggies with dip

fruit with dip

[cristeen]

I would probably do a slaw of some sort.  Most likely something unusual like apple and celery slaw or a fennel slaw, but even a cabbage slaw would work.  Something with a vinaigrette instead of the "traditional" mayo based dressing, which is a bit heavy for me (and which DH hates).  This is the season for cabbage, after all. 

When I do a cabbage slaw, I finely shred the cabbage, then finely chop a bunch of cilantro, run some onion, garlic and jalapeno through the food processor until it's itty bitty, maybe julienne some carrot or red pepper for color.  Then whip up a basic dijon vinaigrette.  Salt and pepper.  Let it sit at least an hour before serving.  Flavor from the dijon, cilantro and onion, color from the carrot, spice from the jalapeno, and lots lighter than most slaws.  Always a big hit. 

If I knew the crowd that was going to be there, I might do a beet salad, but that doesn't work all that well with lots of kids (since beets stain), and is iffy with strange crowds (since beets are a love/hate thing). 

You could even take a pot of soup, if your hosts can accommodate serving that (call and ask).  Hot soup and plenty of sandwiches is nice and filling.  I'd pick something that could be drunk out of a cup rather than needing a bowl and spoon though. 

[mumkimum]

Pickles 

Olives

Marinated veg(artichokes, etc)

deviled eggs