[mama_b]

My IL's are coming this weekend. I am not a vegetarian, but most of the food I cook at home is veggie because I hate touching raw meat. So I don't have much experience cooking with meat. My IL's are carnivores. What can I make that will be easy and will feed 7 people? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

 

[fek&fuzz]

Lasagna or eggplant parm are nice dishes and can be very filling and made without meat (can add cheese) and aren't "obviously" vegetarian. Plus both of those are easy to make for a lot of people, add a big salad and some crusty bread and you are all set.

 

[mama_b]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fek&fuzz Lasagna or eggplant parm are nice dishes and can be very filling and made without meat (can add cheese) and aren't "obviously" vegetarian. Plus both of those are easy to make for a lot of people, add a big salad and some crusty bread and you are all set.

Thanks for responding so quickly! Lasagna is a great idea! I will have to make it with meat though. They will not eat anything without meat. Meat must be included in every meal for them.

:

 

[fek&fuzz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mama_b Thanks for responding so quickly! Lasagna is a great idea! I will have to make it with meat though. They will not eat anything without meat. Meat must be included in every meal for them. :

I guess you can make the sauce with hamburg or ground turkey. Or just serve rolled up deli ham on the side.

 

[crunchyconmomma]

are you sure? my former IL's were hugely PRO-meat, but i just always made very hearty things and that was that. they would tease me and stuff, but they liked what i made. they are really meat and potatoes, typical american dinner folks - like fried chicken and mashed potatoes and an iceberg salad, so i never made "whacky veg things" like sprout salads or hummus on pitas!

but even carnovores will eat plain pizza when someone else bought it and they don't say, "boy that wasn't a meal!" so there may be something you could try.

i have served bakes (like lasagna or pasta bakes and a mexican-inspired rice bake, cuban black bean stew (lots of beans and POTATOES and this was my stand-by whenever we had non-veg company and EVERYONE liked it AND it's a crockpot dish, so no hot house when company is invading, and no last minute stress when in-laws are visiting), stir fries, and pizzas made at home, to name a few.

if you can't win, lasagna isn't bad because it doesn't require much touching of meat. or you could make something with either chicken tenders (like a casserole) because they are already cut pretty small and you can get by without further cutting depending on the recipe, or you could buy stew beef cubes that are already cut small and can be dumped right in. you could also do an "assemble your own taco buffet or tortilla/burrito/wrap" sort of thing, because again, ground beef requires no touching and then you can have no meat in yours. and it's fun and casual if they're that sort of people. and i don't know where you live, but if you have a good butcher shop nearby and can afford it, you could have them cut the meat you are using as you like. you could also grill steaks and have grilled veggies and maybe grilled sweet potatoes. those are GREAT on the grill and are so sweet that way that they don't even need butter or any toppings. i think, if your budget allows, though, and especially if your nuclear family will eat the meal and the meat, then get hormone and antibiotic-free and organic, open-grazed. oooo, or a top-your-own-mini-pizza party, with pepperoni, crumbled bacon and some chopped ham or crumbled sausage for the meaties.

it depends on a lot things. like what's most important to you, what you can tolerate to please the in-laws, what your budget is, stuff like that.

good luck mama!

 

[eirual]

I'm in the same boat, but in my house I don't cook meat. If they were visiting for a week I'd plan on getting DH to BBQ something a couple nights, but that'd be it.

If you're comfortable cooking meat in your kitchen then maybe a spagetti, and you could buy pre-cooked meatballs, and just divy-up the sauce before serving?? pair that with a ceasar salad maybe??

Kabobs and baked potatoes if you have a grill, then you could do a meat side and a veggie-protien side.

Perogies and omit the bacon (and sub in veg-friendly everything else)

ETA: How 'bout fajitas?

 

[KentuckyDoulaMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crunchyconmomma i have served cuban black bean stew (lots of beans and POTATOES and this was my stand-by whenever we had non-veg company and EVERYONE liked it AND it's a crockpot dish, so no hot house when company is invading, and no last minute stress when in-laws are visiting)

Crunchyconmomma,

Would you share the recipe for the cuban black bean stew? Pretty please?

 

[VikingKvinna]

Take out. Have the ILs buy.

 

[crunchyconmomma]

Cuban Black Bean Stew

Ingredients (use vegan versions if desired):

1 large onion (chopped. I have always used red)
1 large green bell pepper or maybe 2 medium for a big pot (chopped)
1-2 cups chopped tomatoes (I usually cheat and use 2 cans of diced, sometimes 3 for a big pot, but that's cuz i usually make this when they're not in season)
3 cloves garlic (minced or diced, however you prefer, and i usually add 2 or 3 more to make a BIG crockpot b/c we LOVE garlic)
olive oil (omit this if you're dumping everything into a crockpot - this is for stove top directions to saute)
1 small can tomato sauce, or a regular size can for a big pot
1 tablespoon Adobo (The original recipe says this is hot, so the stuff I found in the Spanish section of our grocery must not be what they meant because it's mostly just salty, but it's what I use - Adobo is the BRAND of stuff I have, not sure what recipe really means to use, and I think I use a little less than 1T b/c what I have is salty, but then again, we like it salty and the potatoes absorb saltiness)
1 tablespoon curry
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2-3 veggie bouillon cubes (but only if they are unsalted or low salt - you only make that mistake once! salted, I use only one and then dump in a little liquid veggie stock or some of the powdered bouillion that's unsalted)
4 tablespoon Menudo Mix (a mix of spices usually found near the Mexican food at the store) Alternative: 1 tablespoon celery seed, 1 tablespoon onion powder or flakes, 2 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 tablespoon chile powder (I do the alternative - can't find the stuff by that name around here.)
2 cans black beans but maybe 3 for a big crock (1 drained)
1 can water (i don't actually add this because I use some liquid veg stock instead
2-3 potatoes, more or less depending on size and amount of stew, (chopped)
lots of carrots (i usually use about 4-6 in the medium-large size range)

Recipe Directions:

1. Saute the onion(s), pepper(s), and garlic in olive oil until desired tenderness.

2. Add tomatoes and tomatoe sauce. Then cook on med-high for a few minutes.

3. Add all of the spices and boullion cubes.

4. Follow by adding the beans, water, potatoes, and carrots.

5. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft.
*original recipe says to serve over rice, but I never tried that*

MY CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS (I've never made it on the stove!)

1. Put all ingredients in a crockpot.
2. Cook on low all day.
3. Eat with cornbread! Best with cornbread crumbled in bottom of bowl with stew on top! (we're not vegan, so we can do this!)

Not the MOST nutritious/balanced meal b/c it's lots of starches and NO greens, save a pepper, but it's OH SO YUMMY!!!

 

[KentuckyDoulaMama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crunchyconmomma Cuban Black Bean Stew Ingredients (use vegan versions if desired): 1 large onion (chopped. I have always used red) 1 large green bell pepper or maybe 2 medium for a big pot (chopped) 1-2 cups chopped tomatoes (I usually cheat and use 2 cans of diced, sometimes 3 for a big pot, but that's cuz i usually make this when they're not in season) 3 cloves garlic (minced or diced, however you prefer, and i usually add 2 or 3 more to make a BIG crockpot b/c we LOVE garlic) olive oil (omit this if you're dumping everything into a crockpot - this is for stove top directions to saute) 1 small can tomato sauce, or a regular size can for a big pot 1 tablespoon Adobo (The original recipe says this is hot, so the stuff I found in the Spanish section of our grocery must not be what they meant because it's mostly just salty, but it's what I use - Adobo is the BRAND of stuff I have, not sure what recipe really means to use, and I think I use a little less than 1T b/c what I have is salty, but then again, we like it salty and the potatoes absorb saltiness) 1 tablespoon curry 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1/2 tablespoon black pepper 2-3 veggie bouillon cubes (but only if they are unsalted or low salt - you only make that mistake once! salted, I use only one and then dump in a little liquid veggie stock or some of the powdered bouillion that's unsalted) 4 tablespoon Menudo Mix (a mix of spices usually found near the Mexican food at the store) Alternative: 1 tablespoon celery seed, 1 tablespoon onion powder or flakes, 2 tablespoon oregano, 1/2 tablespoon chile powder (I do the alternative - can't find the stuff by that name around here.) 2 cans black beans but maybe 3 for a big crock (1 drained) 1 can water (i don't actually add this because I use some liquid veg stock instead 2-3 potatoes, more or less depending on size and amount of stew, (chopped) lots of carrots (i usually use about 4-6 in the medium-large size range) Recipe Directions: 1. Saute the onion(s), pepper(s), and garlic in olive oil until desired tenderness. 2. Add tomatoes and tomatoe sauce. Then cook on med-high for a few minutes. 3. Add all of the spices and boullion cubes. 4. Follow by adding the beans, water, potatoes, and carrots. 5. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are soft. *original recipe says to serve over rice, but I never tried that* MY CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS (I've never made it on the stove!) 1. Put all ingredients in a crockpot. 2. Cook on low all day. 3. Eat with cornbread! Best with cornbread crumbled in bottom of bowl with stew on top! (we're not vegan, so we can do this!) Not the MOST nutritious/balanced meal b/c it's lots of starches and NO greens, save a pepper, but it's OH SO YUMMY!!!

Thank you for typing that all out. I can't wait to try it!

 

[crunchyconmomma]

KYDoulaMama:
You're very welcome!

Let me know if you like it - I'm curious about your opinion. I didn't develop the recipe, so you don't have to fret hurting feelings if you think it's "blech!"