Omnivore / Starch-a-vore Dinner Advice

[REWohsnus]

Hi! I'm having some folks over for dinner. I'm going to make chili, have salad and fruit salad and chips made from corn tortillas.
I've decided to have chili, cornbread, salad and fruit salad for dessert. I'm now looking for:

* cornbread recipes (easy)
* salad dressing recipes
* chili toppings I might have on the side

I was also thinking of having cornbread instead of or with the corn tortillas. So, my questions:

1) Would you add the have cornbread with and/or instead of corn tortilla chips? If you say yes, do you have a corn bread recipe?

2) Do I need something else on the menu to satisfy everyone?

3) I need a easy "go to" salad dressing recipe that omnivore's will enjoy.

3) For snacks .... I'm rather stumped here ... I don't eat snacks .... I suppose I could have a vege spread with veges???? Any ideas here?

4) Any ideas for satisfying easy dessert that omnivores might love.

This year my goal to have things people would probably enjoy and I want to eat ... and I want to make. I tend to make the EASY stuff otherwise I pretty much skip it.

I appreciate any and all advice!

[MINNIE]

Actually, I think your menu of chili with salad, fruit salad and corn chips sounds great the way it is. Maybe you shouldn't over-think this:).

I think the main thing is to make those items look as appealing as possible, which is easy since they are colorful by nature. A nice presentation will show your guests that your kind of food isn't dismal and bland.

The next thing is to have a big quantity available, so they will fill up on the good stuff. If they eat a lot of chili, with the salads and chips, they may not even care about dessert.

But If you really feel the need, you could present a simple dessert. (I can't help you with that, because I'm not into desserts, but you could search the McDougall newsletter archives for recipes).

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/educ ... r-recipes/

[PeripateticDanielle]

For Mexican meals, I love making a coleslaw with the following dressing:

A hefty squirt of sriracha sauce
About 2/3 of that amount of liquid sweetener (agave or maple syrup)
About twice to three times the sriracha amount of rice vinegar

This dressing comes out really acidic, so if you are not like me and don't love acidic things, perhaps tone down the vinegar. The salad dressing is a great color, and it is super tasty. The salad is great as a topping on tacos or rice bowls, served as a side or topping to chili, or with anything else you can think of.

[greentea]

Your plans sound great! That's often what my friends make for us when we dine together. I like the idea of having cornbread with the meal. You could still have the corn tortilla chips, maybe as an appetizer with fancy salsa (pineapple or mango?).
Fruit salad sounds great for dessert. Are you looking for MWL recipes? If not, you could do something a little more decadent like this rich chocolate mousse. https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/dec/recipes.htm , actually I like this one better http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/ra ... fu-pudding
Or, if you have a high speed blender or food processor, you could make frozen banana ice cream.

[REWohsnus]

Thank you all for your validation, suggestions and ideas! It is helpful - I don't cook a lot and feel a little hesitant on this. I've decided to simply go with what I suggested: chili, cornbread, salad and fruit salad. A friend is bringing dessert. And, I will use your idea, greentea, to have the corn tortillas, baked and broken up with fancy salsa! (great idea)

Anyone have

* a go to cornbread recipe that I might be able to use?
* a salad dressing receipe most folks like?

[hope101]

Your menu sounds delicious.

I haven't made it, but here's Lindsay of the Happy Herbivore making her classic cornbread: https://happyherbivore.com/2014/01/cook ... ornbdread/

Here is a blog post with a good number of famous dressings in the plant-based world. http://veganamericanprincess.com/10-sim ... dressings/ While I haven't tried them all, I can vouch for Mary McDougall's Oriental Salad Dressing. It's one of the crowd favorites at the live-in program, too.

Enjoy your party!

[REWohsnus]

Thank you Hope101! Great suggestions!

[SweetPea]

Chili & pasta are my favorite starchy dinners for omni guests.

For cornbread, we've had great luck with packaged mixes (like Bob's Red Mill). Almost all are oil-free and I just add applesauce and a bit of water (to replace any oil/eggs/dairy). You can also add some fresh/frozen corn for added texture.

I enjoy having both corn chips and cornbread with chili, but if I had to pick, chips are more filling and have great texture (and taste). We slice tortillas into 1/8ths and bake for about 12 minutes at around 425. (Oops, I just noticed that the chips will go with salsa ~ sounds delicious!)

Fruit has always been a big hit for snacking, as are veggies and hummus. I've yet to personally make any hummus that's any good, but Whole Foods has a great low-fat one that's just beans, lemon powder, salt, and garlic.