Organic Vegan Menu Options
You don't have to be vegan to have a vegan wedding. In fact, in many cases, offering all vegan options means keeping your menu versatile. Almost anyone can eat vegan food: omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans themselves. Going meatless saves you from having to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions and makes organic and local food sourcing straightforward.
With no meat or dairy, your food will keep for much longer and won't spoil in the sun. Vegetable ingredients are cheaper, too. Going vegan doesn't mean sacrificing taste and certainly does not limit the creativity on the menu. Challenge yourself to incorporate as many different fruits, vegetables, and grains as possible. If you can find a vegan caterer, work with him to curate a four-star vegan menu that will have your meat-eating friends clamoring for more.
Tofu
Tofu is one of the most versatile foods on the planet. It takes on the tastes of the foods you cook with so it can complement any dish. If you fry tofu, it gets crispy and firm. If you bake it, tofu hardens and thickens, like pork. It's a healthy, low-fat protein made from fermented soy. Try fried tofu stuffed with Asian vegetables in Thai peanut sauce, or tofu with quinoa, couscous, and roasted vegetables. Just make sure your tofu is organic!
Great Grains
There are hundreds of hearty grains that complement any vegetable-based dish. Try quinoa, polenta, risotto, or potato galette (potato cake). If you have a favorite meat-based dish, substitute a grain for the meat. Check out the Sacramento Garden Pavillion's Roasted Vegetable and Polenta Lasagna. If you're looking for some grain-based appetizers, try tomato risotto cakes, tofu cheese-filled dates wrapped in crispy smoked Portobello bacon, stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanoush with pita bread, or falafel with tahini sauce.
Fabulous Fruits
When you think of fruits, dessert and breakfast may leap immediately to mind, but fruit works fantastically in rich savory dishes, too. Add some locally grown organic apples or strawberries to a classic spinach salad with walnuts. Serve baby greens with candied pecans, stone fruit, and balsamic vinegar. If you'd like a fresh fruity hors d'oeuvre, try delectable fruit skewers grilled to golden perfection.
A Sensational Salad
Salads are such versatile dishes. You can incorporate almost any fresh ingredient into a salad, which means you can focus on what's available. Try spiced green beans and walnuts with Dijon vinaigrette, vegetable maki and tempura rolls with crisp lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad with basil and thyme, or mesclun greens with sliced nectarines, jicama, pistachios and maple-sherry vinaigrette.
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