Hello all,

I'm going to a casual dinner party on Saturday and need to bring a dish. There are only 6 of us going, broken down as follows:

Me-- on WW
1 couple--also on WW
1 couple--not dieting
The hostess--Vegetarian

The couple that is not dieting is bringing a broccoli/cheese casserole, the hostess is making a full-fat dessert and small appetizer, the other WW couple is thinking about bringing pizza (not personally a fan of that one), and I'm at a loss as to what I could bring to complement the meal.

Suggestions?

(Posting in a couple forums)

That's a great idea, except I know that everyone going to the dinner is very picky about their salads. The vegetarian won't eat tomatoes, someone else refuses to have fruit in their salads, another won't have nuts in their salad, and then everyone either prefers iceberg or leafy greens, and one won't eat the other. We have had plenty of "That shouldn't be in a salad" conversations.

Any other thoughts?

Hello all,

I'm going to a casual dinner party on Saturday and need to bring a dish. There are only 6 of us going, broken down as follows:

Me-- on WW
1 couple--also on WW
1 couple--not dieting
The hostess--Vegetarian

The couple that is not dieting is bringing a broccoli/cheese casserole, the hostess is making a full-fat dessert and small appetizer, the other WW couple is thinking about bringing pizza (not personally a fan of that one), and I'm at a loss as to what I could bring to complement the meal.

Suggestions?

(Posting in a couple forums)

I would bring a nice salad. It compliments everything.

That's exactly what I was going to say.

Really, you can never go wrong with a salad. Whenever I bring one even folks who are "not on a diet" eat it up.

There's tons of interesting things you can put in a salad, Since some of those other choices don't sound so health-ful, I'd make a really big one loaded with lots of different things - romaine hearts, baby spinach, red onions, diced mango, grape tomatoes, colorful diced bell peppers, cucumbers, chickpeas, chopped walnuts or slivered almonds. The list is endless. You can without a doubt fill up on that alone.

Make what YOU can eat. They dont seem to care that you are dieting so why should you care what they dont want in their salad?

Well, if you do go with salad, you could mix the greens and anything else that you know will go over with everyone. Put the other things in separate bowls and let folks do a salad bar thing.

I did a similar things for a christmas potluck. I made a salad bar for people to make their own salads and it was actually a big hit! I had cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries along with a couple dressings.

Yeah guys I appreciate the salad idea but it's just not going to fly with this company. Like I said 3 out of 6 of us are doing WW but the other 2 are picky on their salads, and so is the hostess. Really the couple without any dietary restrictions is going to be the easiest to cater to. I don't want to be rude company and bring something I already know no one will eat just because I'm trying to bring a healthy option. I know there are other healthy options besides salads and was hoping someone else could give a suggestion of what's worked for them in a similar situation.

If it helps we're also a group of young 20-somethings. Even the other diet-conscious aren't eating the healthiest foods as part of WW, they tend to fall back on things like mac and cheese, pizza, and other "Italian" foods as part of their "healthy" eating.

I would do the salad bar as suggested or make a fresh fruit bowl, And the picky people will just have to fend for themselves. They can't expect the whole world to cater to their whims.

As a guest at a dinner party for 6 picky eaters, I am not going to be rude to the hostess or the other couples who are putting in the money and effort to put together casseroles or make pizzas or desserts by bringing a dish (salad) that I already know no one will eat. While the world does not cater to their tastes, I certainly can be polite and bring a dish that caters to more than just my dietary wants/needs.

Salad is out.

If anyone has any other suggestions I am happy to hear them. Thank you for the suggestions so far.

Do they like bean salads?

This mango, black bean and quinoa salad is really good. I've made it for potlucks before.

I think since everyone else seems to be making something heavy, something light would be good to bring.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Quinoa-Sal...d-Mango-319562

I'm very confused. You know for sure that salad wouldn't go over well?

There ARE different types of salads, it doesn't just have to be iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. - I make a phenomenal red cabbage, shredded carrots, toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds, golden raisins salad. I've also made a great couscous salad, a barley salad and a brown rice salad.


I for one would never, ever bring something that goes against my *principles*. And I honestly don't believe it's a matter of forcing my tastes down their throats. Even people that normally don't eat salads, whenever I serve it (or bring it) it goes so quickly. I think most people would probably eat more salads, but they're just too lazy to make it, so when it's made available to them, they scarf it down

I gotta tell you, I'm still amazed by the fact that you think salad would be so frowned upon.

It sure doesn't seem like they've taken your likes and dislikes into consideration. It seems to me though, that there may not be any one way to please everyone, since every one has different tastes. Luckily they'll be different options for people to pick and choose.

Hi nelie, that's a creative idea, but I know the mixture of beans and mango would turn a few people off (sounds good to me though, I'm going to look into that for later)

Rockinrobin, I appreciate your suggestions, but as I mentioned earlier, yes, I know that a salad will not go over well. I've spoken to everyone about their salad tastes, and barring spending $20 on a range of ingredients/lettuces/dressings that everyone could pick and choose from, a salad is not going to work. I think your dish sounds delicious, but none of my friends would "scarf it down" because they simply don't like those ingredients. They have also all agreed that, given the other options that people are bringing, even with a salad bar option they would still only get maybe a pinch of salad and then get multiple servings of the other dishes. I am not looking for a dish that goes against my principles, I'm looking for a compromise.

I am thinking an eggplant parmesan or a portabello mushroom dish (i.e. a light main vegetarian dish).

This is a tough one. Would the picky eaters eat a grilled tofu side dish of some sort? I've been experimenting with grilling tofu, and it's pretty tasty. Good luck!