Catering for the masses...( in a healthy nutritious way).

Tomorrow 35  people are arriving for a meditation & relaxation silent seminar in our yeshuve.( village)   Although they will be silent therefore can not complain, while the facilitators will nourish their souls ,their  bodies will need nourishing by my friend and I.
Too often mass catering is done on the cheap with no regard for the health and well-being of the guests with cost being the first concern.
I feel strongly that although the occasional fast food meal is OK if people are coming to cleanse their minds it would be so wrong to add chemicals into their bodies.Being healthy is a holistic thing and catering for the masses can be healthy.

My friend and I have created a vegetarian  menu that is  hopefully delicious nutritious and not too complex to prepare by two people using two domestic ovens and not highly equipped kitchens.

The brief  we were given was 

• Keep it simple, filling, tasty, healthy and cheap. 
• They required Bread , salad and vegetables at every meal 
• The only meal with dairy would be breakfast 
• There should be healthy snacks available all day long  

Buffet Breakfasts 

Home made Granola,

Yogurt

Fruit baskets

Cottage Cheese, ordinary cheese.

Tahini, hard boiled eggs

Vegetable plate

Bread, Rice cakes, Crackers

Teas , Coffee, Herbal tea, milk, soya and almond milk, honey .

Snacks  home made cookies

Unsweetened Date Cookies

Rice crisps

Oat apple and Cranberry "Eitan " Cookies.

Fresh fruit baskets.

Day One Lunch 

Roasted red peppers with garlic.

Roasted Zucchini on a bed of red onion with fresh picked garden herbs 

Roasted Eggplant  in a Tahini sauce

Roasted Sweet and regular potatoes with Rosemary and black pepper

All served on Brown rice

With a baby leaf and seed salad in  a garlic honey and mustard dressing.

Pita bread for those who want to wash.

Fresh water melon

Teas , Coffee, Herbal tea, milk, soya and almond milk, honey .

Day One Evening 

 Aromatic Organic Orange soup, 

Home made spelt bread,

Home made Olive Dip, Humas, Tahini. Pesto

Cole slaw in a vinaigrette dressing 

Vegetable plate

Fruit basket 

Teas , Coffee, Herbal tea, milk, soya and almond milk, honey 

Day Two Lunch time

Sweet potato, lentil and zucchini Coconut  Curry 

Brown Rice

Mixed green salad in a lemon herb dressing

                                  Pita bread for those who want to wash.

Fruit basket 

Teas , Coffee, Herbal tea, milk, soya and almond milk, honey 

Day two evening

Mixed vegetable & Rice  soup 

Home made spelt bread,

Home made Olive Dip, Humas, Tahini. Egg salad Pesto 

Mixed  Israeli salad in a mint infused dressing 

Vegetable plate

Fruit basket 

Teas , Coffee, Herbal tea, milk, soya and almond milk, honey 

Here are three  recipes from the event

"Eitan Cookies"  (invented in  my grandson’s honor)  Almost Healthy  Spelt, Oat, Cranberry & Chocolate Cookies!  

Makes   26 cookies. Oven 375°F = 190.6°C   gas mark 5

These cookies are  wheat , dairy, sugar, and egg free yet are really yummy, when I made a trial batch tonight to take with me for Shabbat someone popped in, and declared them delectable ! they are crumbly light melt in the mouth and have that wonderful combination of Cranberries and dark chocolate.  
Ingredients
100 grams /4 oz/ 1 cup porridge oats
150 grams/6 oz / 1 cup spelt flour, plus a little extra
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp non-aluminum baking powder
142 g/5 fluid oz/  ½ cup.   Good vegetable cooking oil, I used organic extra virgin sunflower,
100 g/4 oz/ ½ cup apple puree/ sauce
1 tea spoon real vanilla extract,
½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
½ cup non dairy  good chocolate chips

Method

1. Line two baking trays with cooking paper and oil them a bit. Preheat the oven to 190
2. In a large bowl put the oats , flour, baking powder, baking soda salt  put a well in the middle
3. In a separate bowl mix the oil, apple puree/sauce, vanilla, mix well and pour into the dry Ingredients mix well and add the cranberries and chocolate chips. mix well
4. Wet your hands under cold water make little balls (walnut size) evenly space them on the baking tray, push them down with a damp fork.
5. Put in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until brown, allow cooling and them hide if you want to keep them for longer than 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato,Red lentil  Zucchini & Coconut  Curry  Serves   6

3-4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into large chunks

4 large carrots peeled chopped into chunks

4-5 zucchini washed and chopped into chunks

2-3 red skinned potatoes peeled and chopped  into chunks & put into cold water.

½ inch fresh ginger peeled and grated

½ cup red lentils, picked washed and drained

4 garlic cloves crushed

2 white onions   finely chopped

1 tea spoon sea salt

1 tea spoon  ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried  cumin

1 teaspoon dried  coriander

½ tea spoon cayenne pepper or chili flakes

½ tea spoon cinnamon

¼ tea spoon ground cloves.

1.5 teaspoon good quality curry powder.

2 bay leaves

½ cup fresh chopped coriander

I tablespoon  coconut oil

1 can of coconut milk

2 cups water.

Heat the coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan, add the ginger and garlic, and onions, stir and cook till the onions are transparent.

Add the dry spices, ( everything but the salt)  mix together, turn the heat down low and cook off the spices, stirring  take off the heat  add the potato, carrots, and Sweet potato, the salt, and the lentils.  

Add the lentils, and then the water the water should just come ¾ the way up the vegetables. Cover the pan &   cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat before adding the zucchini, and fresh coriander.

Cook for 12 more minutes add in the coconut milk, turn to a low heat, and adjust the salt and pepper.

Serve on rice, with Indian pickles.

This keeps well in the fridge  for 2-3 days but heat very slowly because of the coconut milk.

Green Tahini makes 12-14 portions

1 tub or container of raw tahini
Juice of one lemon
3 -4 cloves garlic depending on size
1-2 cups fresh chopped parsley
1 cup water
1 tea spoon date syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt.

Put all the ingredients together in a food processor, and blend. The greener you want it the more parsley you add. 
the date syrup takes away the bitterness of the  tahini and the parsley.
Put into an airtight container in the fridge will last up to one week.
can be used as a dip, or over jacket potatoes,  pour it over warm roasted eggplant and serve with rice, or add more lemon juice and water and use as a salad dressing.

Catering for large numbers is challenging for some, I enjoy it if I have the time, energy , help with preparation and large pots! actually I have none of the  above this week so this could be more than interesting wish me luck!