A tale of two potlucks

What a difference a week makes. Last night I carried a dish of vegan-friendly quinoa risotto to the monthly potluck of a local vegetarian group. A week earlier, I’d made Town Band Baked Beans with bacon from Aunt Bee’s Mayberry Cookbook for a barbecue at Martin’s house.

Which potluck was more enjoyable? Hard to say. They each had their charms. I was bowled over by the variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes at last night’s shindig. With 40 or 50 people there, the range of food was impressive. There was black bean chili, egg-less egg salad and tuna-less tuna salad, zuchini squares, key lime pie, Spanish rice, cornbread, nacho cheese dip and chips, gluten-free chocolate cake, a platter of home-grown sliced tomatoes, boiled sweet corn and potatoes, mac and cheese made with a rice-based “pasta,” various dishes combining all kinds of fresh veggies, including my new favorite — spinach stewed with green peas and I don’t know what else but it was yummy. I also really liked my risotto. It had onion and garlic, the quinoa and chopped spinach, simmered in a mushroom broth. To make it vegan, I used a soy-based Parmesan cheese-type stuff, which I’ll leave out next time. It didn’t need it and tasted better without it. I used this recipe from the Mayo Clinic but substituted mushroom broth for the veggie stock, this soy “cheese” in place of regular Parmesan and spinach for arugula.

At the Martin household, there were only a few of us but we each brought a special dish. There was pasta salad, baked beans, a shrimp dip to die for and Martin smoked a brisket, which he served with his own barbecue sauce. It was all truly scrumptious but the brownies were the best I’ve ever had. Decadent and dense, they had a layer of peanut butter topped by a buttery chocolate frosting. How I stopped myself from having more than one I’ll never know.

The two potlucks obviously differed regarding the nutrition quotient. They also varied widely in size. Martin and his wife invited only a handful of people. The veggie potluck had loads of people, all but one total strangers to me and the friend who came with me. It was a gathering I learned of and was invited to through MySpace. I did half-expect a former work friend to be there since she’s a long-time vegan. It turns out she’s the president of the local veggie group, so yes, she was there. The friend who came with me is a vegetarian who’s visiting town on business. Initially, she declined my invitation but later changed her mind. I think she was intrigued by the idea of a potluck where she wouldn’t have to ask the What’s in this? question even once in her quest to remain meat-free. She’s not uptight about it but certainly doesn’t want to accidentally consume animal flesh. She was glad she went.

The potluck at Martin’s house was delightful — a relaxed atmosphere, wonderful food and fun conversation. The veggie potluck was fascinating, mostly thanks to a houseful of strangers to ponder. There was the youngish couple with five kids, the youngest nursed off and on all evening by his mom whose breasts were barely contained in a strappy, cotton top. There was the older gentleman wearing a piece who remained entwined all night with his gorgeous, young, Asian girlfriend/wife/date. And the heavily tattooed couple. Oh, the wonder of humanity.

The vegetarian potluck happens monthly. I may go back for more. It got different brain synapses firing for me and the food was really good, except for the tuna-less tuna salad. But should it happen to conflict with another barbecue at Martin’s house, I’ll ditch the veg-heads in a heartbeat.