snowy

So I'm in the process of choosing the menu for my wedding reception. The local vegetarian restaurant is going to be doing the catering. Now, some of their choices are a little more exotic than others, and for a portion of the people attending our wedding, anything outside of the Mexican-Chinese-Italian ethnic food continuum is exotic. So, I ask you, TFP, to peruse some of the choices below, tell me what YOU would like to eat, and what kinds of foods you prefer to see at a wedding reception (please do not mention meat; I am not in charge of the meat, that is my future father-in-law's province, and yes, he will be firing up his smoker).

We're doing this buffet-style, and since the ceremony is at 2 in the afternoon and short, people will start rolling in to my in-laws' place (where the reception will be) at about 3pm, so we'd like to also have an array of appetizers available. I've already gone through the choices and kind of broken them up into Italian and Mexican menus; I'd also put together a Greek menu but that was voted down as too exotic. The reception will be outdoors. We have a tent. Since the wedding is in late August, it is likely that it will be hot.

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Appetizers and Snacks

Dips and Spreads
Baba Ganouj
Baked garlic
Chips & salsa or spicy bean dip
Red onion dip
Guacamole
Toasted almond cream cheese spread
Tapenade (caper-olive spread)
Olivade (olive spread)
Blue cheese spread with walnuts
White bean dip with toasted pita chips
Baked artichoke dip
Whipped feta with roasted peppers
Hummus
Veggie pate

Finger Foods
Tortas (Pesto, Mexican, Greek)
Marinated Mushrooms
Marinated Artichoke hearts
Savory Appetizer Cheesecake
Brie baked in pastry
Fruit plate
Cheese & Crackers
Fiesta Platter
Nori rolls
BBQ tofu
Veggie antipasto
Cheeseballs
Veggie plate
Brie Pinwheel
Cheese triangles
Dolmas

Breads

French bread
Scones
Cornbread
Muffins
Rolls
Zucchini bread
Cranberry bread
Pumpkin bread
Blueberry bread

Salads and Sides

Potato Salads
Aegean potato salad (feta, parm & ricotta cheese)
American Potato salad
Potato salad with Japanese dressing
Potato salad with spicy peanut, ginger and cilantro dressing
Potato salad with Indian spices
Greek roasted potatoes

Pasta Salads
Pasta primavera (mushrooms & sun-dried tomatoes)
Pesto Pasta salad
Greek Pasta salad
Pasta with marinated veggies
Pasta with peanut-lime vinaigrette
Penne, feta and olive salad
Asian noodles

Bean Salads
White bean salad with green olives
Black bean, couscous and corn salad
White bean & tomato salad

Vegetable Salads
Asian cabbage slaw
Artichoke heart - tomato salad
Vegetable-tofu almondine salad (tofu, almonds, green beans, carrots &
mushrooms)
Mixed Green
Waldorf
Tabouli
Cucumber-wakame
Greek salad
Fruit salad

More Salads
Couscous, artichoke hearts & walnut salad
Rice salad with sundried tomatoes
Couscous, pinenut and olive salad
Asian pesto salad (cilantro, mint, basil, cashews and peanuts)

Entrees

Italian
Pasta bar (red fennel, alfredo, creamy pesto or puttanesca sauces)
Lasagna (spinach, pesto or French)
Ravioli / Tortellini
Ratatouille

Mexican
New Mexico Lasagna
Enchilada casserole
Burrito bar

More Entrees
Indian Buffet
Spanakopita
Mideast buffet
Sweet & sour tofu
Soup & salad bar
Chili & cornbread
Mushroom stroganoff

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau