Picture this: you agreed to host your next office party, your friend’s bridal shower, or your parent’s 50th wedding anniversary, and now it’s time to make some tough choices. Deciding on the party’s venue, guest list, and entertainment can be difficult, but making the decision between potluck or private catering shouldn’t be.
While potlucks are typically less expensive than hiring a caterer, cheaper does not always mean better. In fact, what you save in money from hosting a potluck you will likely cost you in time, stress and effort. Here are three good reasons why you should consider catering for your next event.
- The menu. Unless you send out a detailed spreadsheet, chances are, some of your guests won’t enjoy the ambrosia salad or tuna noodle casserole that’s present at your potluck. Worse, you could neglect one of your guest’s dietary needs, leaving them hungry until they politely excuse themselves an hour into the party. A personal chef, like Chef Lynn Michelle, knows how to please everyone’s palettes with a variety of snacks, sips, and bites.
- The cleanup. If scrubbing dishes after a long night of entertaining does not sound appealing to you, then look no further than a catering company. Not only will your guests enjoy gourmet dishes, like baked mac n’ cheese, grilled chicken kabobs, and gorgeous charcuterie boards, but you can enjoy skipping the clean-up afterward. Chef Lynn covers all aspects of the catering process, from grocery shopping to the clean-up, so you have more time to spend with your friends.
- The standards. Imagine a party where warm plates of food appear on cue, there’s never a shortage of napkins, your guests’ drinks are refilled without them needing to ask. Catered parties come with an air of class that casual potlucks typically lack. Whether you’re hosting the affair at a high rise hotel or in your living room, experience the seamless service and fresh fair that you would expect to find at a renowned restaurant.
Chef Lynn Michelle prides herself on working closely with clients to ensure that their next event is a success. Equipped with years of experience, she delivers on streamlined service without compromising the quality of the food. Get ready to pass around the plates of sweet potato biscuits, BBQ sliders, and vegan “crab” cakes. Remind your guests to come hungry!
Vegan “Crab” Cakes
Ingredients
- 2-15 oz. cans garbanzo beans drained
- 3 celery stalk finely chopped
- ½ cup onion finely minced
- 1 cup small- yellow, orange and red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 2-15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained 12 oz. cans of whole hearts of palm cut lengthwise and then chopped in half slices
- 2 cups gluten free panko breadcrumbs
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup Nut Pod Cream, to moisten but not sticky
- 2 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup chopped seaweed chips
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp. old bay seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to season
- about 1/2 cup cashew butter for frying
Instructions
- Place garbanzo beans and ¼ cup of Nut Pod Cream into food processor.
- Pulse until garbanzo beans are chopped, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Keep the texture chunky and avoid over blending. Set aside.
- Melt 1/4 cup of cashew butter in medium size skillet; add celery, onion, mixture of peppers, and sauté until slightly translucent. Set aside and let cool.
- Place the gluten free panko breadcrumbs into a large bowl. Add garbanzo bean mixture, celery mixture, hearts of palm, vegan Worcestershire sauce, chopped sea weed chips, parsley, old bay, salt and pepper. Mix well and carefully with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the Nut Pod Cream to moisten the mixture. (May add more or less)
- Line a plate with a few paper towels.
- In a large skillet; melt cashew butter, over medium heat.
- When the cashew butter is hot, scoop up an eighth of the garbanzo bean mixture and shape into a patty.
- Gently transfer the patty to the bowl filled with gluten free panko breadcrumbs and coat both sides.
- Carefully place the patty into skillet.
- Repeat, forming, coating and cooking another two or three patties (as many as you can fit into the skillet without overcrowding).
- Gently flip the patties, one at a time as they begin to brown on bottoms, cooking about 3 or 4 minutes on each side.
- Carefully remove patties from skillet as they are done, and transfer them to the paper towel-lined plate.
- Repeat until all of the garbanzo bean mixture has been used, making a total of eight large patties, and adding more cashew butter to the skillet between batches as needed.