Having people over for dinner

There is a new place in our neighborhood that sells homemade casseroles.  Casseroles -
http://www.casserolesatlanta.com/

Chad tried a breakfast casserole and the mac and cheese recently.  He rated them fair but really wanted to try some of the other items on the menu.  I could not wait to try it again, because they had a vegan / gluten free option right on the menu.  Hooray!  We had another family over for dinner on Saturday night and decided to try the baked ziti with beef for Chad, and the Vegan Biryana.  I was going to prepare a simple salad and dessert to go along with, but got motivated Saturday to try new recipes.  The black bean salad with avocado - lime dressing recipe from wholefoods.com sounded great.
Here is the recipe from the website:
Serves 4

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=2908

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, mashed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or thawed if frozen
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together avocado, cilantro and lime juice until blended. Add beans, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, pepper, pumpkin seeds and toss until evenly coated. 

 My Modifications

I used only one can of black beans, and I added 1/2 of a chopped Vidala onion.   I added salt and pepper and 1-2 more tablespoons of lime juice to the dressing.  It was very tasty - I loved the creamy avocado dressing.  And, the toasted pumpkin seeds always add a great flavor and crunch.  Chad felt it needed more pumpkin seeds.

I was craving desserts on Saturday.  GF has eliminated many of my favorite desserts - so I was hopeful I could find something that would satisfy my sweet tooth.  I made the Strawberry Oat Bars from Wholeliving.com.  Here is the recipe

http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/strawberry-oat-bars

Makes 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Directions

1. Pulse dates, nuts, oats, and salt in a food processor until combined.
2. Press the date mixture into the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
3. Mash half the strawberries and spread on top of date mixture. Top with remaining strawberries. Slice into rectangles.

My Modifications
I used cashew nuts instead of the macadamia (that is what I had on hand).  And, I used the incredibly expensive Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats - to make them GF.  I put them in the frig after I made them.  This was a mistake, it made them too mushy.  I would leave them out next time, and add more oats, 3 tablespoons should do well.

Lastly - I made a chocolate pound cake from thehealthyapple.com.  I have really enjoyed this blog / website.  She has amazing recipes and tips, however this recipe did not turn out well, so I wont post the whole recipe.  Here is the link if you are curious!  http://thehealthyapple.com/2011/08/01/gluten-free-dairy-free-chocolate-pistachio-pound-cake/

I did replace the eggs with flax seed - so that might have been what went wrong.  The cake is pretty, but extremely dense and not a lot of taste.  Here is a pic:

In Conclusion

The casseroles were a hit.  We will definitely order them again.  And, welcome the new addition to our neighborhood!  Beginner mistake I made - I didnt give much thought to the menu as a whole.  The black bean salad was delicious, but certainly did not go with a biryani nor a baked ziti.  The strawberry bar was amazing, so sweet, it was unbelievable no sugar was added, but do not put them in the refrigerator before serving, and add more oats!  Chocolate cake - bombed.

Lastly, it was very fun to have other people over, especially considering we all had different eating styles, ranging from me (GF/ VG), Chad wanting beef, to no beef (but brought own chicken), Paleo - oh and the kids - they were happy with the frozen pizza.  So, lots of variety, but I think everyone left satisfied!