Am going to a pot luck at the end of the month. It's a joint effort between
the Booster club for a minor league baseball team and the social club that
is hosting it. The guests will be the members of the social club (all
ages--kids and their parents, singles and seniors), the members of the
booster club (again, all ages) and the guys on the baseball team. Probably a
hundred or so people will wander through at one point or another. It's an
open house type of thing. The social club members and the booster club
members are asked to bring side dishes or desserts. I like to bring a side
dish.
Last year, I made a killer Caribbean Rice and Black Beans Salad. I was
planning to make it again, except that one of my dear friends told me
tonight, as she was flipping through one of my cookbooks, that she plans to
bring a Mexican 3 Bean salad.....and could she "have some cumin, cilantro
and....what's the difference between regular Oregano and Mexican
Oregano????" I laughed, and naturally, I packaged up a few teaspoons of the
herbs and spices she asked for, but now I'm at a loss as to what I should
bring. See, my Rice and Beans salad uses those same spices, along with
vinegar and lime juice in the dressing. The dressings are nearly identical,
and they both use black beans. The two salads are too similar, we just
don't need both of them. So I'll find something else to bring. But what???
I'm stuck!!!!
I'm thinking about a rice salad, but a pasta salad is ok too. Requirements
are meatless (because I need to keep the cost down, plus they will be
grilling chicken, ribs, burgers and hot dogs, so we won't really need meat
in the side dishes anyway), not based on Mexican/Caribbean spices, like
cumin, cilantro, lime juice, etc, and NO mayonnaise. (One reason, this
stuff needs to sit out, the other, I don't eat mayo, hence, I don't cook
with it either).
And another thing to keep in mind--these are "manly men" who will be the
guests of honor--so it can't be "foo-foo" food. Jello salads are out, for
example.
Any ideas will be appreciated.