Cate wrote:

> Husband's office staff (half of whom are college or grad students) is coming
> for a Christmas party at our house this Sunday afternoon. Tiny house, staff
> of 15, nowhere for them all to sit, so all the food must be finger food or
> easily eaten with a fork while standing.
>
> There's one known vegetarian in the bunch (possibly more we don't know
> about), and I'm trying to balance meaty and meatless dishes. I have limited
> time this weekend to cook, so I'm hoping to make some things of time and
> freeze it. The final menu isn't yet set, so I'm open to suggestions.
>
> But my main request is that I'm looking for a meatless pasta or rice salad
> (ie., cold) recipe that's not the standard macaroni primavera and mayo-based
> dressing. Something that can hold up unrefrigerated for three hours is
> required. Any combo of chewy, crunchy, tangy, sweet, spicy is even better.
> And anything that cuts down my cooking time would be great too.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
> Cate
>
>
Cate -

How about a wild rice salad? Cook the rice in a combination of water
and orange juice; in the last ten or fifteen minutes of cooking, toss in
a coupla handfuls of chopped dried apricots and dried cherries or
cranberries, and finish it with toasted, chopped hazelnuts, pignolas,
pecans, or anything else with a bit of crunch to it. You could add
celery, apples, whatever. Or you could go the savory route with onions,
celery, parsley, and the nuts. Serve it warm or cold.

Oh, darn, now I've gone and made myself hungry.

Cheers!
Peg