So your best friend just got engaged and she’s walking around flashing her shiny new engagement ring to anyone and everyone she meets. As her best friend and maid of honor, it’s your privilege and responsibility to throw her the best bridal shower ever! Since a bridal shower is usually filled with friends, fun and games, you’ll want to keep it relaxed and easy. Dishes and drinks should be made ahead so you can enjoy the festivities rather than get stuck in the kitchen. Serve foods that are easy to hold and eat and don’t require utensils so your guests can walk around and mingle while they eat and drink. Keep the menu light and fresh so everyone has plenty of energy to play bridal shower games and watch the future bride open all her presents.
Here are a few ideas of recipes to make for a vegan’s bridal shower.
1. Beverages
If your guests drink alcohol, have a few bottles of vegan wine and make one signature co*cktail for the shower. There is no need for a full bar and you don’t want to spend your entire time playing bartender instead of hostess. Try this Bloody Maria with Infused Tequila or make Fruity White Wine Sangria by stirring together 2 bottles of vegan dry white wine, 1 ½ cups raspberries, 1 ½ cups nectarines, ½ cup fresh orange juice, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, and 1/3 cup sugar. Refrigerate until chilled. Before serving, add in 3 cups sparkling water. Add fresh slices of oranges and limes.
Be sure to have non-alcoholic drinks also. This Watermelon Rose Drink is beautiful and tasty and of course, you’ll want to serve this lovely Love Potion drink. Champagne is the perfect drink for a celebration so toast the bride with this Healthy Alcohol-Free Champagne. You will also want to have coffee, herbal teas, non-dairy milk and water available to your guests. Offer some specialty café-style drinks like this Iced Dandelion Latte and this Café Style Matcha Tea Latte. To know how many beverages you need, count on each person having two to three glasses of some beverage and one cup of coffee or tea.
2. Finger Foods
Serve appetizers that are chic, healthy and delicious. They should be easy to hold and able to be eaten in just a few bites. Try for dishes that aren’t too messy since all the guests are probably dressed up for the shower. Everything tastes good when it’s served on crispy toast. Serve these Sweet Potato Bruschetta and these Garlic Tomato Bruschetta. When the appetizers are small, one- or two-bite foods, everyone can fill their plate with some of everything. Put out a spread of these Stuffed Mushrooms With Lemony Asparagus and Pistachios, Veggies and Mushroom Mini-Bites, Baked Jalapeno Poppers, Vegan Cream Cheese Filled Tomatoes with Spices and Green Onions, Sticky Peanut Cauliflower Wings, Savory Stuffed Pepper Poppers, and Lentil Walnut Mushroom Balls. If you want to serve some spreads, choose thick ones that won’t drip or spill like this Vegan Goat Cheese Pesto Dip, Exquisite Leek and Cashew Appetizer and this Lentil Apricot Tapenade with Curry Aioli. Use decorative toothpicks and small co*cktail napkins to make eating the finger foods even easier.
3. Fresh Salads
To keep the menu light, offer a few types of fresh salads. Have one that’s mostly greens like this Shaved Spring Salad with Hippie Green Goddess Dressing or this Rainbow Salad. Offer a whole grain salad like this Curried Kale and Quinoa Salad or this Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad. Have one or two heartier salads such as this Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad or this Spicy Sweet Potato Salad. For a beautiful presentation, serve individual salad stacks like this Heirloom Tomato Pesto Stack and these Toasted Quinoa Vegetable Stacks with Green Goddess Dressing. Don’t forget a light and refreshing fruit salad like this Summer Watermelon Salad or Easy Avocado Salad.
4. Chilled Soups
You may not think of soup as bridal shower food but when it’s chilled, it becomes a light and refreshing treat. Serve the soup in shot glasses or wine tasting glasses for easy carrying and drinking. Try these Healthy Pea Soup Shooters, Chilled Cucumber Dill and Creamy Carrot Bisque, Watermelon Gazpacho and this Minty Zucchini and Strawberry Chilled Soup. Learn How to Make Yummy Raw Blender Soups and then try any of these 15 Fresh and Cool Raw Soups.
5. Light Sandwiches and Wraps
Save the 6-foot sub for the bachelor party. For the bridal shower, stick with light tea sandwiches, sliders and small wraps. Again, we want food that’s fun and delicious but portable and easy to eat. Use any fillings you like; just make the sandwiches small. Cut one slice of bread into 4 squares to make 2 small sandwiches or 4 open-faced sandwiches with toothpicks to hold them together like these Green Tea Mango Sandwiches. Use bridal-themed cookie cutters to cut the bread into fun shapes like wedding rings, hearts and wedding cakes. Make small versions of this Baked Tofu Caesar Sandwich, Raw Vegan Tomato Cucumber Sandwiches on Onion Corn Bread, and this Vegan Tempeh Tomato Herb Sandwich. Sliders are already the perfect size for parties. Try these Sriracha Tempeh Sliders with Ranch Dressing, Potato Fritter Sliders with Chipotle Aioli and Walnut Falafel Sliders With Pickled Beet and Lemon Mayo.
Wraps are perfect for parties because they already portable. Just cut the wraps in half and wrap one end in parchment paper to prevent leakage. Then guests can hold the wrap and eat it without worry. Serve these Kale-Avocado Wraps with Spicy Miso-Dipped Tempeh which is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Pitas count as wraps too so try making these Cranberry Crunchy Chick’n Sandwiches and these Ranch Pitas with Roasted Potatoes and Chickpeas. Keep it light and healthy with a variety of raw wraps like these UnTuna Wraps, Nori Wraps with Sweet Potato, Avocado and Miso Dressing, Hummus Collard Wraps, Tandoori Cauliflower Wraps and Grilled Artichoke and Quinoa Lettuce Wraps.
6. Small Dishes
In keeping with our theme of small, light and easy to eat dishes, skip the big entrees. Instead, serve more dishes that are individually portioned and can be eaten without utensils. It makes the event more casual and relaxed and that makes everyone have more fun. You can serve elegant dishes like frittatas and quiches but make them in muffin tins for adorable, mini-dishes. Make these Spinach and Artichoke Tofu Mini-Frittatas and these Spinach, Tomato and Cheddar Mini-Quiches with Lemon Cashew Cream and watch your guests ooh and aah over them. Serve mini-sized Vegan “Crab” Cakes with Green Tartar Sauce, Pickled Beet Mini-Tacos, Eggplant Medallions and Vegan Puttanesca Panzarottis. Bake a delicious tart like this Onion Tart with Greens and Cashew Cream and cut it up into small bite-size squares or make these Summer Squash Tartlets With Caramelized Onions and Tofu Ricotta even smaller by using a muffin tin instead of ramekins.
Asian dishes are always popular and there are many options which are small and elegant such as spring rolls and dumplings. Serve these beautiful Red Cabbage and Jicama Spring Rolls With Peanut Dipping Sauce, Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, and Sweet Potato Spring Rolls. Learn how to make 7 kinds of global dumplings and make Butternut Squash Potstickers and Tempeh and Kale Steamed Gyoza. Food on a stick is always fun like this Chicken-Free Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce and don’t forget a few kinds of vegan sushi. Figure on each guest sampling two of each dish so you have enough for everyone and a few leftovers for yourself.
7. Small Desserts
When it comes to desserts, there’s no way to go wrong but there is a way to go special. Choose desserts that are elegant, colorful and make a beautiful presentation on the table. Forget having to stand at the table cutting slices of cake or scooping out ice cream. Choose a variety of small desserts and pastries that people can pick up and eat in just a few bites. That way, desserts will be lighter and everyone will feel better about eating two or three of them. Serve cupcakes, mini-cakes and mini-desserts that are not only adorable but decadent like these Raw Mini Chocolate Cream Cakes, Lemon Coconut Curd Cupcakes, Mini Vanilla Bean Pavlovas With Coconut Whip and Raspberries, Mini Doughnut Balls With Caramel Dipping Sauce, Lime Poppyseed Mini Cheesecakes and Mini Lemon Lavender Bundt Cakes.
Put out a platter of pretty and delicate cookies such as these Raw Lemon Macaroons, Vegan Russian Tea Cakes, Vegan Italian Anise Cookies, Thin Mint Sandwich Cookies, and of course, some heart-shaped Ginger Cookies with Pink Frosting. If you would like to have sorbet, ice cream or pudding, serve it in small shot glasses or small ramekins for individual portions. Try this Banana Chai Ice Cream with Gingerbread Crumble, Berry Mango Sorbet with Banana and Pineapple, Pistachio Crème Brulee and Coconut Panna Cotta.
Bridal showers are really important since it may be the only one your best friend will ever have. It should be fun, festive and filled with friends and laughter. Don’t stress out over the food. Keep it simple, easy, light and bite-sized for a vegan bridal shower to remember.
Lead Image Source: Red Cabbage and Jicama Spring Rolls With Peanut Dipping Sauce
