Kitchen Help

A birthday celebration for two family members, one a vegetarian and the other a macrobiotic enthusiast required some hours in the kitchen. Preparations were made festive by the antics of the help. A swing! and a miss!
The menu was- what's that word? Ambitious. The recent weather and a wander through Diana Shaw's Essential Vegetarian Cookbook suggested soup. Cream of Cauliflower (page 176) sounded good, as a main dish. Many ingredients were already at hand, which was encouraging.
The sides got a little complicated: Quinoa, Corn and Tomatillo salad, Lemon-spiked Lentil salad, Shrimp and Dill salad, (the vegetarian's really a fish-a-tarian,) Scalloped Potatoes made with soy milk, Hummus, and D'Affinoise Cheese with sliced baguette and carrots for dipping.
The birthday cake was pie! Tofu cheesecake with blueberry topping is not only delicious but macrobiotic. Pumpkin pie was necessary because of the rain, and sweet potato pie was necessary because the extra pastry dough. A guest brought a macrobiotic tart made with figs from her garden.
Real whipped cream topped the desserts so that a certain family member who equates health food to "rocks and sticks" wouldn't be sad.
This meal was a joy to prepare, looked beautiful on the table, and tasted good. The kitchen boy who made the wooden spoon potentially dangerous would not eat a bite of anything. He wanted pasta.