Need Healthy Recipes to Feed a Crowd

I love this Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

tri color rotini, boiled
~3 chicken breasts, grilled with seasonings (I use a greek seasoning called Cavenders), then cut into cubes
broccoli, baby carrots, green onion chopped into bite size pieces
Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing

http://www.briannassaladdressing.com/flavors/poppy-seed.html

The dressing is the key ingrediant, I have tried others but they just don't compare.

Mix everything together and refrigerate until cold or overnite. Sooo yummy!!!

This recipe is going to sound very odd, but it is by far my very favorite!! Especially now that the weather is getting warm and pretty again! I really hope you humor me and make some b/c I promise it will be a huge hit. =0)

Blackeyed Pea Dip (and I don't even like blackeyed peas!!!! lol)

1 can original Rotel (drained)
2 cans blackeyed peas (drained)....... (BEWARE.......the w/ bacon added version looks very similar to the plain blackeyed peas can...ICK!!)
1 can white shoepeg corn (drained)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
1 bunch of green onions (diced)
1 small bottle of Italian Dressing

Mix all ingredients together and refridgerate overnight if possible. Serve with Tostitos Scoops.

This dip is so cool, refreshing, healthy, cheap and EASY!!! You can really do alot with it as well. Some of my friends and family add black beans and some add jalapenos and some use the Hot Rotel instead of original. I sure hope you give it a shot! And with 30-40 people....I'd double the recipe. =0)

Love the kabobs idea, but for that large of a crowd, I would not tackle kabobs. I've done those for a group of 10 and they're a lot of work -- not only to assemble but also because you can't fit all on the barbeque at once and you likely won't have enough big skewers to get everything ready at once.

One way to keep costs down is to do a build-your-own sandwich table. You could get healthy breads, lean cuts of meat from the deli counter, lettuce, tomatoes and light versions of spreads like mayo (possibly look for recipes online to fancy up mayo, like adding sun-dried tomatoes). You could offer a green salad (light dressing choices), fruit salad and veggie platter as sides.

I love this easy pasta salad (use whole-wheat pasta): spaghetti noodles, boiled to al dente', chop whatever veggies you want (I use cucumbers, tomatoes, black olives, onions, broccoli), and toss with italian dressing (low fat, or homemade). It's easy to make a huge batch. That dip below sounds wonderful. And, the sandwich "bar" idea would probably be terrific for your expected size group (and so easy on your part). Just remember to keep the meats, cheeses, and toppings cold (plates on top of ice packs, or freeze cake pans with 1inch of water, cover with foil, and display meats & etc on top)! I'd pass on the grill, just because it's hard to cook for that many people AND you're going to want to be a part of the party, too (not just spend all of your time cooking)! Good luck!

I've had Black eyed Pea dip and loved it. And I hate black eyed peas. Thanks for the recipe Mel. And I like the hummus idea too.

I was going to suggest wraps, but the build a sandwich table is a great idea. I agree that kabobs are really labor intensive. They are great to make because you don't have to be a great cook, but if you assemble them yourselves they aren't fun. We can get them preassembled here at our Publix grocery store- you could check into that. Then you could marinate them in different things. I did lemon pepper kabobs and stuck a lemon slice on the end of the stick, and garlic with a garlic clove on the end, and spicy with a jalapeno on the end. Then it seems like you made them yourself. :)

Salsa bars are another good idea. Salsa is super healthy, especially if you get a low sodium and low- preservative one, or make it yourself.

Good luck!

You can also put the roasted veggies on whole wheat ciabatta bread and make roasted veggie sandwiches. Just slice the ciabatta bread lengthwise, put the veggies in, and cut into sandwiches. I like to add goat cheese to my sandwiches, but it's not for everyone. Good luck! Sounds like a big party!

Taste of Home magazine has a section called Cooking for a Crowd. Most of the reciopes are for 50+. I have always loved every recipe they have put in the magazine.

I second the build your own sandwich. That way everyone can eat at their pace in between visiting. I also love the Black Eyed Pea dip someone else posted. That is great. I think the only difference I do is fresh tomatoes instead of Rotel and a fresh jalepeno. You can put several platters of veggies and fruits with different dips. Or another idea - what about a salad menu ? With several different types of salads - pasta, green, chicken, etc ? And still the dips and fruits & veggies ?