Hosting with Seeds: A Simple Entertaining Menu for Six Guests

Hosting should feel fun, not stressful. Seeds can help, because many seed-based dishes are made ahead, look appealing and suit a range of diets. This menu serves six and leans on pantry staples. You can choose just a few dishes rather than doing everything.

Plan the menu

A good menu has contrast: something creamy, something crunchy, something fresh and something sweet. Here is a simple order of play.

Arrival: seed crackers with a tahini dip and olives

Starter: lentil soup with a toasted seed topping

Main: roasted vegetables and chicken or chickpeas with a coriander and cumin crust, served with rice and a salad

Dessert: chia pudding with fruit

Arrival: crackers and dip

Make seed crackers a day or two ahead and store them in a tin. For the dip, whisk 1/2 cup tahini with the juice of one lemon, a crushed garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon salt and cold water until smooth. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter with toasted sesame and a pinch of paprika. Serve with cucumber sticks and carrots as well, for guests who avoid gluten or wheat.

Cook red lentils with onion, garlic, cumin and carrots until soft, then blend. Finish each bowl with a spoonful of toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds and a squeeze of lemon. The soup can be made two days ahead and reheated gently.

Main course

Toss vegetables such as squash, carrots and red onion with oil, salt and 1 tablespoon of crushed coriander and cumin seeds. Roast at 200 C (400 F) for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with rice or couscous and a green salad topped with a lemony seed sprinkle. For meat eaters, rub chicken thighs with the same spice mix.

Dessert

Make a chia pudding the night before in six glasses, using 3 tablespoons of chia per cup of coconut milk and a little honey. Top with berries and mint just before serving. Because it is made ahead, you can enjoy the dinner with your guests.

Two days before: make crackers and soup.

One day before: make chia pudding and tahini dip, buy fresh produce.

On the day: toast seeds, prep vegetables, set the table.

An hour before: roast vegetables and warm soup.

Catering for allergies and diets

Ask your guests about allergies when you invite them. Sesame, mustard and other seeds can be serious allergens. If someone is allergic, leave out the dishes containing that seed and keep serving utensils separate. Label the dishes, and keep ingredient packets so you can show them to guests who ask. Many of these dishes are naturally vegetarian, and with plant milk and a flax or chia swap for eggs, vegan as well.

Who should check first

Hosts cannot know everyone's medical history, so keep portions moderate and offer water and alternatives. Guests who take blood thinners, have kidney disease, are pregnant or have digestive conditions should check with their own doctor about seeds.

This article is general information, not medical advice.