Am planning a vegetarian dinner party, with Butternut Squash & Roasted Garlic Galette as the main dish. What else should I serve? (Read on.)

For adding extra protein I would make side dishes that include nuts, beans, and seeds as well as egg, cheese, even yogurt.

How abut making dal shorba, light soup from dal or rassam. Brocoli-almond soup, carrot -corriander soup.., lemon-corriander soup.

For dessert, try making fig pudding or Gulab Jamuns.

http://nyc.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/11615_fig_pudding_anjir_rabdi.

How about a watercress soup? WIth all the sweet, rich flavors, I think that would go very well. Maybe garnished with some crispy fried garlic. Plus, watercress and apple go nicely together, so it would complement your salad very well.

What do you think about tastefood's Roasted Beet Soup with Blood Oranges and Ginger topped with Orange Creme Fraiche? Recipe calls for blood oranges, which I am not seeing in my markets yet, but I am sure that you could sub mandarins or clementines instead. http://www.food52.com/recipes/3318_roasted_red_beet_blood_orange_and_ginger_soup_with_orange_crme_frache

AJ, have you made the galette before? I ask this because I recently made it for dinner for my husband and me with a salad and it just wasn't very much food. I think it works better as a first course than a main, unless you are making a bunch of them or you really load up on the cheese.

Oy vay! How about a nice matzoh ball soup with one big gut bomb matzoh per bowl. I work grated carrot and and pastina sized pasta into the (chicken) stock. I suppose you could use vegetable stock. The matzohs do require eggs if that's not going to freak out the vegetarians. The vegan to vegitarian spectrum is too strange for me to sort out. Perhaps becase I'm an omnivore.

My sisters are both veg-heads and always look for great salads. One thing I do is grill greens with salt and oilve oil (endive, radicchio, romaine hearts) then toss that with balsamic vinegar and a nice creamy blue cheese, and serve it warm. We all go bonkers for that. Are your vegetarians OK with eggs? That will affect which dessert you choose.

Try this cauliflower couscous. http://www.food52.com/recipes/14493_cauliflower_couscous

use as a base like you would couscous, with a Tagine of veggies spices in middle eastern style, for a topping.
While that might be more a main dish..you could pare it down to a side dish. Prehaps using the 'couscous' cauliflower to make a spinach based faux tabouleh salad, subing the cauliflower for Bulgar wheat, and using greek salad additions, such as pepperchini, feta cheese, greek dressing, and olives and mint if you wish.

If you do the 'couscous' for a salad..don't cook it long or not at all...just a quick warming with turmeric and cumin is all that's needed for 'almost raw' application.

I was going to say a crisp salad, dressed with a light vinaigrette, tossed with some toasted nuts, and whatever else you find at the market, with some shaved parmesan. You could also do a roasted beet, apple, and goat cheese salad (a little over used, I find lately, but always delicious). A galette, salad, and soup make for a perfect light lunch. A variety of cheeses for the table might be nice too. But back to the soup, I'd go with something like cauliflower, which would contrast nicely with the butternut squash. I wouldn't want things to be too squashy. As for sides, garlicky broccoli rabe would bring a nice contrast. roasted wild mushrooms with some olive oil and herbs. Or what about caramelized onions.?If there isn't a recipe for them on food 52, I know smitten Kitchen has one. Chocolate (raspberry) torte for dessert? Cranberry upside down cake?

Maybe a lentil soup/or thiciker w/ butternut also (in smaller pieces) or do think that would be too much butternut? Fresh Roti and Cucumber Raita. End the meal with some Indian sweets like Burfi (I'm partial to pistachio!)

Consider a miso soup -- maybe with thinly sliced greens and matchsticks of tofu. http://www.food52.com/recipes/search?c=1&recipe_search=miso%20soup --several of these look like a good starting place, just some tweaking to extend the concept.
And your slaw or another one brought up in that ongoing Hotline question would make another nice contrast, with vegetables that didn't make it to the Thanksgiving table.
Both the soup and slaw offer digestive aids that are very tasty.

I would go with shaved asparagus, gently steamed with lemon zest.

How about Amanda's Butternut squash and cider soup http://www.food52.com/recipes/8186_butternut_squash_and_cider_soup_1993
The galette is so good we had at the food52 potluck, so delicious.