When you are putting on an event, or perhaps offering lunch to hard working office employees, catering is a practical option. Mediterranean provides a nice break from pizzas and sandwiches, and offers wonderful options for a variety of special diets.
If you’re planning on having a lunch catered, here are some great options that everyone will love, including options for vegetarians and gluten-free.
Dolma is a popular pick because not only is it a crowd-pleaser, it’s also vegetarian and gluten-free. This is a great option for a variety of special needs diets, as well as food people who are not vegetarian or gluten-free will enjoy.
Dolma is also really practical in other ways because it can be eaten both as a snack, an appetizer, or the side on a main course. It’s ability to fill many different roles makes it a wonderful catering option.
If you need finger foods, Borak is a great option to include as well. These tasty filled pastries can be stuffed with lamb, cheese, or spinach. Get a variety so meat lovers as well as vegetarians can enjoy. Borak is very popular, so you may want to get extras of these when planning your catered event. These will go quickly!
Mediterranean cuisine has an abundance of grilled options too. Pick up some chicken or beef shawerma and some pitas to wrap it in. Throw in a few shrimp or lamb kabobs and you’ve got a lavish feast for your event in no time at all.
Grilled options are great because they offer a variety of flavors and options, and there’s even vegan kabobs available.
Hummus with pita or vegetables to dip into it is also another wonderful idea for including in an office lunch. Hummus is a very popular dip, and works great to help feed hungry people while waiting for grilled foods or other items to be brought out.
For special events, why not finish off with dessert? Baklahva is an incredible dessert, offering crispy layers and the sticky sweetness of honey in every bite. While Baklahva might be a bit overdone for a regular office lunch, it would be perfect for a retirement party or other event where something a bit special might be appropriate.
Mediterranean food is delicious, but sometimes you just need a quick and easy office lunch. If you need good simple food fast, there’s also the office lunch options of sandwich, soda and salad available as well. These are good options for feeding a large number of people quickly, and make a very practical choice.
If you’re ready to change things up with your catering and offer some fresh flavors to your loyal office workers, Mediterranean food is the choice for you. Mediterranean works great thanks to its ability to offer a wide variety of flavors and respect dietary restrictions for a broad number of people.
At Aladdin Cafe, we love a good meal and enjoy seeing others savoring Middle Eastern food and vegan food. We also understand the benefits of eating healthy.
Managing a healthy diet isn’t about limiting food or staying thin. It’s balancing that pizza with foods that maximize energy, improve mood and minimize health risk. What we eat has a significant influence on not just our physical but our emotional and mental well being.
Healthy choices doesn’t necessarily mean giving up foods. It means being aware of what goes in our bodies. We know it’s not as easy as it sounds. We love to eat as much as the next guy. But we also think about healthy eating, such as adding one salad a day to our diet. You’ll find once you get in the habit of making healthy choices, you’ll see the results and be more conscious of making healthy choices.
Here are a few tips to help with that.
Get in the habit of reading labels. Manufacturers know most consumers don’t. Consumers have no idea of the huge amounts of sugar and unhealthy fats these companies put into packaged foods.
Eat more foods with fewer trans fats. It doesn’t always have to be fried chicken. From time to time, go with grilled fish seasoned to taste. Be aware of the refined carbs you ingest. These are infamous contributors to risks like heart disease and so many of us consume them beyond healthy boundaries.
We spend too much time concerned with calories, obsessively counting them to the decimal point so that we can eat a donut. We’ve come to believe that’s healthy, when truthfully, denying ourselves regular portions of food isn’t always the best option if you haven’t been advised by a doctor. Instead of counting calories, simply make healthier choices. Look at foods in terms of variety, freshness and color. Avoid processed and packaged foods.
This cannot be stressed enough: drink water. Water is natural and flushes the system of all the toxins and waste that otherwise gestate. Low energy, headaches and consistent lethargy can be symptoms of dehydration. On top of this, many people often see thirst as hunger and end up eating unnecessarily. If you find yourself hungry — especially if you’ve eaten within the last two hours — drink a glass of water and see if the desire passes.
Be aware of your mood after you eat. Consumption of junk food might feel satisfying, but it can drain you of energy and make you uncomfortable and nauseous. Healthy foods won’t do this. Aladdin Cafe is all about healthy, fresh and premium quality meals. Whenever you eat with us, you make a healthy choice.
A diet filled with Middle Eastern food, similar to a Mediterranean diet, incorporates the flavorful foods of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. This food is conducive with a health diet, as it keeps the body healthy by being heart healthy and staving off many chronic diseases.
Middle Eastern food emphasizes the use of fish, olive oil, whole grains, legumes, and vegetables. Vegetarian food is often enjoyed, as it is heart healthy and strong flavors can be showcased. Because cholesterol and saturated fat are only found in foods that are animal-based, Eating vegetarian or vegan food is very health-conscious. Heart-healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids in fish and olive oil are healthy sources of fats.
For example, Tabouleh is a superfood that incorporates healthy olive oil with a refreshing mix of bulgur wheat, fresh onions and tomatoes, mint, lemon, and salt. This is a perfect dish for corporate catering as it is a crowd pleaser that can easily go along with any entree meal.
Baba Ghanouj is also great for catering, as its light and fresh consistency pairs well with wood-fired pita bread. Baba Ghanouj is a fresh blend of baked eggplant, fresh garlic, tahini, and lemon. Eggplant is especially good for your health, as it is a great source of dietary fiber, copper, and vitamin B1. It also has manganese, niacin, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin K, and folate. Its phytonutrients include nasunin and chlorogenic acid, which are vital to overall health.
Following a Middle Eastern diet is also beneficial to brain health, cognitive function, and overall mortality. Studies have shown a Middle Eastern diet has been able to have an effect on the prevention of Parkinson’s, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s in 1.5 million people. For lunch, you might enjoy an Aladdin Mediterranean Chicken Salad with homemade lemon and olive oil dressing, with a wood fired pita on the side. For dinner, try some falafels, which is a vegetarian delight, and a Koufta Kabob to add some additional protein to your day.
There are many varieties of food available to help you stay healthy while eating Middle Eastern food. The options are endless for your taste and the taste of others. If you are putting on a corporate catering event, impress your guests by including a healthy menu for them to enjoy that will keep them energized throughout the day. Encouraging your guests to eat healthy vegetarian and vegan foods is a great way to have them experience new flavors that they will want to go back for more.