[GoldyBear]

Hi, I wasn't sure where to post this because there are several food-related subforums... A classmate of mine and her Type I boyfriend have invited me to a picnic happening next weekend. We're supposed to be having Vietnamese food and I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions on what I could bring that's not going to skyrocket both our glucose levels. As I'm a klutz in the kitchen, I'd prefer it to be something I could purchase at a Vietnamese Deli or French-style bakery (since a lot of the cuisine overlap). But it doesn't neccessarily have to be Vietnamese, just something out-of-the-ordinary. I'm going to be taking public transit, too, so any ideas on keeping the food item poisoning-free is appreciated. Thanks!

[davef]

Goldy,

I'd go with things like salads with some salads, you could grill/fry some chicken/pork in spicies, soy etc in advance. I found recipes for salads and other things here All Vietnamese Recipes and Cuisine - The perfect introduction to the world of Vietnamese recipes and cuisines.

Just watch the salad dressings. You could bring some low-carb tortilla wraps (know they are not vietnamese) to help bulk up if you wanted.

[BrianSCohen]

I might recommend a vietnamese inspired dish, drawing on traditional flavors such as lemon grass and lime. Other favorite flavors include vietnamese coriander, pepper and fish sauce. Consider an an easy meat dish with chicken breasts marinated in lemon grass and lime and then grilled. You can serve them cold. You can probably do the same with a veggie dish.

Myself, I find that Sriracha can convert anything into a vietnamese dish, although actually Sriracha is Thai.

[GoldyBear]

Thank you for the link, Dave, it's very helpful!

[GoldyBear]

And thank YOU, Brian. It's true what you say about Sriracha hot chil sauce. I used to add two giant squirts to my ramen (in the days when I could have ramen and not feel guilty about it), mixed in with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. Both masked the flavor of the salty seasoning packet but I loved the sensation of tearing up while eating my noodles.