Year Eleven?

I intended to stop hosting anti-Valentine's Day parties many years ago, but I succumbed to friends' encouragement, one year at a time, to keep going. I'll spare regular readers (both of you?) by not rehashing the history, but you can read my past musings here, here, and here, and MP Dunleavey's take here. I always ended up having the party--even last year, when I'd returned from Hawaii the day before, and it was the last thing I felt like doing--and it was always worth it afterward. But I started to resent being expected to have it, especially since some people can't even be bothered to RSVP, because it's not like that makes a difference in one's planning. People started to offer to help--the party meant that much to them--but then always backed out at the last minute, so it always came down to just me and a gazillion appetizers to make. But I digress.

So I said I'd go to ten, and then stop, and this year would be eleven. In past years, I'd start thinking about the party in December, start sending save-the-dates about now, which means I guess I'd better make a decision. As usual, I've been leaning toward not hosting, but then I was drawing up an invite list, and it occurred to me that I would never see some people, including close friends (or maybe not see them for another six months), if I didn't have this party.

Then again, there's a lot of good stuff going on on the 12th, which is when it would be. Do I want to commit myself out of an Alexandria Symphony Orchestra concert and/or a Howard Fishman CD release party to put together a party when all the guests might not only prefer to go to one of those two events, or similar--which is fine--but not even bother to tell me? The only reason I'm even considering it is that Alvin Ailey is the week before. Which reminds me, I'd better get tickets next week.

It--if it happens--is going to be a very different party, food-wise. Say what you will about dairy in terms of cruelty and health, but it does wonders for appetizers. So no rocquefort grapes this year, or hazelnut/blue-cheese endives. Or tiramisu, or fondue. I figure I can make the ever-popular pea dumplings with silken tofu and nutritional yeast, and no one will know the difference (or see if I have frozen marscapone left, which I may as well use if it's there). I guess maybe I can take a crack at vegan tiramisu, but I probably won't. Maybe I'll do black bean brownies with green tea pudding (or ice cream, if I get an ice cream maker by then) for dessert. But if I make black bean brownies, would that be too much black bean, considering I'd also make sliders? No one has to know what's in the brownies. Anyway, here's what I'm thinking for the menu:

Ready-made appetizers: olives, grape leaves, edemame, mini heirloom tomatoes, other raw veg

Other appetizers: black bean sliders (with mango salsa?), falafel with tahini sauce, marinated tofu/vegetable skewers, spring rolls with hoisin sauce, eggplant rolls (stuffed with roasted pecans and sun-dried tomatoes), azuki-kabocha dumplings, pea dumplings, and maybe nori rolls. I'd make mochi in nori, because it's amazing, but it has to be consumed almost immediately, which doesn't make it a great party food.

Desserts: green tea ice cream (or pudding), black bean brownies.

Thoughts? Ideas?