Cooking for 40 people is a big job. Here's a quick guide:
There should be enough food for some leftovers every night. This means dishes should serve 30 to 40 servings, and stretching the budget is important.
In layman's terms, this means you will make around 2 trays of baked veggies, a starch (~8 cups of rice), 12-14 packages of tofu.
Budget is $75 with a hard cut off at $90. You should be able to comfortably do dinner for <$30 with stewarded items, but please please use the budget if you have ideas/inspo! If you are using house tofu, you should account for that in your budget (somewhat). Most vegan protein is ~$2 per unit, and you'll need 12 units. We usually have house grains too (pasta, rice, quinoa), but you are encouraged to treat us to couscous and fancy bread! Many cooks spend around $20 on vegetables as well. Then you can buy other nice things to make your dinner delicious! Roasted red peppers, champagne vinegar, cheese, veganaise, your heart's desire, etc. We have an extensive spice collection, so check that out!
You can sign up for lates and see who is signed up for lates at http://lates.pikans.org
Now required this quarter. Saying what's for dinner entices people to come back to pika for dinner. It also reduces people hanging around the kitchen nagging you about what you're making.
People at pika have various dietary restrictions related either to personal choice or medical issues. Every meal should have at least one vegan option that contains significant protein content (such as legumes, soy, nuts, quinoa, tofu, tempeh, seitan, or other isolated protein). Aim for at least 600g of total protein per dinner (that's ~12 packs of tofu!). In addition, it is encouraged to make at least one thing that everyone can eat, taking into account other intolerances, allergies, and dietary choices among people on mealplan.
Vegan (no meat, dairy, honey, or other animal products)
Gluten-free (no wheat, rye, barley, pasta, desserts, conventional breads and flours, soy sauce)
About half of mealplanners are vegan or vegetarian.
Dairy: D+ or DF (note: eggs are not dairy)
Gluten: G+ or GF
Meat: M
"Fish": "P" (for "pescatarian")
Vegan: V*
Vegetarian: V
("+" means "contains", and should esp. be used if this is non-obvious; F means "Free")
tamari or Braggs Liquid Aminos rather than soy sauce
rice noodles rather than conventional noodles/pasta
quinoa and millet rather than wheat, rye, or barley
soy milk rather than milk
magical forces rather than eggs
gluten-free flours and xanthan gum for baking