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What about two paellas? One with seafood/sausage... and another that is vegetarian?

A while back I made this Black Bean Chili with Crispy Pork and Poblano Salsa from epicurious - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-Chili-with-Crispy-Pork-and-Poblano-Salsa-241620. I remember it getting rave reviews from my guests. It's great because the pork is cooked and served separately, keeping the chili vegetarian. The various components take a bit of time to put together, but each are really tasty and go together really well.

Why not have a taco or burrito setup with seperate dishes for rice, beans, meat, salsa, vegetables, ect. That way everyone can build their own tacos/burritos to their liking.

You could make a lot of things...
1.taco salad (meat eaters could add beef, veggie people can have fajita veggies and beans)
2. enchiladas (meat or cheese)
3.nachos
4. a rice and black bean casserole with tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, and onions topped with cheese (serve with green side salad and pineapple)
5. meat tamales and bean/cheese tamales
6. quesadillas (chicken ones and mushroom/veggie ones)

... The list could go on. Whatever you do, be sure to have some fresh guacamole!

The fact that you have someone that will only eat mexican food leaves you in the best position possible, since that is the most individual-assembly-friendly and good for veggies and/or not veggies. Assuming you don't have people that refuse to interact with their food other than to eat it, you could create some sort of little assembly station that combines many of what's suggested above (tacos, taco salad, burritos, nachos, etc...). It'll be fun and let all your finicky eaters get exactly what they want.

Alongthe lines of Luxeport's idea, I second for an open taco/burrito/taco salad bar, along with some approachable sides--rice, refried beans/vegetarian black beans, queso fundido, etc. Or you could just make a few varieties of tamale pies and enchilada dishes, along with the standard chips, salsa, and maybe a soup or two, like albondigas and vegetarian tortilla soup.

i was going to say make it a potluck or cocktail party but the taco/salad bar sounds awesome. also this is YOUR party. you can serve whatever YOU want. i know you want to please your family members, but it's not up to the guests to pre-order dishes that they expect you to make. that's why i was thinking potluck.

I'd tell them "To heck with you!" and make the soups. It's your party that you are being so gracious as to invite them to. Other than whatever they might have offered to bring, they shouldn't comment on what you choose to cook. Family can be a pain like that, though.

Chilequiles are delicious and easy. They're basically breakfast nachos: eggs scrambled with tortilla chips, cheese and ranchero sauce (at least at my favorite breakfast place) and I think they'd work well for vegetarians. You could add some pre-cooked beef or chicken for the meat eaters and put out pepper sauces for the spice loving crowd.

I like the idea of paella, too. It also falls into the "Delicious and easy" category. Good luck!

Maybe fake meat is the way to go? There's a Thai restaurant in Montreal called ChuChai that is all-vegan, but with extremely realistic duck, shrimp, chicken and so forth in their dishes. I say this as an omnivore, that the food is astoundingly good and not "fake" tasting. Maybe if you can find some good quality meat-substitues, you can please everyone with just a couple dishes.

"People who will only eat Mexican food?" ..."Don't like fancy food?" And who is "accusing" you of not making a "real" meal? This is your family? Good lord. I'd go with Tiamat... make the soups and don't worry about pleasing the extremely picky ones.

Build-your-own tacos, fajitas, &/or Indian tacos always work great with our family of picky eaters (among whom I'm the only vegetarian) ... it could also lend itself well to a few requests of "oh, Aunt Jenny, could you please bring ___________?" to take a little pressure off, if that would help. Like others have said, however, it is still *your* party, and they're very lucky to be invited to a get-together hosted by someone considerate enough to give the food this level of thought. Have a great time, no matter what you decide to serve.

Lol - Mostly, it's my dad and the non-US born in my family. They are wary of anything "fancy". Fancy means anything that might have been on the Food Network. My dad nearly died when I fed him soyrizo - though he enjoyed it before he knew it wasn't meat. I made risotto once and had to call it "cheesy rice" so he would eat it. My little brother doesnt touch any food that is sweet/savory and no one eats black beans because apparantly, that's not what northern Mexicans eat. For my family, eating is gut busting - doesn't really have to taste good, but does have to make you loosen your belt. I swear, I hate my families eating habits. Not only are they picky, they're complainers. I am the only person of the 25 who eats anything offered - even if I'm not a fan. I really love all the suggestions - I've gone from having no ideas to having a whole bunch.

we make fabulous spiced zucchini tacos with corn salsa and lime/cilantro cabbage slaw - they could also be made with any kind of meat you wanted to put on them, but are incredibly filling and fresh as a vegetarian dinner. everyone could pile theirs with whatever they like. we just cut the zucchini into spears, rub with paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar, then grill on a grill pan or saute. you can use the same rub and method for chicken, etc. for the slaw, just dress shredded green cabbage with lime, salt, pepper, and cilantro (if you like it). for corn salsa, use canned yellow corn, green or red onions, and a dash of chipotle tabasco. my bf likes to add black beans. tomatoes and sour cream help, and i prefer flour tortillas. we just made these the other night and now i want more!!!

i heart taco night! i agree with the above make your own taco/fajita bar...that way everyone wins. you could even have a contest as to who makes the most unique dish, prettiest dish, tastiest, etc...personally, my favorites are fake steak and potato tacos--but i also love sweet potatoes in tacos as well...so many options! and how fun is it to say that you're going to "taco night"...

If it were me, I'd pick up some pizza dough from Trader Joe's - or precooked crusts - and set up a pizza topping buffet. Get the vegetarians together to make their pizza and the meat lovers together ... all you have to do is toss it in the oven. Only potential problem is if you have a small or slow oven...

Wait -- not to detract the conversation -- but what exactly are Indian tacos?

When I read Indian tacos, I thought of NAVAJO TACOS. oh jesus, they're so damn delicious. Fry bread and this chili type stew. so greasy delicious.

Bless you guys for all these suggestions..I'm sure there are plenty to go on now!

Yes, thanks so much

-Paula

I like doing several dishes for parties and set up a buffet, so that there is a little of everything. Most of the dishes I make are not complicated but there is always a theme such as (Tex-) Mexican, Italian or Indian. Most dishes I make before and just reheat.
Parties should be fun for both the host and the guests, so hope you enjoy yours!

Make sure to have vegan cheese on hand for the vegans/lactose intolerant!!
Build your own fajitas/tacos is an awesome idea!
For big parties, I always rely on vegan chili or my lasagne made with soft tofu instead of ricotta cheese, and lots of veggies and soy cheese.
Both are super tasty served with fresh salad and garlic bread. Perfect winter comfort food!!