How strict vegetarians are they? Will they eat dairy products or are they vegan (no dairy, honey, etc)?

This topic comes up nearly every holiday. I'd like to once see "Help, I'm a vegetarian and I'm having the carnivores over for Christmas dinner....!!! How many vegetarians go out of their way to make sure there is meat on the table? But so far it's usually everyone getting stressed out because of the vegetarians.

Most "regular" vegetarians (consume eggs, dairy, and some even fish) will not be fussy and most don't expect special treatment. They will just eat the non-meat foods. Strict vegans should contritube food that is suitable for their food choices - but that's my personal opinion.... As a former vegetarian I would just eat the non-meat foods, which usually are plentiful on most Christmas menus.

If you're like most folks, you'll have more than enough vegetable/fruit side dishes and salads to weigh down any sideboard. If you make green beans, you might want to avoid adding bacon and put some almonds in them instead. A hearty bean dish would probably go over well if you want to add something that would be a good replacement for meat for them, but other than that, I wouldn't go too far off the planned menu.

-Grainlady

I would simply make an extra nice pasta casserole, in advance and ready to heat;
pasta primavera for example. Or a cheese topped recipe.

Hide it from the other diners so they don't grab it, lol..........!!!!!!!

I'd suggest asking them what they want. They may be full up to their eyeballs with pasta and veggies.

My dear SIL is a vegetarian and doesn't much like vegetables. What he does like are the roasts and cutlets that Quorn makes. I usually make him a roast for big meals and get some mushroom or other gravy that's not made with a meat stock, and he's happy.

If I'm having chicken, I'll get the cutlets and make them the same way I make the chicken - usually something involving a tomato or pasta sauce.

Have a Merry Christmas

I think Butternut Squash Lasagna would be a nice dish.

I made this last year and it was everyones favorite. I'm making it again this year too. This is copied and pasted from the epicurious site, but if you are interested I'll go get my copy and tell you my notes.

eggplant lasagne with parsley pesto Gourmet : November 2003

There will be about 3/4 cup of parsley pesto left over after making this lasagne.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr

Makes 8 servings.

Gourmet Entertains
ingredients
For béchamel
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For pesto and ricotta mixture
1 1/3 cups hazelnuts (5 1/2 oz), toasted and loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel
4 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (from 3/4 lb)
3 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1 large egg
1 (15-oz) container whole-milk ricotta

For lasagne
4 lb medium eggplants (4), cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
9 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) oven-ready lasagne noodles (sometimes called "no-boil"; 6 oz)
1 1/2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
preparation
Make béchamel:
Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking.
Add bay leaf and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups, about 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper, then remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Cover surface of sauce with wax paper until ready to use.

Make pesto and ricotta mixture:
Coarsely chop 1/3 cup hazelnuts and reserve for sprinkling over lasagne.

Purée parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2/3 cup oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and remaining cup hazelnuts in a food processor until pesto is smooth, about 1 minute.

Whisk egg in a bowl, then stir in ricotta, 1 cup parsley pesto, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined well.

Stir together 1/4 cup pesto and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl for drizzling over lasagne.

Roast eggplant for lasagne:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil 2 large baking sheets.

Brush eggplant with oil on both sides, then arrange in 1 layer on baking sheets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake eggplant, switching position of sheets halfway through baking and turning slices over once, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Assemble lasagne:
Put oven rack in middle position and reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Lightly oil a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (3 quart) and line a larger shallow baking pan with foil.

Spread 1 cup béchamel in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Drop 1 cup ricotta mixture by spoonfuls over pasta, spreading evenly (layer will be thin), then top with 1 layer of eggplant, cutting rounds to fit if necessary. Make 1 more layer each of béchamel, pasta, ricotta, and eggplant. Spread with 1 cup béchamel and cover with remaining 3 pasta sheets. Spread remaining cup ricotta mixture over pasta, then spread ricotta with remaining cup béchamel and top with remaining eggplant in 1 layer (you may have a few slices left over). Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over eggplant and scatter with reserved chopped hazelnuts.

Tightly cover baking dish with oiled foil (oiled side down), then set dish in foil-lined pan (to catch drips) and bake lasagne 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Serve lasagne drizzled with pesto.

Cooks' notes:
Lasagne can be assembled 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Lasagne can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, then heat in a preheated 350°F oven, covered, until hot, 30 to 40 minutes.
Add bay leaf and bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups, about 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper, then remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Cover surface of sauce with wax paper until ready to use.

Make pesto and ricotta mixture:
Coarsely chop 1/3 cup hazelnuts and reserve for sprinkling over lasagne.

Purée parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2/3 cup oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and remaining cup hazelnuts in a food processor until pesto is smooth, about 1 minute.

Whisk egg in a bowl, then stir in ricotta, 1 cup parsley pesto, remaining teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper until combined well.

Stir together 1/4 cup pesto and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a small bowl for drizzling over lasagne.

Roast eggplant for lasagne:
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Oil 2 large baking sheets.

Brush eggplant with oil on both sides, then arrange in 1 layer on baking sheets and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake eggplant, switching position of sheets halfway through baking and turning slices over once, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Assemble lasagne:
Put oven rack in middle position and reduce oven temperature to 425°F. Lightly oil a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (3 quart) and line a larger shallow baking pan with foil.

Spread 1 cup béchamel in baking dish and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Drop 1 cup ricotta mixture by spoonfuls over pasta, spreading evenly (layer will be thin), then top with 1 layer of eggplant, cutting rounds to fit if necessary. Make 1 more layer each of béchamel, pasta, ricotta, and eggplant. Spread with 1 cup béchamel and cover with remaining 3 pasta sheets. Spread remaining cup ricotta mixture over pasta, then spread ricotta with remaining cup béchamel and top with remaining eggplant in 1 layer (you may have a few slices left over). Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over eggplant and scatter with reserved chopped hazelnuts.

Tightly cover baking dish with oiled foil (oiled side down), then set dish in foil-lined pan (to catch drips) and bake lasagne 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Serve lasagne drizzled with pesto.

Cooks' notes:
Lasagne can be assembled 2 hours ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Lasagne can be baked 1 day ahead and cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, then heat in a preheated 350°F oven, covered, until hot, 30 to 40 minutes.

If they eat cheese here are two recipes I've served vegetarians and they have been well received.

Canneloni Stuffed With Spinach And Ricotta (Lori)

Notes: Lori's recipe originally called for 2 pounds fresh spinach, cooked and drained. I have served with the cream sauce or a tomato sauce

6 eggs
1 1/2 Cup flour
1/4 Tsp salt
1 1/2 Cup water
1 Package frozen spinach ,thawed and drained
1 1/2 Cup ricotta
3/4 Cup parmesan
2 egg yolks
Pinch nutmeg, salt and pepper
1 butter Unsalted
1 Cup heavy cream

Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl with electric mixer. Let stand at least 1/2 hour. Cook individual crepes over med heat.

Combine spinach , ricotta, egg yolks. 1/4 cup parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Blend well with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish with the butter. Spread mixture onto to crepes and roll up. Lay seam side down in the dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan. and pour the cream over top. Bake until they turn golden, about 20 minutes.

Cheese And Spinach Enchiladas

NOTE: The filling in these is delicious. Next time I make them I am going to make them as crepes using Lori's crepe recipe above)

4 Poblano chile peppers about 1 pound ( I used canned)
4 Lb fresh spinach stems removed (I used frozen)
4 Tbl unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons
1 Cup chopped yellow onions
1 Tbl chopped garlic
2 Tsp chili powder
3/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup
2 Cup half-and-half
1 Cup cubed queso fresco or queso blanco
1 Cup cubed Pepper Jack plus 1 cup grated
1 Cup grated cotija or Parmesan
2 Tbl vegetable oil
12 corn tortillas (I used flour tortillas )
1 Cup chicken stock
1 Cup heavy cream

Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler, or on top of a gas or charcoal grill.) Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag, and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, split in half lengthwise, and discard the seeds and the stems. Roughly chop and set aside. (To save effort I used canned chiles)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 3 batches, add the spinach and blanch for 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and shock in an ice bath. Remove and squeeze out the excess. Chop and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the flour and cook, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon, to make a light roux, 2 minutes. Gradually add the half-and-half, and cook, stirring, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and stir to incorporate. Remove from the heat and fold in half of the chopped chiles. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Fold in the cubed queso fresco and cubed Pepper Jack, and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the grated Pepper Jack and cotija. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium temperature. One at a time, add the tortillas to the hot oil and cook, turning, until soft and pliable, 15 seconds per side, adding more oil as needed. Remove from the pan and place on a work surface.

Place about 1/2 cup of the spinach mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up into a cylinder. Place, seam side down, in a single layer across the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, to to make a light roux. Slowly add the chicken stock and cook, stirring, until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, until thick, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining poblano peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Pour over the filled enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover evenly with the grated cheeses. Return to the oven and bake until the cheeses are melted and bubbly and the enchiladas are completely warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

This is only my personal experience...ymmv...but most of the vegetarians I know are not quite the foodies you might find here. Food has less of a focus, other than it being fresh and non-life threatening to another animal. I only know one who had been an 'unhealthy' non-cooking vegetarian, eating mostly cheese and eggs ...till her carnivore husband had a heart attack. Now they all eat lots of veggies and salads.

That said...and again ymmv...I would go with a good selection of roasted veggies, perhaps with a grain. Oven roasted asparagus is sooo good that you know everyone will want them. I think my only caveat is that you don't necessarily want too much carb overload with the other dinner items.

This site has a long list that always look good...101 Cookbooks

My father used to be vegan (before his 6-way bypass surgery). My first thought was of the Thanksgiving I did, where, yes, he just ate all the vegan side dishes (included roasted veggies), but I did a special mushroom strudel for him, (and made enough for everyone else). But since itwas made with Phyllo, it is time consuming. I also thought of the butternut squash lasagne, as it is really yummy!

When we would have beef, mom would often grill a couple of marinated portabella mushrooms for him. If they are not vegan, stuff them with boursin. They are filling and yummy.

you'll have to let us know what you decide, and how it goes!

Thank you for all the ideas. They all sound good! Keep them coming! They are not Vegan. Bizzo the Mushroom Strudel sounds yummy. Could it be made ahead and baked at the last minute? I did the marinated portabella's a few years back, SIL made a snide remark about everyone thinking they have to serve them to vegetarians. Do you catch a glimpse of what I'm dealing with? If it weren't for my dear MIL, I'd serve frozen Veggie lasagna.

I'm mean enough that the snide comment would get the SIL a Gardenburger and a smile, but that wouldn't be fair to your MIL. :)

If cheese is OK, I'd go with the Canneloni. I've made Lori's recipe and it's very good. Second choice would be to roast winter squash, brussels sprouts, onions, and other fall veggies and make a sauce to spoon over it like a gravy (I'm thinking along lines of a walnut sauce or buttery bourbon sauce) Whatever you make, assume some of the non-veggies will want a little of it. I've yet to make a vegetarian dish that didn't quickly disappear onto the carnivores (that woudl be us) plates, too. :)

I have a vegetarian that may be coming over so I too would like advice on making that strudel in advance. Seems like you could freeze since you can buy frozen filo things to bake. Right??

One year I made a vegetarian for Christmas at my house one of the stuffed eggplants from the original moosewood cookbook. It was excellent and he was very happy. I am sure you could make it all the way up top the baking step and put in the refrigerator, then just bake it before dinner.

We have this problem every year at Thanksgiving as my SIL and nieces are vegetarian (my brother claims to be a vegetarian without rules, which means he eats meat). Our thanksgiving includes ratatouille, which I think is a vegetarian main course. Took me 6 years to convince my aunt that is enough and she does not need to make another veggie casserole. I actually think part of the problem is as meat eaters we so focus on the meat at the table we cannot imagine the special meal without it.

-Robin

I make this rice casserole for my vegetarian relatives,

RICE CASSEROLE
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp chopped green onion
3 tbsp margarine
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
2 cups whipping cream
2 packages (6 ¾ ounce each) long grain and wild rice
1 cup dried fruit
3/4 cup chopped pecans
½ tsp salt
Sauté mushrooms and onions in margarine. Add remainder of ingredients. Put into casserole dish and bake at 350 for 50 minutes until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. If desired, sprinkle with toasted pecans. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I was a vegatarian for almost 20 years and I would make nut loaf for our main course. I keep thinking one of these days I should make it again. We now do a German Christmas dinner with sauerbraten and all the German side dishes. I couldn't find my old one but found this one online which is very close.
Clare

Cheese and Nut Loaf (Sage)
(Deborah Madison, The Green's Cookbook)

1-1/2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup brazil nuts
1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, then drained and chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 Tablespoon fresh marjoram, or 1 teaspoon dried (I was out of this and it tasted great without it)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 large cloves of garlic, minced very fine
4 large eggs, beaten
9-12 ounces of grated cheese -- Use odds and ends of different cheese that go together. I used cheddar and jack cheese, but swiss or fontina are good too
1 cup (8 oz) cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375° F. Butter a loaf pan and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then butter it again.

Toast nuts on a baking sheet (or you could use a hot, dry skillet set on medium and stir constantly) until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Chop fine with knife, (used a food processor).

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until they're browned and any liquid from the mushrooms has reduced by half. Stir in the cooked rice, the nuts, chopped herbs, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth it down until it's level. Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. It should be firm when you shake the pan. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the loaf and invert onto a serving plate. Serve with Herb Bechamel sauce or a mushroom sauce.

Herb Bechamel Sauce

2-1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 bay leaf
pinch ground pepper
4 branches fresh thyme or a pinch of dried thyme
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsely
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Combine the milk, onion and herbs in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to lowest point and cook for about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it set until you need it. Then strain it--or not, if you prefer. There should be about 2 cups.

Melt the butter and stir in the flour and cook over medium low heat about 1 minute. Whisk in the warm milk all at once and stir in cream, if you're using it. Season with salt and cook over lowest heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often.

Make a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese.
You have potatoes, salad, bread...maybe a veggie too? Sounds like lots to me.
No one seems to feel they need to go out of their way to serve me sometnbing extra if they are having cooked to death pork chops, or a beef roast so soaked with MSG laden "au jus" that I get a head ache from looking at it.
I'm with grainlady.. few enough hosts seem to even think of trying to accomodating some of us who have other food preferences....we just eat around what doesn't appeal to me.
When asked out to dinner do I say..."Thank you very much...but you must know that I am allergic to MSG and don't eat things with canned gravy or a flavor packet of any sort....and I also have a strong aversion to over cooked meat, mushy vegetables and Jell-o salads...but thank you! I'd love to come!"
Nope...I go, and do my best to eat what I can....and never remember going home so hungry that I was raiding the peanut butter jar.
Sorry./...I have little sympathy for vegetarians who remind you of it at every turn.
I have a good friend who is gleutin intolerant....do you realize all that excl;udes? Things like bottled steak sauce to name just a few things. When I have them for dinner, she never "warns" me and I don't make an issue....but I know her husband and kids are starving for good bread and things like that.
After one occasion where she went to the kitchen and washed the gravy from the meat....I am careful to make gravy with tapioca flour....and not to put a flour thickened sauce on the veggies....and to serve the crutons separatly. And on the occasions when her DH and kids asked for my spaghetti....she just said...Don't worry I'll bring my own special pasta.
I don't think you really should feel you have to make a special dish for people who have decided they don't eat meat. My thoughts are....your choice....I made a good salad, potatoes and bread...
Sorry if I seem to be harsh...but I seem to know veritarians who seem to make me feel that I am somehow less "holy" because I choose to eat dead animals.
Linda C

I think vegetarian or not, every Christmas dinner needs a new, hearty and sumptuous vegetable/vegetarian dish each year. I like mashed potatoes, steamed beans and the like but I would truly love to dig into something new, something special.

I'd love to see:

Cheese and Vegetable Pie
Mushroom Stroganoff
Eggplant Parmesan
Mushroom Lasagna
Mixed Vegetable Curry
Red Bean & Tomato Curry

And make enough for everybody, not just the veggie folks.

Joe

This forum has a vegetarian who thinks of her carnivorous friends and family.

lpink, please check in.

Joe, welcome back!

I have vegetarian, more-kosher-than-me, and Atkins friends. Everyone is gracious and begs me to not go out of my way. I love the challenge, especially one family - wife is vegetarian, hubby is Atkins, and we don't mix milk/meat!

Tonight I'm having a friend over who is the more-kosher-than-me, and she's on weight watchers (she has REALLY lost major weight and looks great!). DH is on a daily ceasar salad from scratch kick, which means cheese, so I'm looking through this thread for lo-carb veggie dinner that doesn't take too long (short on time today).

Soup and salad may be the ticket. I have a great black bean chili recipe I got from the vegetarian wife, but no time to pull it together.

No ideas on a veggie main course that is 'fast' except for stuffed mushrooms. How can I be craving those at 5:00AM.

Oooh, I second Giada's butternut squash lasagna. It is so good.

Five years ago, just at this time of year, I joined the Cooking Forum as a vegetarian saying "Help, my picky carniverous family is coming to my house for Christmas and they want a roasted organic turkey. I have no idea!!!" I still often come here for advice on cooking meat, because although I'm pretty conversant on the ins and outs of tofu, I am fairly clueless when it comes to the ins and outs of meat. There are as many types of vegetarians as there are omnivores and carnivores. Just because some are picky doesn't mean all are, same with meat eaters. My dad is one of the pickiest meat eaters on the planet I think.

As for what to serve, I'm not much of a fancy dish person, I'm more of a soup, stew, stir fry, hash kind of cook. Two special things I would recommend, one is "Carbonada Criolla" which I think is an Argentinian dish/stew. I make a vegetarian version and use it to stuff squash with. That is somewhat impressive, I think. I also second anything with phillo/fillo/phyllo. I have a recipe for Albanian spinach pie that I think I got from Linda in TN, which is fantastic made with fresh spinach. Another option is stuffed cabbage or better yet stuffed chard if you can get it. I had that once at a friend's house and it was very good. I think you could freeze almost all of this stuff in advance, but I don't think it would be quite as snazzy thawed out. You could make a day in advance and reheat though, and most things would taste even better. Oh yeah, I also made a recipe for a polenta casserole which looked pretty good (I just made it and froze it, I haven't eaten much of it yet.) But it featured mushrooms predominately. Last week I made stuffed green peppers for a friend, they are also kind of impressive looking. Another option is little individual pot pies, although I have never made anything like that. I have seen recipes for ones with puff pastry toppings that could be adapted for a veggie. Just sub tofu, white beans or fake meat strips for the meat.

I'll try and post recipes tonight, but if none of these sound interesting I can pass too.

Jessy I just reread your post. I missed the part about the diet/low carb kosher visitor! When I made the stuffed peppers it was for my friend who is on a low carb diet. It was pretty fast. I can't remember the entire recipe, but it had some brown rice, firm tofu, I think maybe a little parmesean or maybe mozzarella (one for in the dish, one for topping, I don't think it matters which), some sauteed mushrooms and onion, and a little wheat germ and toasted ground sesame seeds (I have such things on hand in my fridge, I think you could sub ground toasted walnuts for the sesame seeds.) Topped with my homeade, home canned italian tomato sauce (thank you Booberry!) I can't remember if there were any spices in the filling, maybe something italian. Clean and steam the peppers for 8 min. thereabouts. Bake at 375 for 35 min. or maybe more. Sorry,. that's the best I can do from memory.

Most stuffed cabbage, stuffed pepper recipes can be adapted to be low carb/kosher I would think. I also have fake meat crumbles vaguely resembling ground beef in my freezer which can be used.

1pink? Hand up here for that Argentinian stew recipe, please.

We are vegetarian and hate it when we are invited somewhere and the hosts have obviously made something very special for us which they never would have made if we weren't coming.

We can almost always find something to eat on the dinner table except for one time when beef enchiladas were served with beans made with bacon and rice stir fried with bacon. That time, we enjoyed the appetizers a lot more such as the cheese dip.
So don't go to a lot of trouble. I second the motion for roasted veggies. Roasted asparagus are wonderful, especially if you throw in some roasted mushrooms but asparagus are definitely rather expensive so you might have to spend a lot to have enough to pass around.

Green beans are plentiful at our supermarket and relatively inexpensive. What about a green bean casserole made from scratch with fresh mushrooms, fresh beans and a generous use of parmesan cheese. You can steam the green beans and roast the mushrooms after spraying them with olive oil and basting in soy sauce, YUM! But would need to be heated shortly before serving I think but still very simple and you could make lots for everyone. You could also add some sliced almonds are walnuts or pecans to the mushrooms while roasting. (Don't forget onions, white as well as scallions.)

We have LOTS of roasted veggies, sweet potatoes are quite nice that way also roasted with sliced onions and a little cumin sprinkled on them (as well as being sprayed with Olive oil, I never roast without the olive oil).

I pretty much agree with what has already been said by the vegetarians on this thread, and by Grainlady. I couldn't have put it better myself. No, I don't expect nor want people to go out of their way to make something special for me, but Linda, I do have to respectfully disagree with you on letting hosts know of special dietary needs. Before I was vegetarian, I had a party with grilled hamburgers. One of the guests was vegetarian and I didn't know about it. I would have happily provided her with a veggie burger had I known, but instead the guest was left without a burger. Yes, she could have been more gracious about it and not said anything, but still, I, as a host, would have appreciated advance notice that one of the guests is vegetarian.

Being vegetarian is not a fly by night fad that people choose just to make others uncomfortable, or because they think it's cool. Well, maybe some people are like that. But for most people, it is a choice they take very seriously. I wouldn't dream of making people who choose to be kosher, and yes, that is a choice, to feel like they are imposing on people because they are kosher. If a kosher guest were to come to my house for dinner, I'd do everything possible to provide a meal they'd feel comfortable eating. The same holds true, by the way, if and when meat eaters come to my home for dinner. Yes, Grainlady, I do serve meat, but I don't panic. That's what this forum and cookbooks are for.

Sally

I made this for my vegan daughter at Thanksgiving:

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH HERBED RICE STUFFING
Makes 4 servings

{{gwi:2089931}}

For the squash:

2 acorn squash, tops cut off and seeded
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the rice stuffing:

4 cups wild rice (cooked amount!)
1/2 cup margarine
2 onions, diced
1/4 cup roasted garlic, pureed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups dried cranberries
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts
1 cup scallions
Salt and pepper to taste

1. To make squash: Rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in 350-degree oven until tender (about 45 minutes) and let cool.

2. To make stuffing: Cook wild rice and let cool. Saute onions in butter until translucent and let cool. Toss all ingredients together and season to taste. Fill each squash half with stuffing, bake for 20 minutes and serve.

I would go with the lasagna or a stuffed pasta of some kind. Everyone can enjoy it, and if you have children there it will make them happy too. You can put it together ahead of time and just reheat it Christmas Day to save time. I can't see how they could be offended by that, I know plenty of none vegetarian families that have lasagna, salad, and rolls for Christmas dinner. Of course, they are generally Italian, but I never let a little thing like nationality get in the way of a good meal. We have been known to have baked ham with baked beans, sweet potatoes, pasta, pirogi, and assorted veggie side dishes all in the same holiday meal. Mmmm, if you are Polish or Czech, the pirogi's made without meat would be good too. Or if you just like them of course. They are time consuming to make, but you can make them "lazy" style by just mixing the filling and dumpling dough (or frozen noodles you buy at the grocery store).

My experience doesn't match msazadi's. I know vegetarians who are foodies. One is in my kitchen at the moment making cornbread. Two nights ago he made ravioli with a citrus sauce.

For Thanksgiving, the meat eaters amongst us went to my DIL's sisters house for turkey lunch. In the evening we hosted a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. My DS invited an fellow grad student and her room mate (both Indian and vegetarian). We wanted to make something they would like without doing Indian food.

This Tunisian Chickpea Soup from Olive Trees and Honey went over well. Spicy enough to be familiar to them without attempting to be Indian.

1/4 c olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 small (~10 oz) celery root, peeled and chopped or 2 stalks celery chopped
2-4 cloves garlic minced
~ 10 c water
1 lb (2 1/3 c) dried soaked chick peas
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp cumin seeds or 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 to 2 tbsp harissa or 1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt or 2 tsp kosher salt
ground black pepper
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro, mint or parsley
2 to 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice or 1 c plain yogurt
3 to 4 c french bread cubes or pita bread (optional) (I didn't)
3 to 4 c French bread cubes or pita bread

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic and saute until softened, ~ 10 min
Add water, chick peas and bay leaves. Boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer until tender, ~ 1 1/2 hours
Toast cumin seeds (if using) in a dry skillet until lightly browned - shake or stir - don't burn them. Grind.
Add cumin, harissa or cayenne, salt and pepper to soup.
Cover and simmer 15 min.
Discard bay leaves.
Coarsely mash the chick pease a bit with a wood spoon, potato masher or stick blender.

Can be stored in fridge and reheated for serving. Add the cilantro and lemon juice and heat through before serving.
If desired, add 1/2 cup bread pieces to each bowl and ladle soup over. Drizzle with olive oil. (We were having falafal and pita bread after plus I made cranberry walnut whole wheat bread so we didn't do bread in the soup bowls. I didn't drizzle the oil and it was fine.)

Moroccan variation in case you have non-spicy types - omit cumin and harissa. After mashing the chick peas, add 2 lb stemmed chopped spinach or chard or frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry and the lemon juice, cover and simmer 2 to 4 min.

Home made pita and falafel were great but not low effort. About half the falafel recipes used soaked and ground chick peas. The other half used soaked, cooked and mashed chick peas. I did a half batch each way - the ones using soaked and ground but not pre-cooked chick peas came out much better - very good flavor and texture.

Sephardic Leek and Cheese Casserole also from Olive Trees and Honey - a very good book if you want to expand your vegetarian repertoire - is good and pretty easy. It reheats well so you could make it ahead. Too late for Jessy I'm afraid.

1/4 c olive oil
3 lb leeks ( 1 1/2 lb if you do the zucchini varient), white and light green parts only cut into thin lengthwise slices and washed
1 large onion chopped (optional - I've always used it)
1 c water
2 cups (~1 lb) grated zucchini
2 tsp salt or 4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta or 1 c (8 oz) farmer or pot or 1 c grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese or a combination (I've always done the feta)
1 c shreded kashkaval, Goueda, Muenster or Cheddar (did this the first time and thought it didn't add much - other times I've done just the feta)
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil

ground black pepper to taste or 1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 c chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil a 9 " square or 8 by 11 inch baking dish or two 9-inch pie plates.
In a large sauce pan (she must have really large sauce pans - I use a small soup pot), heat oil over medium heat. Saute leeks and onion until softened. Add water, zucchini if using, 1 1/2 tsp salt or 3 tsp kosher salt, cover and simmer until leeks are tender (about 15 min). Drain

Combine cheeses, eggs, remaining salt, pepper and dill or nutmeg. Add leek mixture.

Put in baking dish. Bake until set and golden brown, about 50 minutes.

Variant - you can leave out the cheese msazadi and cook 2 lb peeled, diced russet potatoes with the leeks. Kind of mash it after the draining step. I usually still put in the feta or you can put in 1/2 c Parmesan cheese.

Really fancy and a good side dish for the meat eaters would be a nice Biryani. I have made one with cashews and pistachios in the top layer of rice but it was more work. There are some simpler ones on line.

I realized I forgot to add a recipe to my post above. Here's a vegetable pot pie recipe from Ina Garten that I made for Thanksgiving. It was well received. I'm thinking of making it again for my big family gathering next week. Although the recipe calls for Pernod, I don't think you need to go out and buy it if you don't already have it. I don't think it would cause a problem or be noticed if you left it out. Oh, and I put it in a 9x13 sheet cake pan instead of the individual ramekins, since we were traveling for Thanksgiving, and I thought a casserole type dish would work better. I think it makes quite a few more servings than the recipe notes suggest, unless your individual serving bowls are very large.

Vegetable Pot Pie
Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups sliced yellow onions (2 onions)
1 fennel bulb, top and core removed, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups good chicken stock
1 tablespoon Pernod
Pinch saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups asparagus tips
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced carrots (4 carrots)
1 1/2 cups peeled, 3/4-inch-diced butternut squash
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions (1/2 pound)
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
For the pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the asparagus, carrots, and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, and parsley to the sauce and mix well.
For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Sally

I don't know the exact origins of "Carbonada Criolla." My Moosewood cookbook lists carbonada as an argentinian soup/stew. The recipe I use came from the Detroit News, eons ago, from an article about tsimmes. The author may have been Joan Nathan(?). I didn't write down that part. Anyway, "Carbonada Criolla" was listed as an Argentinian tsimmes, and I adapted the recipe to be vegetarian. Tsimmes is a long stewing mixture of fruit, vegetables and meat, usually I guess beef? I'm out of my element with that because I don't make tsimmes the food (I have been accused of making a big tsimmes out of things in my life, but that's another story! :) (Esoteric yiddish reference).

Carbonada Criolla is my kind of typical hash meal, but it becomes elegant when served in a squash tureen or in individual squash halves. You could also serve it over rice. When I served it, I found a hubbard squash about the size of a small foodball, and used that as a tureen. I really love hubbard squash but can rarely find one that isn't so big as to serve an army, so I rarely buy it. If I was going to stuff a smaller squash, I'd still look for some type of orange variety, I can occasionally find small orange types in the grocery. Others would be good too though. I love most kinds of squash.

Carbonada Criolla (serves 10 if the recipe is doubled)
Argentinian Tsimmes

Bake the squash to be stuffed at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Note: when I bake squash I put some water in the bottom of the baking tray to prevent the squash from becoming dried out.

2 TBLSP olive oil or other veg. oil
2 cups beans (dark red kidney or garbanzo would be nice), or fake meat crumbles, or baked smoked tofu (I can get this in my grocery, it is called "Tofu Kan" but there are other varieties of barbecue style tofu).
1 large coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can chopped italian tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 large or two small sweet potatoes (parboil first for faster preparation)
1 large or two small white potatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
2 med. carrots
1 small can of corn or 2/3 cup from a bag of frozen corn
4-8 pitted prunes
4-8 peach halves or apples
(Note: the original recipe called for 8 of the dried fruit, but I only use 4. You could probably also use dried apricots)

Saute onions, garlic and protein source in oil until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes and water, bring to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots, cook 30 min. Add water if needed. Add corn and fruit, simmer 15 min. more. Stuff tsimmes into squash and bake 15 more minutes in the oven at 375.

Notes--you could add some other spices if you like, maybe paprika and lemon juice. You could garnish it with some shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, or even queso blanco I guess. Maybe some toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds? This would be great all thrown into the crockpot and made the day before and then stuffed into the squash and warmed up for a party.

I also like the wild rice stuffed squash like oklamoni posted.

Some people really love the butternut squash lasagne and serve it as a side dish at the holidays. If I make that, I like to include spinach or chard and some roasted red peppers in the filling. Looks Christmasy! Of course all this depends on your taste, some people (like my dad) find spinach and peppers to be evil! :)