Vegetarians/Vegans - Christmas dinner at an omnivore's house?!

Hello

What a lovely relative you are. It sounds as though she is happy, I suppose you could buy the fake vegetarian tofurkey and serve that with stuffing as a suprise for her, or a nut loaf etc.

I agree with the first answers. If she is vegetarian but wants low-calorie low-fat stuff with not much butter and sour cream, she's kinda picky (not that that's a bad thing). She might not want to be fussed over and you might make her uncomfortable if you prepare something specially for her. If it was really a big deal to her she would be bringing food herself. Just don't worry about it! Vegetables have tons of protein by the way.

If you decide to make her a main course, you could cook..

a pot pie ( http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/po… ),

lasagna ( http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/la… ),

or ratatouille ( http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/ra… ).

Of course, for these recipes, you will need to half the ingredients, since your sister will be the only one eating.

She is lucky to have such a thoughtful sister-in-law! You are very sweet. Don't feel that you have to take on extra tasks, but if you want to, go ahead (just be sure to let her know so she doesn't bring something for herself). Pre-vmade options like Tofurkey and Field Roast are easy and delicious and serve as a nice visual fill-in for the meat. Other ideas would be stuffed veggies, a timbale, or a croquette.

i would ask first since you said she's the type of person that doesn't want you to go though any trouble. depending on your relationship she might feel like she did something to make you feel like you had to change what you're making or she might feel flattered that you considered her.

I would bring something for myself, but since she's not that sort of person it's totally up to you. make sure it's something like beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, etc. as a veg protein. At Xmas dinner, I make a tofurkey roast, which is always an option.

In my experience, I've just generally ate from side dishes----generally not EVERYTHING has meat&seafood (or, in my case, I add eggs to that list). If I'm concerned that that household REALLY focuses on meat dishes, I'll offer to help out with preparing such a big meal by preparing a few dishes myself (under assumption I don't have to follow someone else's orders of what to make, how to make it, and what that dish must contain (i.e. meat/seafood)). I know it's sort of self serving, but, that was I know I'll have something I can eat (and since I made dish x myself, I'll know it really IS vegetarian; not cooked in an animal derivation or containing eggs or such). If you're doing all the cooking yourself, maybe you could ask her yourself if she wants something specially made (ask BEFORE the event takes place, and ask her privately, like in person or on the phone) and if so a suggestion. Be honest in that you're not experienced in cooking her variety of vegetarian meals, but that you're eager to learn more. =) That way, you come across as respectful, kind, and understanding.

Well it is Christmas, and I'm sure you'll be going to considerably more trouble than usual for your other guests, so it makes sense that you should go to more trouble than usual for your vegetarian guest.

It's grim going somewhere for Christmas dinner (actually for any dinner) and just being given vegetables and side dishes. When I was much younger and there weren't nearly so many vegetarians (and so not nearly so much awareness of vegetarianism, vegetarian cookbooks and readily available vegetarian products) this happened whenever I visisted anyone's house for a meal, and I put up with it. It isn't something I would expect to happen now, and it doesn't - and I'm vegan now.

This site has several good recipes for Chrismas main courses; if your s-i-l is determined to stick to her 'low calorie' rule even for Christmas dinner they might not be of much help, but you can try.

http://www.veganfamily.co.uk/yule.html#l…

Well, I'm the sort of person who many times doesn't even tell people I'm vegetarian because I actually DON'T want them to go to any trouble because then I feel I'm being demanding, so I think I understand how she feels.
So, if you do cook something special, I would just not act like you made it specifically for her, but that it was a new recipe that just happened to be vegetarian. Then, if she feels like 'Amy''s neice does, she won't feel obligated to eat it. Just a suggestion :)

The 'main' dishes I've had for holidays:
-stuffed squash (wild rice, pecan, & cranberry; a slightly modified version of this: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=30486.…
-a chickpea bake (I'm sorry I don't remember the site I found the recipe on)
-I've also trried this (using brown rice, not lentils) and it turned out well: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7429.0
another one of my favorites is sweet potato-praline casserole, but it is very sweet and rich so I don't think she would like it.

and a good option at could be a side for everyone else and provide protein and variety for her would be some sort of lentil soup or split pea soup. Or you could look into vegetarian-ized recipes of french onion or noodle soups.
The vegweb site I use above- if you go back to the main recipes page there are tons of recipes- from personal experience, its best to use ones that have good reviews (common sense though).

PS: I like your username :)

I don't like it when people go out of their way for me for meals and stuff.
Being a veggie isn't something I think about at meals, I just get what I like to eat.
If you think she needs or would like something else, you could make a wider selection of veg stuff. Like a salad, casserole, somethin' tasty, maybe even ask your brother what her favorite food is. The low fat thing makes it a little more difficult. Stir fried veggies, a minestrone type veggy soup (great crock pot style), Mediterranean cuisine. Anything like that should be good. Just do a little recipe research. Just put stuff on the table, that way she won't feel awkward. Good luck. :)

I think you should continue to do what you've been doing. We have a couple of family members who are vegetarian...probly not as picky as the one you have to deal with but we never make dishes specifically for them. I have made slight adjustments as you have - using veggie stock instead of chicken stock and that sort of thing.

I've had long talks about it with one niece and she hates when people make special vegetarian dishes because most of the time she doesn't like them but then she has to eat it because these people have gone to all the trouble to make it. She'd rather just eat what's available and leave it at that.

I would make a Ratatouille and make enough for everyone to taste - it will make her feel welcome and then maybe she will be able to get around to contributing a dish too. Ratatouille is a tomato based vegetable casserole that can be made in a half hour and then put on to simmer for more time if needed. I make it at home and serve it with polenta - Italian for "corn meal mush" with a sprinkle of grated parm on top.
Recipe:
For 8 people you need a large eggplant, one medium zuchini, a 28 oz tin of tomatoes, 1/2 lb of mushrooms, 1 large white onion, 1 red and a yellow bell pepper, 2 cloves of garlic - mashed,1 - 2 Tblsp of italian seasonings, a bay leaf, a splash up to 1 cup of red or white wine and some olive oil to saute the veggies in and a pinch of sugar for the finish to cut the acid in the tomatoes. Wash and dice all the veggies in large bite sized pieces - as if for chinese food - and saute them in batches in a large pot or in a wok over medium high heat stirring frequently. I do each veggie separately and then toss them into an oven proof large casserole and keep it in a warm oven. When all the veggies are done, I deglaze the pan with the tomatoes and the wine and then add the spices and a bit of salt and pepper and put all of it in the casserole, mixing them up well. sometimes the addition of a half cup of pitted greek olives is really tasty.

Look up a couple of recipes. You could serve it over brown rice instead of the polenta. OR just make cornmeal mush and let it sit in a greased pie plate -adding a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper to it. Serve a wedge of mush with a scoop of "rat" on top. Too tasty. Have fun.

The next thing to learn to make is Gado Gado and then Felafels. Knowing a few vegan dishes is great. It just opens up other cuisines for exploration. I have made Ratatouille the day before and cooled it down and then on the day of the party just put it in the oven for an hour at 350oF.. I have made it in a crock pot and in a large 20 litre roaster for 60 people. check out The Vegetarian Epicure cookbook as well as the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen - the recipe for mushroom moussaka is just amazingly good you can make it non dairy by using soy milk instead of milk for the bechamel and to make it lower in calories you can do a corn starch slurry in the hot "milk" rather than the fat and flour roux. Have fun cooking.

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