What to serve the vegetarian at Christmas dinner

Isn’t it always the way? You have planned the perfect holiday menu, bought the bird, made the cranberry sauce, baked the Christmas pudding – and then it hits you: what are you going to serve Cousin Bob’s wife, the vegetarian?

If you’ve forgotten all about your vegetarian guests until the last minute, there’s no need to panic.

Most vegetarians are plenty happy to eat everything else that’s served at a typical holiday dinner. One can get plenty full just eating mashed potatoes, buttered carrots and green beans.

But if you’re thinking ahead and want to put together a feast that even a vegetarian will love, here are a few tips.

1. Find out what kind of vegetarian your guest it. Most vegetarians don’t eat fish and almost all won’t eat turkey. Some won’t eat eggs and others don’t eat dairy, so it’s important to find that out right away.
2. Instead of the traditional turkey gravy, consider making a vegetarian mushroom gravy. Chances are everyone will love it and no one will miss the usual fat-laden version. There are canned versions available but we’ve also included a simple recipe below.
3. Consider making vegetarian stuffing. Just make the usual stuffing, skip the added sausage or turkey bits and use vegetable stock to moisten it. If you still want to stuff the bird before roasting it, put some stuffing aside that will be turkey-drippings-free.
4. Use vegetable stock when boiling any veggies instead of chicken stock. And for the vegan, use margarine instead of butter when making the mashed potatoes.

Vegetarian main courses

The problem with a lot of vegetarian main courses is that they either involve weird ingredients you’ve never heard of (what is “seitan” anyway?), or are centred on pasta, rice or potatoes. The last thing any of us needs at a holiday dinner is more starch.

So try to come up with something that involves a simple vegetarian protein source but not a lot of starch.

If you try a new recipe and it turns out a disaster, you still have options. A quick dash to the store will likely yield you something. Grocery stores these days are filled with vegetarian items, such as frozen veggie patties, vegetarian meatloaves and veggie burgers.

And if all else fails, you can always just open a can of baked beans in tomato sauce.

Simple Lentil Loaf

• 1/2 cup dry lentils, well rinsed
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Freshly cracked pepper
• 1 tbsp of chopped herbs (parsley, chives, coriander, or a mixture of whatever you have on hand) optional
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, approx
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Bring the lentils and stock to a boil in a saucepan, lower heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes, until water is nearly gone and lentils are very soft.

Sauté the onion and carrot in the olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients except the last tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl, adding just enough bread crumbs so that the mixture holds together well. Spread the mixture into a loaf pan.

At this point, you can refrigerate the loaf covered in plastic for up to 3 days or cook them immediately.

Bake for 30 minutes in a 375° F oven, then cut into slices.

Tofu Quiche (non-vegan)  

• 1 pkg medium firm tofu
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper,
• 1/2 cup each chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup grated cheese (cheddar, provolone, Swiss, or a combination)
• 1/4 cup parmesan
• 1 9" pie shell

Wrap tofu in paper towel and squeeze dry. Beat eggs together in a bowl and beat in Tofu.
Sauté all vegetables in a little olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into pie shell. Sprinkle grated cheese on top, then sprinkle on parmesan. Place pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any splatters. Bake 40-45 minutes in a preheated 350° F oven, or until golden brown.

Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Or bake ahead and reheat in a low oven before serving.

Mushroom Gravy

• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms (try button mushrooms, portabellas, shitake, or rehydrated dried mushrooms, or a combo)
• 5 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth, heated
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Sage, either fresh, dried or powdered
• Freshly ground black pepper

Sauté the onion in the oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add mushroom mixture to the simmering stock in a pot. Stir the flour into a small amount of cold water until dissolved. Pour in the mixture along with soy sauce and stir over medium heat until thick.

Adjust seasoning with the sage and pepper.

- Angela Mulholland

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