Help Please! Vegan Alternative for Christmas Lunch

[SingingTunelessly]

That's it really. I've got one vegan and one vegetarian coming for Christmas lunch. I'm stumped. They're both really lovely and have said oh we'll just have the vegs but I really want to do them something special to go with the veggies if that doesn't sound too mad?

The vegetarian will eat vegan but the vegan won't eat vegetarian. Any ideas gratefully received.

[gillybean2]

nut roast

[ImeldaM]

nut roast v nice, very easy to make and goes well with 'all the trimmings', gravy, veg, roasties etc. You can make it in a small casserole dish and squeeze in oven beside everything else. Can prepare/ mix together the day before too.

I used to be veggie but have gone back to poultry eating but still think 'yum' when I remember my xmas nut roast . Used to make special one with tasty herby layer in the middle for xmas (although involves butter so not for vegan)

Rose Elliot does best recipies

[Takver]

I make a mushroom & artichoke pie as a veggy Christmas meal which is v. easy to make and also extremely delicious (only problem is that the meat eaters tend to all take helpings too, so you have to make lots.

You need some dried mushrooms and tinned/jarred artichoke hearts for it (and frozen/fresh puff pastry) but it only takes about 15 mins max to put together. If you'd like the recipe let me know & I'll type it out.

Nut roasts - also good, but do check for nut allergies (speaking as a nut-allergic ex-veggy :) )

[SingingTunelessly]

Ooh thank you all. I think I was trying to avoid giving them a nut roast as thought it was a bit boring? Maybe I'm over-thinking though being a meat-eater myself.

Takver yes please to that receipe when you've got time to type it out.

[Silkstalkings]

Sage is always a Christmassy flavour to add.

[Takver]

Very easy, apologies for vague quantities - its been rather drastically adapted from my original recipe (which was for a Christmas suet pudding . . .)

Put a good handful of dried mushrooms on to soak in hot water

Fry a couple of leeks (or onions if you prefer) and quite a lot of normal mushrooms in olive oil until soft but not too cooked, add some crushed garlic if you like

Spread the mushrooms/leeks out in a pie dish, drain a tin of artichoke hearts, halve and dot around all over the mushroom/leek mixture.

Strain the dried mushrooms keeping the liquid, and scatter those over too.

Then make a gravy - fry a tablespoon of cornflour in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, add the mushroom soaking liquid and a big glass of red wine, and then a little more water if needed to make up a reasonable amount of 'gravy'. Add a good splash of soy sauce to taste. Cook til thickened

Pour around half the thickened gravy over the contents of the pie dish, top with puff pastry. At this point it can go in the fridge til ready to cook. Cook for about 20 mins on a high-ish heat. (I've got a rayburn, so don't do exact temps, but whatever you'd cook pastry on normally.) Heat the rest of the 'gravy' and serve with the pie.

[gillybean2]

If they've said they're happy with just veggies don't go overboard on something, keep it simple.

Also if your vegan or even veggie is very strict (assuing vegan would be) you would need to make sure the wine in above recipe is vegan/veggie.

Also you'll have to make your own pastry to ensure it's vegan.

Nut roast by far the simplist and never get tired of variations on it. Mushrooms on the other hand I'll never eat another

[SingingTunelessly]

Takver thank you that sounds delicious, I cook with an Aga and vague recipe quantities as well so that's perfect for me! Problem as Gilly says is the pastry isn't it. Damn. Really don't think I can faff with attempting to make puff pastry.

Silk agree re sage but what can I put with it!

Can't believe I'm getting quite so stressy over this. She's been vegetarian for years which is easy to sort. I think it's now the vegan part that's thrown me in a bit of a panic.

[Takver]

Hi Singing, most bought puff pastry is vegan, so no problem at all. DH is dairy allergic, and we have both been vegan in the past, so I am very used to reading ingredients with a magnifying glass

[HighFibreDiet]

There are always some recipes on the Vegetarian Society website www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=916 and if they are not vegan they will say how to adapt them for vegans. But to be perfectly honest, I usually find the VegSoc recipes a bit of a faff. Takver's pie sounds great.

[nickeldonkeycarrymary]

if you're using Takver's recipe with red wine in it, please check the label for "suitable for vegans" - a lot of red wine isn't. Co-op does one, and now Sainsbury's has labels on their home brand

[Takver]

You can always skip the wine, also - but I guess you'd want vegan wine for your visitors anyway . . .

Sorry didn't specify that, I always buy wine from our wholefood shop so they have loads suitable for vegans & I don't really think about it.

[SingingTunelessly]

Good news about puff pastry. Right that's decided - Takver's recipe for Christmas day. And thanks all for the heads up about the wine. As I always have a bottle open some red wine in the rack that would have been an easy mistake to make.

[SingingTunelessly]

Just to say Takver this was a hit on Christmas Day. Thank you.