Strict vegetarian coming for dinner: any ideas?

[Hulababy]

We have friends coming over on Sunday afternoon and they are staying for food.

She is a strict vegetarian, even down to veggie wine!

Now I don't eat meat, but I'm not veggie and don't really cook that much veggie stuff - well not strcit veggie meals anyway.

The others - 2 adult males, and 2 children - all eat meat.

I have no problems with ccooking both a meat based and a veggie based meal, so long as they are along similar lines. Although just one veggie meal might be easier to avoid the cross contamination thing I guess.

I need to go to Waitrose this afternoon to buy the stuff and some vegetarian wine(!)

What shall I cook? Help!!! Please

[Twiglett]

how does one get non-vegetarian wine?

[BobbyGrantycal]

oh hula
spinach and ricotta and pine nut lasagne
divine even for meat eaters

[BobbyGrantycal]

here it is
I find her portion sizes quite small though

[mumblechum]

WTF is vegetarian wine??? I guess Bulls Blood is out of the question....

[EmsMum]

If the kids are old enough to like it, how about some curries if you want a mix of veg/meat dishes which can be shared? Plus dahls, yogurt pickles etc.

Otherwise, I would just do veggie only. veg lasagne or pasta, salad, good bread....

[WigWamBam]

Vegetarian wine will be marked as such on the bottle. All it means is that the finings they use to strain the wine won't have been made from animal bone.

[slayerette]

How formal a meal is it? Rose Elliot's veggie chilli is utterly gorgeous and takes 15mins to throw together - then just leave simmering on the stove. Serve with rice or buttery jacket potatoes - and there you have it! Have served it to meat eaters who love it too or you could make a pan of normal chilli as well. Saves having to do different accompaniments for two totally different meals.

[CatIsSleepy]

this is nice too

good idea to blanch the veg first though as it comes out a bit too crunchy otherwise

do they eat cheese, btw?
have made this with parmesan instead of pecorino if you can't find pecorino

[Hulababy]

Which cheeses are veggie?

I have a yummy recipe for a roasted tomato tart from Waitrose, but it does need the tpe of cheese that will melt nicely.

Have no idea about the veggie wine but I do know that Waitrose have at least one bottle marked with a V!

Tnhanks for ideas, will have a look at them now.

Whatever I do has to be easy and not complicated. Will have to prepare Sunday morning and I am likely to have a hang over from a party tomorrow!!!

[Hulababy]

slayerette - not formal at all

[WigWamBam]

Organic wine is more likely to be veggie than the ordinary stuff - might be a good place to start looking.

[aDad]

Veggie wine will also not be made with the addition of isenglas (lovely crushed up fish bladders) - so says knowledgeable veggie DP!

[Blackduck]

You can get a wide range of Veggie cheese (basically made without rennet)

[slayerette]

Veggie cheese will be marked as such on the packet I think - just have to browse the cheddar section a bit.

If it's not formal, the chilli is good - I make it in the morning and leave it sitting on the stove - reheats beautifully:

Fry one chopped onion and one diced red pepper in 1 tbsp olive oil for 10 mins. Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes and a clove of garlic (crushed), followed by 2 tins kidney beans (drained and rinsed) and 4 oz green lentils (previously cooked - bring to boil and simmer for 45 mins). Add 1 tsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika pepper and 1 tsp coriander. Stir and simmer for 15 mins.

Gorgeous served with some grated cheese on jacket potatoes. Serves 4.

[chloesmumtoo]

I have a lovely pie recipe that uses quorn, used to love it years ago. Ment to serve about 4.
Quorn and Mushroom Pie
0.5 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1tbsp whole grain mustard
1tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp dark soy sauce
250g quorn chunks
1tbsp veg oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
250g button muchrooms sliced
200ml veg stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
0.5tbsp cornflour mixed with a little water
225g puff pastry
milk or egg to glaze

Mix together the worcestershire sauce,mustard,tomato puree and soy sauce. Add the quorn and mix thoroughly until evenly coated. Allow to marinade for half-one hour. preheat oven to 200 degrees,400f,gas mark 6. Fry the onion and the garlic in oil until soft.Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 3-4minutes. Add quorn to the onion mixture and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.Poor in the stock and bring to boil. Season to taste. Add the cornflour and allow to thicken. pour into a 1.2 litre pie dish and use the pastry for the lid. Brush with egg or milk and bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden. Serve with seasonal veg and potatoes. suitable for freezing. We used to love this one!!!

[popsycal]

i have a gorgeous chlli recipe made with bulgar wheat

[Hulababy]

Is parmesan veggie?

I also have a recipe for a parmesan, sun dried tomato and wild mushroom risotto which is very tasty.

[Hulababy]

How spicy is the chilli? I don't do spicy - at all! I am a wimp with heat.

[aDad]

Veggie parmesan is in most supermarkets and really not bad at all. is it called Twine Farm or something like that?

[WigWamBam]

Be careful using Worcestershire sauce if you use chloesmum's recipe; Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies, so isn't suitable for veggies.

[bossykate]

i suggest the following menu, which is very easy and should also leave the meat eaters feeling as though they've had a "proper" meal:

bloody mary soup
porcini risotto, serve with green salad
poached pears with chocolate sauce

[Hulababy]

Thanks. Working my way through advice and options.

[foxinsocks]

what a pallava

if you can't find the wine, just decant it - she'll never know

[aDad]

Twineham Grange farm is the parmesan-style cheese.

[Hulababy]

BK - only doing one course. Well will probably have a pudding but it will be made by Waitrose It's only an informal "stay for dinner" type thing this time.