Is being veggie easier at Christmas?

[pigsinmud]

I've read loads of threads in past years about Christmas meals. Getting up at six to put turkey in oven, making sausages rolled in bacon (why?), stuffing, potatoes in goose fat....

We have nut roast, potatoes and veg. There is nothing complicated about it. I don't spend all day in the kitchen. We have it every Sunday.

Are there meat eaters out there who just have the usual sunday roast? Do people put loads of pressure on themselves with the idea of making the ultimate Christmas dinner? Perhaps i'm just a lazy veggie!

On Christmas day we normally have 3 joints of meat (usually beef, pork and a whole turkey), pigs in blankets plus all the normal stuffing, roasties and veg. Two of the joints are cooked the day before and we all help with making the pigs in blankets so that its not too much work. The stuffing, spuds and veg are done in the same way we do them every Sunday.

Other than doing extra meat because we have a huge family gathering and we like to have leftovers for Boxing Day, I don't think it takes much more effort than a standard Sunday lunch. Plus I enjoy seeing everyone enjoy their dinner so if I do put in extra effort, I feel its worth it.

Yes, yes yes yes yes

(Ex veggie, who still rarely eats meat, and generally has a veggy xmas dinner, but this year has volunteered to cook the full works for family - in someone elses house in their aga - as MiL has had a big operation.)

MiL is veggie, if only they all were it would be soooo simple. Sadly I think that in the interests of family harmony meat is needed, and at least I guess by cooking it I can make sure that it is not factory farmed turkey :(

Quorn roast here. Loving lazy vegy xmas dinners :)

It certainly is on the conscience! :)

Yep. We've had veggie roasts, curry, lasagne, all sorts. This year it's just me and DD (4) and she has asked for vegetables and yorkshire pudding. Fine by me

We find it easy, but I never did like turkey anyway. It frees you up to think about what you might like to eat. We vary it each year.

but I suspect I wouldn't be posting about the worries of turkey basting anyway, or the need to get up at 6am to top sprouts. Lots of people find Christmas cooking and meal organising very stressful and I don't think it's really about whether you eat meat or not. More about whether you feel obliged to produce great meals at regular intervals.

Very true Fennel. I doubt if I was cooking turkey that I'd be spending all day in the kitchen either! We eat pretty normally at Christmas - no huge meals. After I'd posted I was thinking that it's me that's lazy and not the fact i'm veggie.

I like to call it "feminist refusal to engage in socially expected wifework" rather than "lazy", myself

I love cooking and don't mind making a bit of a fuss on Christmas day but tbh making a veggie dinner is so easy that I always surpise myself by not having as much to do as I think I will.

What are you all planning on eating this Christmas then?

As well as a mountain of veg, we tend to have Redwoods Celebration Roasts or even indulge in a bit of Tofurkey.

Plenty of pud too!

I love Christmas and I love having a very merry vegan Christmas! :)

We haven't thought yet, but last year we had nut roast, + veggie sausages and veg gravy and roast veg. Some years we have veggie haggis. One year veggie pies. One year we had Spanish tapas, I would quite like that again.

We often have vegans visiting at Christmas too just to keep us on our toes, but luckily vegan SIL is a chef and she brings wonderful vegan choc truffles and similar.

I'm not overly fond of meat substitutes, although the girls like them. I just like the vege and the stuffing!

Last year we had:

dauphinoise potatoes;
a huge pan of roasted sweet, new potatoes, bns, carrots, parsnips, baby onions, leeks;
stuffing;
savoy cabbage;
chestnuts;
sprouts;
green beans.

What nutloaf recipe do you use?

I'm quite tempted by the idea of some sort of giant filled yorkshire pudding or a shallot tarte tatin.

I am veggie, DH isn't. DS(2) eats most things.

DH has usually had enough of turkey dinners by Christmas (work etc) and my fave food is mexican.

We have "build your own" mexican at Christmas. I make/buy in veggie and meat chilli, refriend beans, guacamole, sour cream, tortillas, tortilla chips and so on. I build nachos, DH builds tacos, and DS like burritos or quesidillas.

And Christmas pud of course. With very nice ice cream.

Our veggie xmas dinner is always mushroom & artichoke pie with some special mushrooms (including soaked dried ones) & artichoke hearts in a red wine gravy, then puff pastry, very nice & dead easy.

That sounds gorgeous - unfortunately the dds won't eat mushrooms.

Yum! If anyone has a nut roast recipe to share, I'd be very grateful.

Takver, I'd love to know how you make your artichoke hearts too please. I've never cook artichokes well. Is it just artichoke and the red wine gravy in the pastry? Do you need anything else in there.

I've eaten, but I'm suddenly peckish again!

delias nut roast recipe I'll be doing this one for Mum and Dad and the quorn pretend roast for me. Then all the turkey, beef, sausages etc for everyone else. So all the complicated meat bits plus more really!

sorry, it involved a tin of artichoke hearts! It is very nice though. Soften some leeks in olive oil with a little garlic, add & soften the mushrooms, & soak the dried ones in hot water. Then put the leek & mushroom mix in the pie dish, add artichoke hearts (drained) and use the water from soaking the mushrooms to make a thickish gravy with some red wine & a little soy sauce - then you use half in the pie, & save the rest for gravy.

The original recipe was a filling for a steamed suet pud made with veggy suet, but we much prefer it in a pie with puff pastry.

It sounds fab. May have to make it for dp and I at some point when the girls are elsewhere!

Here is a recipe I use for very easy nut roast. I think it came off mumsnet. You can add all sorts of things to it or substitute. It's very forgiving.

Nut roast

Saute chopped onions, peeled chopped tomatoes, chopped carrots, chopped celery, you could also add mushrooms or peppers or whatever else you want to include.

Add a bag of chopped nuts and some brown bread crumbs (decent amount of each).

Add seasoning (salt, pepper, herbs, whatever you want!)

Bind the whole lot together with beaten egg.

Put it in a deep tin and cover with foil.

Cook on about 180 for half an hour or so. Slice and eat!

Quick hijack whilst there are vegetarians discussing Xmas lunch please:

BIL's girlfriend is joining us this year and she is vegetarian. I am doing a turkey etc for the others ( 7 of us ), if you were the sole veggie ( she's quite shy, doesn't like a fuss made and doesn't eat large quantities )what would you like? I am a competent cook.

Taffeta -

either a half of butternut squash, stuffed and baked

or

a huge field mushroom, stuffed and baked

or some sort of filled yorkie

or some roasted shallots and mushrooms, in a port reduction, with lots of fresh parsley and some pinenuts maybe?

BG - great ideas, thanks.