Christmas dinner to suit carnivore and vegan?

[DeliveredByKiki]

Any thoughts? I'm mainly vegan but 100% veggie, DH will be very unimpressed with no meat, DC are fairly small - one eats almost anything, the other eats beans, cheese and fish for protein, peas for veg and all carbs!

Maybe something en croutes and a different stuffing for each of us? Want to do it in advance and not spend tons of time as hoping for a chilled one this year thanks to no visitors

I'd roast a poussin for dh, or a small chicken if kids will have some too. Then whatever veggie thing you'd like, and roast potatoes, stuffing, usual Christmas veg etc

Pizza! Seriously just do a buffet if it's only the immediate family. Lots of nice things that everyone likes.

Or let DH do his own roast or buy a M and S ready to roast thing and do nice veggies on the side. Make yourself something nice, do potatoes dauphinois to go with everything.

Ha I wish I could do M&S, we sadly love abroad

DD won't eat chicken, maybe we'll just do the usual trimmings but she can have fish fingers, DH steak, DS sausages and I'll do a roast aubergine or something? Ugh so dull, but do want to make it more special than a normal weekday meal

Watching with interest. I was planning to do all the same veggies without butter etc, then giving the two vegans something different in place of meant. We will probably have a slow roast port.

To the vegans, will the smell of burning flesh for hours in our home annoy the vegans? It's my db and his lovely partner....

It wouldn't me but worth asking them? In sure they're used to it if they go for dinner in or out of other people's houses

will the smell of burning flesh
I'm a vegetarian (and GF + minimal dairy -only sheep feta) I eat eggs (Free Range)
This will be my first Christmas as GF/DF but I've been vegetarian for 35 years
The smell of bread annoys me more because it's so delicious

Bread,strong tangy cheddar and Branstones on a toastie. Things I dream about.
Sliced tomato in GF bread toasted just doesn't cut it

For your meal, Kiki what about pastry (like a giant volouvant sp ) that you can assemble and cook last minutes. Maybe a ratatouille filling?

I'm sure you can get a vegan pastry (H&B maybe?)

Then you could do a beef wellington for DH (again made ahead)

For the DC, fish fingers , sausages.
All the trimmings are the best bit and sitting round the table with hats on

I'm not vegan, nor vegetarian, but do you eat any of the meat substitutes? Perhaps quern that looks like chicken? Sorry if that isn't suitable. For DH, what about a tiny joint if beef, rather than a steak? Or a turkey breast joint (then he can have some left for sandwiches). If one child wars sausages, would they eat sausage wrapped in bacon? Then DH could have this with his turkey?

Do mean your DH is an omnivore rather than a carnivore? If so, presumably he does sometimes eat a meal with no meat in it? If not, I think you are a saint to cook meat at every meal if you're vegetarian.

When my parents used to come for Christmas dinner, DM would bring a small turkey joint for them, put it into the oven and served it alongside our non-meat main and all the veg.

The alternative for you would be to cook a non-meat main so delicious that even your DH would eat it. Just get googling - Jamie Oliver and Yottam Ottolenghi have some delicious dishes that would probably even appeal to the DCs.

Don't worry Rhonda I very very very rarely cook meat at home normally, and only when bought from our local pasture raised farmer (at great expense) so DH normally puts up or shuts up, but we'll make an effort for Christmas Day (because we'll both be cooking anyway), especially as he'll be dealing with vegan food most of the holidays anyway

I'm going to ask for Plenty for christas though so we can do lots of super delicious veggie food on the other days

70 I know what you mean about certain foods annoying you because you miss them! Although DH bakes the bread in our house and it's vegan, I'm working on him doing a GF version and expanding his repertoire though.

Have a look at Deliciously Ella's blog for vegan (and GF) Christmas recipes. I haven't tried them but her other recipes that I've tried are great.

deliciouslyella.com/a-christmas-feast/ -- this is her full Christmas menu, with quinoa-stuffed mushrooms, veg sides etc.

deliciouslyella.com/favourite-christmas-recipes/ -- and here are links to most of her Christmassy recipes.

Agree with Audit that if you're doing sausages for one DC then maybe s/he would eat pigs-in-blankets, which would at least be more festive?

Roast potatoes with garlic, roast carrots and parsnips with rosemary and maple syrup, creamed sweetcorn, minty peas, some vegan yorkshire puddings- just substitute eggs with egg replacer or soy milk and apple cider vinegar, sage and onion stuffing, red wine gravy and then for you either a couple of wheaty seitan or vegusto 'meat' slices if you are in europe then you can get these in biocoop (if you are in the usa then get tofurky slices!), maybe some tempeh bacon or veggie sausages too, for hubby get a chicken breast or a small fillet steak and just shove in the oven then serve with everything. Another option is for everyone to have some homemade veggie oat haggis, soya meat loaf, stuffed squash, roast cauliflower, nut roast etc and just buy some precooked meat for hubby. You can always do some plain peas and baked beans to keep dd's happy :)

dessert will be easier, so many options! salted date caramel chocolate fudge cake, avacado or tofu choc mousse, christmas pudding and soya custard, red berry crumble and 'ice cream', mince pies, gingerbread with sticky coconut toffee sauce, raw christmas pudding balls with brandy 'butter' yummm

Oh yes desert we're good with!

And yes DS will be AMAZED at sausages wrapped in bacon (I clearly have no influence over him!)

My go-to veggie (and vegan) Christmas dinner is a giant sausage roll. You need a ready-rolled sheet of puff pastry (Jus-Rol is vegan I believe?), sausage mix (that Granose one is good), chopped spinach and/or mushrooms, and/or stuffing.

You basically just lay out the pastry, make up the sausage mix and lay it down the middle. Then put spinach/mushrooms/made up stuffing mix on top if using. Fold pastry over. Done.

I've made it a few times now and it's so easy, you can make it ahead of time for sure.

Then what about gammon for your DH (and the kids if they'll eat it)? You can get joints that are little and it keeps well if not all of it gets eaten.

I like that idea for general food let alone Christmas! Thank you - maybe I can trial it at thanksgiving (we live in U.S.) and see how it goes down