Vegetarians - What are you having for Xmas dinner?

[charliecat]

Sainsburys used to do a loooooooovvvveeeelllllyyyy vegetable roll with cheesy sauce.
That was years ago, and ive never really enjoyed anything quite as much since.
What do you have?

I diddn't write it down sorry but what I did was very simple.
Make a stuffing with breadcrumbs onion, herbs chickpeas and apricots, use lots of seasoning and egg to bind it.
Take the wrapper off a quorn roast(although they say not to do this if you are roasting it, ignore that). Split the roast lenghtways down the centre and sandwich the stuffing betweenn the two halves.
Wrap the whole lot in pastry(I think I used puff, bought natch!) paint it with beaten egg and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes at a around 180.
hth.

That sounds good and easy. A combination I like. Thanks C I will try that.

Redwood's Cheatin' Celebration Roast is very good here you may have to scroll down a bit. Suitable for vegans too and you just bung it in the oven (apart from the gravy). Having said that, we have had this too often of late for it to feel Christmassy. I love a good nut roast - the Cranks recipe is good and very simple.

Bumbleweed, anny chance of the recipie for chashew nut roast?

We are avoiding the big lunch thing altogether - fed up of nut roast and other alternatives!
After playing with a lot of options, we have decided:

Coffe and Nigella?s Christmas muffins for early morning stocking opening
Brunch with buttery bagels, beans, mushrooms, veggie sausages, lovely scrambled egg etc etc about 11am
Then a late lunch/early afternoon thing of homemade paninis with goats cheese and onion marmalade and for DD, brie with mango chutney (don?t ask - she loves it!)
Homemade veggie pizza and chips with a movie in the evening accomp with a tub of posh choc ice cream to share around.

Bit unconventional and not everyone?s idea of Christmas food, but looking forward to it

oranges, I will return later with the recipe

shortcrust pastry pie, filled with lots of peppers/mushrooms/courgettes/onions/cashews/quorn chunks in a sauce (either creamy peppery, or gravy/balsamic)
served with all the usual trimmings

Cashew Nut and Mushroom Roast

1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
8oz cashew nuts
4oz fresh breadrcumbs
1 egg
3 medium parships cooked and mashed with butter
1/2 tsp each dried rosemary and thyme
1 tsp marmite
1/4 pint veg stock
1oz butter
8oz mushrooms sliced

Oven gas mark 3 (180c)
Fry onion and garlic in oil till soft.
Grind cashew nuts and mix with breadcrumbs.
Beat egg and add to dry ingredients.
Add mashed parsnips and herbs. Stir in the onion including all the juices.
Dissolve the yeast extract in hot stock and add mixing in well.
Melt butter in frying pan and saute the sliced mushrooms until soft.
Grease a 2lb loaf tin and press in half the cashew mix.
Cover with a layer of mushrooms and top with rest of mix.
Cover with foil and bake for 50 mins. Remove foil and bake for 10 more mins to crisp the top.
Let nutroast stand for 10 mins before turning out.

Mushroom and Sherry Sauce

1oz butter
8oz mushrooms quartered
1tbsp sherry
4tsp flour
1 pint strong veg stock
salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan and add mushrooms and sherry.
Cover and cook for 2-3 mins high heat.
Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates stirring constantly.
Reduce heat, add flour and cook for 5-6 mins stirring constantly.
Add stock little and a time, stirring to prevent lumps.
Simmer for 3-5 mins, season to taste.
Cool slightly then liquidise till smooth.
Gently reheat (add extra sherry - optional)

Baubleweed, thank you - that looks lovely. I have three veggies coming who begged for something that does not involve cheese and this seems perfect.

One question-
Can I use wine instead of sherry - don't want to buy a bottle for one tablespoon, and can't think of anyone who would drink it otherwise!

dont see why not, oranges, wine would probably be fine

although you can get a bottle of own-brand sherry for about £4-5 and you might use it again for similar recipe?

mmm making me hungry. Mum and ptnr coming who are not veggie so we will be having the redwood "celebration roast" soya turkey and pig-in-a-blanket. might make nut roast to go with, cashews and wholemeal bread, soy sauce and tom puree, but mum wouldn't eat that.

My vegetarian friend every year has to go to her MIL's. The MIL cooks lovely trad dinner for everyone and a tin of heinz macaroni for my pal
She doesn't even get any of the veg cooked for others!!!
Luckly they then go to her mum's later for 2nd dinner.

!!!!!!!!! Babyramone! Why doesn't she or her husband say something? Or couldn't she turn up with a nutroast and say, look, I've saved you the trouble of cooking for me - I'll just have some of the veggies with it? Mil probably thinks she's being really thoughtful preparing her something different and would be glad of the suggestion; or if I'm being too kind and Mil is an evil cow, then your friend taking control might teach her a thing or two about how to be nice!

My view also, had many discussions on this. Friend is a very sensitive soul, lovely but easily pushed. So think she's too scared to say something. Her dh is basically the white sheep of his family, who bizarrly changed their name when moved to fiends area as not scottish enough!!! Think they're a bit scared of his mum. Don't blame them she was trouble at their wedding. Never in obvious way but very underhand.
I never get to see her now and the last letter sounded very lonely.

I feel so sad for your friend - what a shite christmas dinner. What a strange situation not to feel able to insist goddamit on a blooming nice christmas dinner.

I too would take my own. In fact the first year I went to my ILs I took my own nut roast and told them it just wouldnt be christmas for me without it - they were fine and all tucked in too.

One sunday my grandma came for dinner and said she wasnt having any of this bloody vegetarian rubbish we were all eating nowadays since we had gone all funny. She had brought her own dinner, something she had bought from M&S the day before.

It was a cheese and tomato quiche

I will just have veg and lots of it ,yum,especially roast parsnips and sprouts!