Naice vegetarian option

[Kajamite]

DM has always cooked dinner at her house for me, uncle and DGran.

Trying to cut a very long story short, I'm doing the cooking at my house this year, will be making a chicken for DM, DH and me but stuck for what to make for vegetarian uncle.

DM always just gave him a big plate of potatoes and veg which he has admitted he doesn't really like.

What nice vegetarian option can I make for him that isn't a nut roast? I've had a look at the BBC food site but nothing really jumps out!

We often do something with pastry - think it was a mushroom Wellington last year, or similar. I'm not a fan of nut roasts!!!

I am a veggi - if you fancy makiing something then try a nut roast or a puff pastry sheet with goat cheese and caramalised onion and rocket.

If you fancy something you can just pop in oven: linda mcartney do cheese and leek pastry plaits that are lush. Or quorn to a 'roast' which is pretty good

Sorry didnt see nut toast bit!

Thanks for the replies

Mushroom Wellington sounds lovely.

I like the goat's cheese and onion pastry idea too!

He's not a fan of nut roasts, DM got him the Quorn one a couple of years ago and he didn't like that either

You could also try butternut squash and sage on puff which is wintery!

Does he like things that are more 'fake meat' or more vegtabley?

I'm planning on making this -

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4540/crispy-greekstyle-pie-

This looks yummy too -
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12804/melty-mushroom-wellingtons

That sounds nice too! I'm making butternut squash soup for starter though, don't want him to have it coming out of his ears

He definitely likes more vegetabley things rather than fake meat.

DM's telling me not to bother but I'm not just putting a plate of potatoes out for him knowing he doesn't like it

i'm veggie too - a few years ago we went out for xmas lunch and had a souffle

never had one before and it was lovely

You cant just give him veg and potatoes, bit grim! And if youve got too much going on there are nice things you can get to just bung in oven or make now and freeze (brie and crandberry turnover?) Sorry im getting lots of ideas now ha!

You can't have too many ideas spill **
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How did I miss all of that on the BBC food site?

The mushroom Wellington's definitely top of the ideas list. I might have some myself! DH will probably eat half of the chicken to himself anyway

Last year I made vegetarian toad-in-the-hole. I even made my own sausages! They were basically precooked cannelini beans, mashed with breadcrumbs, egg and seasonings, then fried to seal them, then cooked in batter. Even the non-veggies liked them.

A souffle as a separate element to the Christmas meal sounds quite hard work in terms of timing, but love the sound of mushroom wellington

I would like to see a mushroom Wellington, with a creamy cheese sauce, served with a yummy salad of sugar snap peas, cucumber, avocado, basil, cashew nuts, pine nuts, pinch of salt, lemon juice, and sesame oil

See, I would happily just eat trimmings plus veg gravy, but my mum won't countenance it...

The last 2 years I have had chestnut pate en croute - I make up the quantity and make 2, 1 goes in the freezer.

This year I am eyeing up chestnut & shallot tarte tatin

That sounds so good

You're all making my mouth water and it's not even 9am yet

There is a lovely Involtini recipe in Nigella how to eat, it can be made ahead and frozen and is delicious and a bit different

I make a Chestnut and cranberry loaf for FIL, bit like a vegetarian stuffing. Think I started off using a recipe but now I improvise.

I normally have 13 for lunch so have no oven space to do pastry stuff and the loaf can be cooked in advance and microwaved on the day.

I did a red onion and brie tart for ds's GF when she was veggie, but am always super organised on Christmas day and the meat is cooked and rested well in advance, so it went in the oven with the roasties

I've another veggie this year, so shall have a look at some of these recipes too.

I make a sort of pastry-wrapped veggie stuffing, which I got out of an old Australian Woman's Weekly about 100 years ago. The recipe has long disintegrated but basically you chop veg and nuts finely and sweat off, adding lots of sage and nutmeg. Then let it cool and mix in just enough beaten egg to make it 'set'. Then make two sort of squashed sausage shapes - lay one down the middle of a pastry sheet. Then blanch savoy cabbage leaves, put a layer of them on top. Follow by a layer of cream cheese. Follow by cabbage then the second lot of stuffing. Wrap it up. Bake and serve.

The idea is you serve it as the veggie centrepiece but it also takes the place of any meaty stuffing, so you're not cooking any extra.

I'mhaving the veggie Wellington made by Dani in the Bake Off! Yum. It's in the Bake Off Showstopper book but I bet it's online too. Bit faffy but totally worth it.

Last year I had caramelised onion tart which was also lovely. Thinkthat was from HFW veg book.

These three are from this year's BBc Vegetarian Christmas magazine (got mine from WHSmith last week). It comes out every year.

Mushroom and tarragon strudels

Chetsnut, Spinach and blue cheese en croute

Festive Squash Jalousie - I know you don't want a squash recipe, but this is delicious - maybe for next year?

OP, I think it's lovely you're going to the trouble of making your uncle feel welcome and cared for like your other guests. So many people (even on MN) think being vegetarian is just fussiness and that guests should just put up and shut up. IME the meat-eaters tuck in to the vegetarian dish too, so win-win

Im cheating and buying the veggie option this year. My brother is the only one who doesn't eat meat and I asked him which of the M&S veggie options he would prefer. He chose this:
christmasfood.marksandspencer.com/listing/mains/vegetarian/Honey-Roast-Parsnip-Chestnut-Camembert-Pithivier.aspx

He can take the rest home to finish off over the next few days.

I think I'd do a tart of some kind - something like a cheese and onion tart, or beetroot and feta tart, caramelised onion tart or chestnut and shallot tatins

Or gratin, risotto or other pasta dish, or a Christmas galette (but that does have butternut squash in).

All of these recipes are in the December issues of BBC goodfood Vegetarian Christmas