Vegetarians, what are you going to have for Christmas dinner?

[melpomene]

I'm looking for inspiration.

For those that don't like Quorn, I aways do a Mushroom Wellington from tha Crank's Bible that goes down really well with my family. It's fairly easy and quite impressive for the amount of effort involved.

I think I might make this cashew nut roast

I made it a few months ago and it was yummy.

I like quorn, but can't bring myself to have it for Christmas. Not sure why. I think it just looks kind of amusing.

Not very keen on quorn ... last year we had a spinach / goats cheese 'plait' in puff pastry. Sort of layer of carmalised red onions, layer of spinach, layer of goats cheese, possibly pine nuts or cranberry sauce bunged in. And then wrapped up in the pastry. It doesn't need gravy as it isn't dry but goes fine with veg. Suppose could use any soft cheese? It's dead easy anyway!

sKerrymum - I know the Tesco Finest things you are on about Mushroom and Gruyere parcels v nice they are too.

erniecrackles - my parcels sound like your plaits as well, sometimes I use caramelised onions sometimes with some cranberries through in to make it really Christmassy and I use Brie although goats cheese sounds fab.

I'm not being funny and I do eat Quorn but don't you think the roast is really odd looking, it looks like that really cheap dog food you used to get a big sausage shape in plastic casing.

I find it funny I do Boxing day dinner for MIL, SIL and the neices and they have roast beef or something which I make them I have some Brie parcels or something and they always ask me what I'm having them go awe poor you with a look of pity on their faces like I'm not allowed to eat the proper meal, I've made a choice not to eat it, for me their is not choice I don't like the taste of meat but hate the looks of pity at my dinner plate.

Sister is veggie, if she's over at Crimbo I do her something I had many years ago in Tuttons in Covent Garden, to which I thought 'hey, I can easily do this at home!' - it doesn't really have a name, tomatoey veg wellington is probably the most descriptive - but it goes really well with all the Crimbo veg and other trimmings (onion gravy, bread sauce, cranberry jelly etc).

Make a tomato sauce with garlic and onions (or whatever you like, really!). Slice and par-boil some baby corn and carrots (in batons), fry some sliced mushrooms, courgettes and aubergine (courgettes and aubergine in batons too but that's probably just my personal weirdness), mix all together with the tomato sauce and let it simmer down, uncovered, til thick and gooey (about 20 mins on a low simmer). I add black pepper, oregano and thyme but do whatever you fancy. Roll out pre-made puff pastry into oblongs, dollop an amount of the veggy goo onto one half of the oblong, dab with milk/egg around the edges and fold over to get a square pasty kind of thing. Prick with fork, decorate with pastry holly leaves if time/inclination allows, glaze with egg wash, whack in oven on about 180 for about 20-25 mins. By parboiling the corn and carrots you get a nice mix of textures but really you could stick whatever veg you fancy in there!

i hate nut roast - it's one thing i couldn't stand when i was a veggie...

try camembert with breadcrumbs deepfried with canberry sauce, tradional trimmings

or roasted peppers with cous-cous and onion, garlic and chillis (and more veg) inside

or giant musroom tartlets with mixed veg, stilton and rosemary roasted potatoes

make it bright, make it tasty

i've just discovered veggie lincshire sausages...

what about lincs sausage in roasted peppers, garlic, tomatoes (other veg) and roasted potatoes, petit-pois, and new carrots, on the side?

I'm an ex-veggie...try Roasted Vegetable lasagne with roast potaoes it's lovely

The WI (bless 'em) 'Complete Christmas' has some interesting ideas, including a chestnut and mushroom roast, an Italian (savory) gateau, a vegetable filo pie and a broccoli and stilton roulade. Also extras like chestnut and cranberry stuffing balls and port sauce. The gateau looks fiddly, but can be made a day in advance.

Have never made any of these myself, but have tried other things from the book and they've been really good (excellent stollen recipe!). I'm not actually a vegetarian - and my husband would grump if there weren't turkey as every year - but I am definitely considering trying one of these on another day over the Christmas period (when I've had enough flesh...).