Christmas dinner option for health conscious vegan guest

[Coffeehouse22]

Hi, hope u can help. My brother is bringing his girlfriend over on Christmas day for the first time. She's vegan and initially I was going to buy a Quorn roast or ready made nut roast from m&s but brother says that she's also very very health conscious and doesn't eat any processed food. So I'm stuck for ideas now. Is Quorn roast processed? What else could I serve? A pie or Wellington might be out of the question because of the pastry. Could I make anything with tofu? Any ideas would be so helpful.
P.s. I'm not a great cook and have small DC including a 10 month old so need something as simple as poss to make. x

In the circumstances, could you ask her if she would prefer to bring her own main meal? You can ensure veg are butter free.

Learning to cook a suitable vegan meal from scratchat this late stage with everything else you have to do may be a step too far.

@Coffeehouse22

Hi, hope u can help. My brother is bringing his girlfriend over on Christmas day for the first time. She's vegan and initially I was going to buy a Quorn roast or ready made nut roast from m&s but brother says that she's also very very health conscious and doesn't eat any processed food. So I'm stuck for ideas now. Is Quorn roast processed? What else could I serve? A pie or Wellington might be out of the question because of the pastry. Could I make anything with tofu? Any ideas would be so helpful. P.s. I'm not a great cook and have small DC including a 10 month old so need something as simple as poss to make. x

I think his girlfriend will be very embarrassed that he is making her out to be so fussy. Most health conscious people would not be cheeky fuckers enough to demand specifically ‘non processed’ food when they are being catered for even if they would not include this in their usual diets. Most vegans eat very processed foods too!

A think a nice quality premade nut roast would be fine! I would swerve the quorn.

If you did want to make a wellington, most ore made pastry is vegan- just brush with oat milk instead of egg or normal milk.

I'd keep it simple and stick to the quorn roast.

Quorn roasts are processed. You could look into making a nut roast - they're delicious! However, I wonder if you could ask ^^her to bring a nut roast?
I'm veggie and would not want others slaving away when they already have lots of other things to make. I normally bring my own main bit of the meal when I know it's going to be mostly meat.

If she doesn't like processed food you can keep it very simple and it doesn't have to take more than a few minutes to prepare. Half a butternut squash with the seeds scooped out, half a large aubergine or a "cauliflower steak" (cut vertically down through a cauliflower to make a thick slice about 2cm thick - any of these drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with spices (get a spice mix like shwarma to keep it easy) then roasted until crispy caramelised brown will be delicious as a main. You could top with a mix of chopped nuts and fresh herbs but thats optional. Make sure some of the general side veg that everyone is having are dairy free, and she'll be fine.

By the way, quorn roast is not vegan. Some quorn is vegan and some is made with egg (the stuff made with egg has a better taste and texture but obviously no good for vegans)

Not processed ideally means you should be able to make it using just vegetables, nothing that comes out of a factory in a packet. I think most would make an exception for the process of grinding to a powder so would think that flour and ground spices are ok.

You need to ask her because everyone is different. Does she really not eat any processed food at all?

That's beyond health concious, that's an eating disorder. Even elite athletes will be allowed a little of what they fancy, especially on Christmas Day.

The M&S nut roast is very nice and mostly or all normal ingredients rather than 'mystery factory chemicals' so might be suitable, but then that obviously depends where she is on the scale between sensible person and orthorexic or mentally ill.

But you could also offer the slice of cauliflower as a pragmatic alternative? I'd say 'which roast do you prefer, nut, Quorn or plain cauliflower'. And then just do the roast potatoes, stuffing and veg vegan for everyone and have bacon bits etc separately.

Its a minefield. I'm vegetarian and would always offer to take my own. I suspect gf isn't particularly demanding, he is just fussing to make a perfect impression. I would just pick up something vegan and make sure that there is some separate gravey and roast potatoes for her.

I would be telling my brother to sort this out. Admittedly I am in a state of general simmering rage and resentment, but to A. spring this on you at this stage and B. have such extreme requirements on Christmas Day? Bollocks.

If you can, I would get her an artisan grains nut roast. They stock them in Holland and Barrett, Lidl, Morrisons that I know of, as well as most health food stores.

Dead easy to make, comes in its own baking tray and you add water and make up like a stuffing mix.
You can do a wide eyed “I asked in the health food store so hope you like it” if she’s a tricky character!

www.artisangrains.co.uk/our-range/nut-roasts/

Thanks guys! Some great ideas here.

And very reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who is annoyed and finds this cheeky! I'll ask DB to sort this out

I'll just go for one of the options above and if that's not good enough I'll tell DB to sort something himself

Frozen puff pastry is vegan. You can make a simple pie filling by frying up some leeks with mushrooms and any other veg, then using a veg stock cube and plant milk and nutmeg to make a creamy sauce. I'd also in her shoes be happy with the veg, packet stuffing and a vegan Yorkshire pudding. Bistro gravy, also vegan. Most of the substitute type foods are not very nice imo.

Bisto, not bistro!

Since your DB is being so fussy on her behalf, I'd call him and tell him to bring food that she'll eat.

Get her to bring her own main.
I haven't got time for all that faff at Xmas and I'm vegan.
If I go out I bring a dish I can eat.

She may well be mortified that he is being demanding on her behalf!

Anyway, I woudl either talk to her direct and ask her. All the vegans I know (not too many to be fair) and certainly all the vegetarians I know (DH is one) usually offer to make things easier by bringing something they know they will eat.

You may find she is just desparate for decent roasties that are not cooked in goose fat and whatever other sides are there. (But word of warning- don;t try and make bread sauce with soy milk like I did once. Does not work.).

Quorn roast is not vegan as it contains egg so don't get that. I'm a health conscious vegan and if I was a guest at someone else's house I'd be more than happy with a store bought nut roast. I'd also be happy with loads of veg and roast potatoes or to bring my own main to go with these. I know it can be difficult for non-vegans to know what to serve me and I don't expect them feel stressed about it.

(But word of warning- don;t try and make bread sauce with soy milk like I did once. Does not work.)

I made it with oat milk a couple of years ago and it was grand.

No quorn
Horrific and processed

Say to your bro that given your situation and last minute addition, you suggest she brings her own or is explicit about what she would like to avoid her being disappointed

@PinkTonic

(But word of warning- don;t try and make bread sauce with soy milk like I did once. Does not work.)

I made it with oat milk a couple of years ago and it was grand.

ooh! I might try that!

I'm vegan and would be totally embarrassed if my host was struggling to feed me anything suitable! Something I've had lately that is delicious and should be simple to replicate is roast butternut squash with a crushed hazlenut and sage crumb. There are absolutely loads of vegan friendly stuffing mixes you could incorporate, plus cranberry sauce etc etc. Bind with vegan spread.

Vegan gravy - Aldi onion gravy is not marketed as vegan but I've studied the ingredients and there's nothing there that I would be concerned about. Yes its processed, but - bloody hell - don't we ALL eat processed to some degree??

Celeriac 'steaks' are also yummy, roasted with drizzled oil and herbs.

Small individual squash, hollowed out, stuffed with nuts, mushrooms, onions - anything you like really - drizzled with oil, roasted. Delicious!

But honestly I wouldn't worry too much about avoiding processed - it's Christmas, it's last minute - she won't mind!

Bung a spicy roast butternut squash in the oven e.g www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a537044/lentil-stuffed-squash/ (leave out the yogurt or use vegan coconut yogurt).

This could be made the day before and re-heated.

There was an absolute beauty of a butternut squash Wellington in the guardian the other day:

amp.theguardian.com/food/2021/dec/15/how-to-make-the-perfect-vegetarian-wellington-recipe

I have recently made green bean casserole from Damn delicious - I actually called it mushroom crumble as family would have turned their noses up at green bean casserole but they all loved it and ate every scrap.