veggies for Christmas

[gemmiegoatlegs]

I am doing Christmas this year for 8 adults (3 veggie, 1 sausagey, 4 meat eaters) and 3 kids (all meatys) and really want some ideas for ready prepared veggie things.

I am actually one of the veggies myself, but would usually just eat evrything without the meat. Last year my veggie aunt brought a really weird veggie roast thing that looked like sandwich chicken and was ready-sliced and had veggie bacon and sausage rolls with it. Yuck.

So this year I want something pastry-ish or nut based to serve and i can't find anything I'm looking for online (not looking to buy online, just research!)

The closest thing I've found so far is an M&S nut roast but has a mulled fruit topping and I am not a big fan of jam on my Christmas dinner. The other consideration is my aunt is not strictly vegan but doesn't like cheese and cream. Anyone seen anything that fits the bill?

Do you have to buy? Can't you make a yummy nut roast or something. Can make it a couple of days in advance and keep chilled.

I usually make some kind of nut & mushroom & tomato roast, topped with cheese - but you could leave that off.

I wouldn't mind doing my own but it would have to be do-able in advance as I am likely to be spending Christmas morning shrieking as it is.

Also slightly worried I would make something that was a terrible sin against vegetarian food and my poor long suffering family members would have to smile and say it was wonderful!

I usually make Angela Hartnett's Christmas stuffings - which are great with the meat, but also good enough to be the main event

one is apricot & almond with sage
one is spinach & parmesan with rosemary and nutmeg
basically just lobbed together with breadcrumbs and an egg and baked in a loaf tin

alternatively huge portobello mushrooms marinated with garlic, soy, red wine and rosemary and slow slow slow baked. if you like things sandwich two together about a slice of stilton and cook till oozing

oh sorry - you wanted preprepared

for so many vegan years I had nuttolene, so I always like to cook these day. the mushrooms are a piece of the proverbial though

There is a recipe in the Food From the Place Below Cookbook which has a lot of Xmas season flavours.

Shallot, Fenel and Chestnut Casserole.

Serves 6

50ml olive oil
450g shallots
450g fennel
Tin of plum tomatoes
300ml of red wine
225g vacuum packed/tinned chestnuts
50ml soy or Worcester sauce
2 sprigs of thyme
20 sage leaves
salt + pepper

Fry up whole shallots for 20 mins until brown then add fennel and fry for 10 mins then add rest of ingredients and simmer for an hour.

Its a long shot but just wondering if that could be done as a bake if you missed out tomatoes and just put the ingredents in oven oven in a tin with potato crust on top with a side dish of roasted vegetables parsnips, carrots and beets plus other seasonal veg.

The Cranks Mushroom Wellington. Delicious. I'm making it again this year. Made it for the first time last year and all the meat eaters scoffed it so there was none for me

Mushroom Wellington

You can make the mushroom middle bit before & freeze it, then all you have to do on the day is splodge it in the middle of puff pastry, roll up and bake. Is good cold, too.

ooh, I like the sound of the chestnut thing and the spinach and parmesan stuffing. Abetadad - have you tried this? Do you think it would be ok prepared in advance?

I have eaten a lot of the things from the book and DW used to eat in The Place Below restaurant a lot. The recipes do really work. I have done a really nice fennel, shallot, cream and recipe that is fab and I am a carnivore.

I suugest to give it a test drive before springing it on your guests though.

Have you tried Delia's cheese and parsnip roulade? You could prepare it in advance, it is delicious.

For the lazy option, Granose does a good packet mix nut roast.

By lazy, I mean easy, of course!