Vegetarians! Would you be happy with this substitution?

[Chelsea26]

Hi folks

Got some people coming around for dinner on Thursday night.

We’re planning on doing a leg of lamb with red onions, peppers & tinned tomatoes with some redcurrant jelly, mint sauce, thyme & oregano - cook it low and slow for ages and serve with roast potatoes and tenderstem broccoli or green beans - minimal prep but a bit special.

Just added a new person and she’s veggie so was trying to think what we could do for her that is similar (I would hate to do something completely different) and goes with the sides.

So if you were coming to dinner and were served baked feta with onions, peppers, tomatoes and herbs as your main, with roast potatoes and broccoli would you be happy or think it was weird?

Butternut squash stuffed with feta and garlic?. Something like this

juliasalbum.com/butternut-squash-feta-spinach/

I need to make this too, immediately.

I think something like a veggie wellington or nut roast would go better with the sides.

😂😂
Ah you’re all lovely!! Mumsnet Dinner Party round mine once I’m back on two legs?

Bring wine and the love of a kitchen disco and you’re all welcome!!

@Chelsea26 Feta is all right in Greece with a Greek salad and Retsina [yes I know] but I - as life veggie - hate it when cooked. The point of the roast potatoes is well made [only use oil or vegetable fat and keep away from meat juices!] I would seriously suggest something veggie from supermarket.

@YellowAsteroid Yes my lamb is similar, bung it all in a dish, cover, cook for hours - bloody delicious and like you’ve made a load of effort when actually you haven’t!

Yes that sounds better. Falafel would go nicely with this too.
You could make it more of a help yourself type thing too with everything in the middle of the table, so the only thing the veggie can't have is the lamb

I would so much prefer the OP's delicious sounding food to anything from a supermarket. Though I will still eat stuff from the supermarket if there is nothing else, of course. I suppose we all have different tastes.

@KatiesMumWoof feta is sheep not goat.

Op it's not necessarily vegetarian either so you'd need to check.

Sounds like a tapas style dish to me not a main course. I love feta but think a block of it would do me no favours.

You can do a feta bake just fine. But needs to be quite a lot of veg squished together. Plenty of feta bake recipes out there.

Yes that would work

The alternative is to do a veggie stew with chickpeas/beans which would go with the roast potatoes and green veg.

This is nice
https://www.kitchentreaty.com/hearty-tuscan-bean-stew/

Your new plan sounds amazing, but can't believe people would not be happy with your original plan, or pretty much any variant that's been suggested. Can people really be so particular about what they are served, particularly when they have dietary restrictions? To clarify, I have restrictions too so am not criticising people who do - just that I'm happy if anyone has made an attempt to accommodate them and certainly don't mind if say the texture of the dish I end up is a bit samey! But perhaps standards out there are higher than I realised...

Mhow about a quorm portion instead of the lamb

Your new plan sounds perfect and very thoughtful. You're a nice friend for a veggie to have

yes I would do this too. I cook this for myself and have with roasties and tenderstem broc while my family have a meat thing with it

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/family/hasselback-halloumi-traybake/

There are some nice ready made frozen pastry stuffed with veg cheese etc I would be happy with one of them with the veg and veggie gravy. Lots of roast potatoes obviously 😁

Agree 100% with @lentilweaver. The OP, in spite of injury, is offering a carefully-thought out, freshly cooked, vegetarian-friendly meal (sounds great, OP). IMHO ultra-processed Quorn, ditto supermarket ready-mades and anything with ready-made pastry (flabbly, flavourless padding) would be a very poor second.
This is just how I feel. No-one has to agree. No criticism of anyone intended. Each to their own, etc....Good luck, OP.

Ooh yes me too. I don't like getting just cheese as the main event (ie. I like cheese to flavour something or encased in something) otherwise I find it a bit hard going.

Selection of mushrooms cooked in the same sauce as the lamb?
Will look similar and not clash with other dishes.

It sounds lovely and I’d hate a quorn portion. Quorn does bad things to my tummy.

Sounds fine to me

I mean as you're not a vegetarian this person shouldn't be expecting bells and whistles just for her anyway

It's all about the company etc and all that not you taking precious extra time to concoct a fancy vegetarian dish if you yourself are not veggie

That sounds lovely

I did a leg of lamb with a Moroccan style marinade roasted long and slowly so it fell apart, very similar to what you have suggested, I served it with couscous flatbreads and Moroccan salads ( there’s a lovely one with grated carrots and orange). I made a mixed bean tagine for the vegetarian but your idea but using halloumi sounds good I would be interested in the recipe for that one.

buy some tzatziki dip and sprinkle some pomegranate and flaked almonds over the lamb when cooked.

all of that should be quite easy todo ahead as and when you can

Go for the original but with something like BBC good food Moroccan chickpea (and obvs other similar recipes online) for your veggie guest?

Not sure what baked feta is like but maybe quiche or wellington or seitan would be better

I'd just buy a nice vegetarian pie or wellington, they have lots in most supermarkets now. Why make extra work for yourself!