Xmas day starter for vegetarian who doesn’t like cheese

[talesfromabrokenmind]

Ideas please!

My daughter’s boyfriend is with us for their first Xmas. He’s the only vegetarian and I’m lacking imagination for a starter (main will be a mushroom / butternut squash type of thing).

Ideally it will be something low prep or that I can prep ahead, not a soup and something that we can all have. My usual go to for non veggie would be a prawn, smoked salmon and avocado salad with brown bread. There will be 8 of us for dinner.

Thanks

OP says no soup.

Arancini balls, maybe just one larger one on top of a dollop of creme fraîche and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce.

www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/starters-snacks-and-sides/baked-chilli-arancini-balls

Arancini balls, maybe just one larger one on top of a dollop of creme fraîche and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce.

https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/starters-snacks-and-sides/baked-chilli-arancini-balls

If everyone else is having the fishy avocado salad, I’d keep it simple and do a cucumber avocado salad for him. some options:

https://www.recipetineats.com/favourite-avocado-salad/

https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/04/obsessively-good-avocado-cucumber-salad/

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/avocado-cucumber-chopped-salad-green-shatta

Celeriac remoulade

Well, because you start them at least 3 hours before sitting down to eat, you don't have to eat them 'consistently', but mainly it wins for me as an approach because you are free to prepare the main meal and it doesn't require cutlery or crockery, just a few napkins dotted around. But I am merely making a suggestion, not an instruction.

I would do a mixed mezze platter. Babaganoush, tzaziki, hummus with warm toasted bread slices drizzled with olive oil. Serve with a green salad tossed with roasted sweet potato, cherry tomato halves, grated carrot, seeds, oil and vinegar. Pate/goats cheese served on the side if wanted.

Spinach, date and walnut salad. Could add in some sliced avocado.

Nothing wrong with a suggestion, but I don't automatically see that this is less filling than a single, calorie-controlled starter. That was my query. With 3hrs of grazing, alcohol and socialising etc, this alternative way of catering might suit for many, many reasons but it isn't an automatic solution to the argument that a starter is filling. You might very well eat significantly more than if you'd just had a starter.

We have our starter around an hour before our main and then play a game. Everybody is still hungry for the main.

We also make the starter the day before. It's no faff at all for us.

Some kind of avocado, chickpea salad? It's delicious with lime and chopped spring onions, I eat it in pitta.

Falafel? Nice and easy.

This kind of thing makes me really sad. I'd much rather ask a community of clever, creative women with a lifetime of experience than a computer.

I'd get a sheet of puff pastry, cut it into squares, add some roasted veg. Or adjust the salad, avocado and brown bread but add asparagus and tomato or pepper and tomato. Or a little bruschetta, buy oven rolls and slice up, add diced tomato onion and herbs. Good luck!

I’d do the same as you were planning but get a jar of those roasted peppers and perhaps one of artichokes too and then he can have those with avocado instead of prawns

Pâté, toast and salad garnish.

For the veggie, blend cannellini beans with roast red pepper, a bit of raw garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil to make a bean pâté instead of your foie gras or whatever. Tahini optional.

Most of these suggestions sound too summery and not at all what I'd want to eat before Christmas dinner.

Melon and Port would get my vote - fantastically easy, light and delicious, with a retro vibe that is appealing to me.

Or I liked the suggestion of mushroom pate. That with a bit of nice bread and a few baby gherkins.

Normally I'd say stuffed mushrooms, but I'm not sure what I'd stuff them with if no cheese.

Good luck finding a decent melon in December. The ones you can find in the UK are mediocre in August at the height of the season, never mind in winter.

Plus if the main course has mushrooms it would make no sense to have mushrooms as part of yhe starter too.

Dawn did a ratatouille open tart lastnight on Masterchef and it got rave reviews - I think that would make a lovely starter

A big thank you to all that have taken the time to comment. There are so many things for me to consider...I must admit that I hadn't even thought of the 'no starter' option but it definitely warrants consideration.

Ive never had a good arancini ball, even in Italy in several different destinations.

Bland, bland bland

That’s why the Port is there.

OP hasn’t said what the main course is yet. I read it as either mushroom or squash, so mushrooms could work, but, as I said, I’d want cheese in a stuffed mushroom. They’re quite nice with just butter, garlic and a bit of rosemary though.

We don’t do starters, definitely do think that through.

if I were to make a starter, it would be something light, and I’d try to make everyone as similar as possible.
eg a melon vinaigrette, optionally add Parma ham
A stack of chopped avocado (mixed with lemon juice) and chopped tomatoes, optionally top with prawns

He doesn’t like cheese….

I think I would go for "no starters" in those circumstances.

Or if the main is mushroom, instead of butternut squash, I do a butternut squash salad which is doable without cheese and/or meat or with:

Butternut squash - slice, skin on, no seeds, roast with cumin, salt, black pepper, olive oil and optional chilli flakes.

Rocket.

Toasted nuts and seeds.

Really good balsamic vinegar. If you're skipping the extras below the balsamic has to be the star of the show.

Optional extras - they do add to it so I would recommend them for cheese eating non veggies: parmesan (shaved into massive flakes with a peeler) and prosciutto.

I had cauliflower steak recently and it was fab. Served in a romesco sauce. Both can be made in advance x

Jackfruit mixed with the Marie rose sauce. Served with avocado etc same as the prawns

Recipe here