What would you cook for a vege dinner guest?

[minipie]

Afternoon all

So, we are having people round Sat evening. One is a vegetarian. The rest are avid meat eaters so I'd prefer to do something meat-y for most.

Any ideas as to what I can make for the vegetarian guest? Ideally something that will go with whatever starch/veg I give the meat eaters, and something that is easy to make for just one person.

She doesn't eat fish and is not keen on "meat substitutes" I believe.

Any ideas much appreciated!

What are you doing for your meat-eaters?

Stuffed peppers are good. I make them with a mix of rice, veg and cheese and put a bread-crumb topping on so they go nice and crispy. I'm sure there would be posher variants though...will have a search for you...

What are you maing for the meat eaters?

If it's curry, there are loads of delicious veggie curries - spinach and potato is one of my favourites.

Veggie lasagne is nice as well.

A really simple option is to get a big field mushroom and shove some garlic and butter on it, and roast for about 20 mins. Better than steak imo.

Veg kebabs (on skewers, not like from a kebab shop) with cous cous. Chunks of onions, mushrooms, peppers, baby corn etc, maybe brushed with a flavoured oil before cooking.

how about

• tartlet of some sort(onion is nice, as it asparagus & mushroom)
• veg samosas? (depending on accompaniment obviously)
• veg shepherds's pie (with beans/lentils/celeriac etc, can be really nice)

anything except veggie lasagne...

Indian veggie food is a good bet, cos they've got a long tradition of it and it doesn't include meat substitutes.

or Chinese or Japanese stir fry.

or tortillas with spicy veggie filling.

or risotto.

Ooh thanks all.

Stuffed peppers sound really good - provides an "item" to take the place of meat, if you see what I mean.

Kebabs too. Though would you need some sort of cheese on there to give protein?

Field mushroom same - is there some way I could posh it up/add protein?

Or am I overly obsessed with protein and veges just don't need it in the same way?

Lasagne and veg curry sound yum, but are they a lot of hard work for just one person? or is there some easy cheat way that I am not aware of...?

Kebabs - Haloumi is lovely on them

cross posted with allnew and Fennel

tortillas could be good - I could do chickeny versions for the meat eaters

tartlet also - In fact I printed off the onion and goats cheese recipe from earlier today

great ideas ladies, thank you all

I like protein . I prefer my meals to have it in.

Besides adding cheese (halloumi or any cheese really) on top of things, you can consider protein in the side-bits-and-pieces. Greek food is good for veggie protein ideas - anything with chickpeas, such as felafel, or hummous, or a few chickpeas in your stuffed tortillas, or in a salad (I love chickpeas). Or yoghurt/raita/dip is protein. Or a few nuts in a salad. Or roasted seeds on the stuffed mushroom or in the salad. Or feta cheese in the salad. or little stuffed peppers with feta or other goats cheese in, as a side dish. you can buy those things if it sounds complicated to make.

Veg curry is very easy if you're used to it, or used to making Indian food at all. again, remember lentils and chickpeas as good protein veggie basics to add in with your spinach or mushrooms or other veg.

Why not do a big veg tagine, a mountain of couscous and some greek salad or such that all can have, plus some lamb with a morrocan style rub thing? So people can help themselves to which ever bits they want. Or similar format-dif food culture, like pasta, roast chicken and salad.

Or is it more formal than that?

What will you be doing for meat eaters?

I recently did a Thai ish curry with green beans and chicken for meat eaters and took the basic sauce mix and made a butternut squash version for the veggie.

Basic recipe here - obviously adapted

I normally make my sister either sweet potato, spinache and chickpea curry or spinache and goats cheese frittata.

She's requested veg chilli for next time if anyones got a good recipe ?

Could you do a risotto, say mushroom, and for the meat people serve beef in addition?

Pasta with a good tomato sauce with olives? Maybe fish or chicken for the meat eaters?

Not sure how strict your vegetarian friend is, as parmaesan has animal rennet, although there are some without it, and are marked as 'vegetarian' parmaesan.

Lasagne/veg curry not that much extra work. For lasagne, make a tomato sauce and a white sauce which will work for both. Prepare and roast veg for vegetarian lasagne, whilst browning meat for non-vegetarian lasagne. Divide tomato sauce and white sauce,mix in veg/meat, and layer in different dishes. Really not that much extra work.

For curry, make the curry sauce separately, ensuring it's not got any non-vegetarian ingredients, then mix one lot with vegetables, one with meat.

DH and I are avid meat-eaters but both LOVE stuffed aubergines (half as a starter, full one as a main course). Personally, would go for starter/dessert all could eat, and then make a vegetarian version of whatever you are making for main course.

Snap - exactly the same scenario chez Bugger on Saturday night. I'm doing risotto cakes as a nibble with drinks - cold mushroom risotto shaped around a cube of mozzarella and fried. Everything else is coming from the second Moro cookbook - pea, mint and yogurt soup, roast leg of lamb with honey, garlic and rosemary and as many sides as I can be bothered to make, most of which are warm salads/served at room temp so I don't stress about having to get it all ready at the same time and keep it hot - saffron potatoes, roast butternut squash and chickpea salad with tahini, broad bean salad, asparagus with almond and sherry vinegar sauce, carrot puree with feta and caraway - so enough protein and 'interesting' I hope, for the veggie.

The other alternative is to do a load of roast veggies, roll out some puff pastry, top with some of the veggies, pesto and feta for the vegetarian guest - and serve the remaining roast veggies as a side for the carnivores.

Hope you have a good night!