What are you making for Holiday dinner??

[AuntRayRay]

So every year I have my family (who are all meat eaters) for dinner. This year I would love to make a vegetarian (vegan) dinner and dessert. I have a pumpkin pie recipe that I tried on a few meat-eaters (aka- vegetarian/vegan is weird people) and they all like it
So i'm looking around for good ideas

thanx!

[catnip]

We're having vegan lasange for Christmas Eve dinner, made with the innards recpie from Veg Times a few months back, but Daiya cheese on top. Vegan garlic bread, salad, and something spectacular and chocolate for dessert.

Christmas Day, the omnivores will dine on Beef Stroganoff. I'll be making my vegan lentil-nut-barley-mushroom stroganoff, and we'll share the noodles and veggies. Dessert for this one is going to be those wedding ball cookies and gingerbread cupcakes.

And I have cracked the code for perfect vegan egg nog. Just sayin'.

[ihugtrees]

Our main dish is going to be Portobello Wellington stuffed with spinach (http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=11442.0)
with sides of roasted squash (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/08...ow-squash.html), roasted asparagus, stuffed mushrooms (see recipe) and mashed potatoes & gravy. Everything except the Portobello Wellington is super simple.

Stuffed Mushrooms...it's off of a blog but somehow I forgot to save which one (I always do, so its weird that I didn't) and now I can't find it again. I think it has tofu in the name. Well, any way, heres the recipe: Famous Stuffed Mushrooms:

The stuffed mushrooms are not really famous, but very impressive - and so embarrassingly easy I hate to tell people...
•Buy a package of stuffing mix - whatever brand you can find that is vegetarian/vegan (some have chicken broth, but amazingly, many don't).
•Or make whatever type stuffing/dressing you like, using vegetable broth, of course... (A boxed-mix is just super easy and just the right size)
•Make stuffing/dressing according to directions on package and set aside to cool..
•Buy 20 largish (golf-ball size?) mushrooms.
•Pop the stems out of the mushrooms.
•Chop the stems fine.
•Chop 1/2 an onion and 1 stick celery just as fine.
•Saute in olive oil until soft.
•Add 2 cloves crushed garlic (I put it thru a garlic press - this totally makes the dish, using fresh garlic, but it's up to you) no need to cook it, it'll cook when they bake.
•Mix vegetables with the already made stuffing and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast.
•Stuff into mushroom caps. (If too dry, add a little vegetable broth)
•Pack down firm and mound up in each mushroom. It will shrink.
•Put in baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil around.
•Bake for 25 - 30 min at 375 until mushrooms look softer and cooked.
•They will shrink and dry a little.
Thats it. Yum! Basically it's your fave stuffing or equivalent, and chopped mushroom stems and stuff. Though they don't look impressive here - sorta all jumbled together on this plate. Use your imagination.

[lilyka]

Thats exactly what I made for thanksgiving dinner I brought stuffed mushrooms. My stuffing kinda rocks. I make it from scratch. and the musrooms are so impressive but like you said so easy. but everyone ooos and aahhhsss.

[ihugtrees]

Originally Posted by lilyka

Thats exactly what I made for thanksgiving dinner I brought stuffed mushrooms. My stuffing kinda rocks. I make it from scratch. and the musrooms are so impressive but like you said so easy. but everyone ooos and aahhhsss.

Ooo, stuffing recipe? (or is it a secret recipe?) I was just going to buy boring boxed stuff because I've never made it before...

[caiesmommy]

For my family we're taking squash and jsut going to eat around the meat..So boiled potatoes(saving pre mashed), stuffing that hasnt been jammed up the turkeys butt, turnip, squash, and apple pie...I don't know if that's it..Im hoping not

My dh's family(actual xmas day) has other vegetarians besides us So Im making the mashed potatoes w almond milk, the veggie stuffing, and im thinking acorn squash stuffed with wild rice and chickpeas kinda a maindish for the veggies, a side dish for the carnivores..then theres always a ton of casseroles, but they are always filled with milk, cheese, and sugar and I always feel ill after eating them

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by ihugtrees

Ooo, stuffing recipe? (or is it a secret recipe?) I was just going to buy boring boxed stuff because I've never made it before...

I just used a bag of stale bread (the store I work at just slices up their bread into chuncks and sends it through the oven. it is nice because it has not HFCS in it) or you can stale up your own bread. Saute a nice amount of onion and celery and garlic (because all good recipes start that way). like a lot.... for stuffed musrooms I chop the stems and toss them in once the veggies are soft. oh and do all this in obscene amount of margerine. chop up some sage, rosmary, and thyme and add some parsley (I use all fresh or frozen but dried works too). then add bread and toss. and then just enough veggie broth. go really slow, you can always use more if it is too dry. for broth I use repunzel bullion cubes with herbs and salt. sooooo yummy. then cook either in the pan or toss it in the oven for a while. add more moisture if you need to. for mushrooms I just load up the caps with stuffing and stick them in the oven.

[somegirl99]

Oooh, those mushrooms sound good. That reminded me of a recipe from the Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen that I haven't made in a few years but I want to again.

Basically it is mushroom caps stuffed with a mixture of the chopped stems, vegan pesto, bread crumbs, and a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bake them for a few minutes, then broil them for a couple more. Delicious.

AFM, I was thinking about what I'll be making for Christmas, then realized that I'm not going to get a chance to cook. My MIL is coming to visit us. She's very sweet and I know she's going to be all concerned about me getting enough rest and she's going to take over the kitchen. She's a professional chef/baker (for a college), cooks very tasty vegan food especially for me (I'm the only vegan in the family), but has no idea how to make it nutritionally balanced.

[Ianthe]

For Christmas eve I am making Shepard pie with brussel sprouts and rum-kissed sweet potatoes (DH wants a celebration roast too, but I don't care for them too much, so that will be on the side too)

For Christmas we always have Lasagna (or some other baked pasta) so I am doing that again this year with cashew ricotta and pine nut cream sauce (from Vcom).

[wytchywoman]

Skillet Gardener's Pie, Asparagus, Cranberries and Pineapple Coffee Cake ( for Yule). Polenta Lasagna for Santa Day.

[bandgeek]

Chili, a veggie tray, cookies, and a pecan pie. I might try a pumpkin pie too. I just remembered I have a few cans of pie filling from when they were on sale. I've only made one pie in my life so we'll see how that goes.

[williamsmommy2002]

Lasagne, roasted broccoli, bread, and pear cobbler and cookies for dessert.

[Kimber47]

I'm thinking the Leek & Bean Cassoulet from the 'nomicon. I will bake bread and I'm thinking about the Crimson Velvet Cupcakes from VCTOTW. (Red velvet is DH's fave.) We also have a Celebration Roast from Field Roast to try. My very Omni MIL will be with us, so I'm hoping this will suffice!

[caiesmommy]

So my families dinner kinda sucked...but dh's dinner should be great. Im making the mashed potatoes...with almond milk, garlic and chives. I'm also making a stuffing with garlic, celery, onions, dried mushrooms, thyme, rosemary ect. And acrorn squash with chickpeas and rice..can't wait for actual xmas dinner

[Shaki]

Xmas eve: pumpkin ravioli with sage brown butter, roasted beets salad with clementine vinagrette, salted rosemary and garlic bread, there will also be turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and salad (prepared by my sister and her mil).

Xmas dinner:Chestnut loaf, veggie gravy, steamed veggies with garlic aioli, scalloped potatoes, grits, ham (again the meat is prepared by the meat eaters), corn muffins, salad, yule log.

DD and I are the only non-meat eaters in the family but I always have to make a size-able amount of whatever veggie entree I make cause the meat eaters always gobble it up (winning hearts and minds through the tummy!)

Happy Holidays!

[Shantimama]

Fresh pasta with roasted vegetables for dh and I and cheese fondue for our kids.

[somegirl99]

MIL and I will be making vegan spanikopita, vegan quiche, rice pilaf, some raw veggies to munch on, and apple pie. She'll take care of the rest for the meat-eaters.

[MountainMamaGC]

I made a vegan lasagna today. I am going to the inlaws tomorrow. I will probably just pick out stuff that doesnt have meat or dairy. I am not going to worry about eggs.

[mommajb]

Fondue sounds like a great one to kep in mind!

We are apparently doing the all -too common lasagna with homemade bread and salad. Plenty of sweets on hand so I am not worrying a bout a dessert.

[Shaki]

how'd it go?

So how did everyones holiday meals go?
Both the xmas eve pumpkin ravioli and the xmas day chestnut loaf went over great. I made the mustard sauce from veganomicon for the loaf and it was great!