Vegetarian Meals

I agree with the first poster, what about eggplant parm? My best friends husband is also a vegetarian. I am so used to cooking with meats i did not realize how sadly clueless i was when it came to vegetarian. Does she eat seafood? Salmon is a very nice dinner party dish. You could do clams and linguini or a shrimp scampi...they are both pretty easy. I am very fortunate that our dinner guest included seafood in his diet....maybe you will be so lucky. Have a great dinner :)

As a former vegetarian, I can tell you at least what I liked. I loved - and still do - large portabella mushrooms grilled like burgers, then you can top them with feta, tomatoes, spinich, etc. You can serve whatever sides you'd like... rice, potatoes, etc. Another favorite was baked potatoes - do a self-serve style with cheese, sour cream, brocolli... and vegetarian chili! YUM! You can even do veggie fajitas... with chicken, steak, shrimp on the side for everyone else to build their own!

HAVE FUN!

I am not a vegetarian but I make veggie curry all the time. It is very easy to make and you can freeze it in to individual meals. You'll need: 2 sweet potato's cubed, chopped frozen spinach(defrosted), can chick peas, large can diced tomato's, 1/2 cup diced onion, garlic(minced as much as desired), 2 tblspns brown sugar, 3 tblspns siracha(this is very spicy and not necessary, and garam marsala curry(about 2 tblspns)

Put all of the ingrediants in a crockpot on low for 8 hours or high for about 4. Once the potato's are soft add a 1/2 can coconut milk.

Serve over brown rice or couscous, drizzle with coconut milk and some diced green onions : )

I hope you enjoy it, I make it about twice a month.

My sister-in-law is a vegetarian, and we recently did Spanikopita (Spinach & feta pie) with a fruit salad and a bean salad (green bean, edamame, yellow peppers, yellow beans, cherry tomatoes tossed in a light vinagerette). I bought some nice cheese (brie, goat cheese, etc) for an appetizer and served it with "upscale" crackers. Now that its cooler, you could easily do a nice creamy soup with the spanikopita. We all liked it... even my two year old!

You can find the pie pre-made at the grocery store, and even frozen (Cedar Lane makes a really good one.) You can also, of course, make it from scratch... the hardest part is probably working with the phylo dough. Good luck!

I have vegetarian friends and, yes, you can fall into a pasta rut. Stir-fry and Mexican lend themselves easily to vegetarian eating. You can always make some chicken or beef strips but leave them out of the main dish so they can be added in as each person wishes. Make your own tacos can be fun, as can individual pizzas. You can get ready-made pizza dough at Trader Joe's or your local bakery, cut up toppings and have everyone assemble their own to taste.

We use grilled portobellos a staple meat alternative. Buy large capes, pop off the stems, brush with olive oil and minced garlic and a little salt. Grill or roast until the juice starts to run out of them. They soften up, and are very hearty. You can then put them on a roll as you would a hamburger, add a nice fontina or other cheese, even jalapeno cheddar if you like spice, and tomato. Or, you can slice them, coat them in the mixture, roast, and then add them to a long roll (baguette sliced about 6" long) coat bread with chipotle mayonaise (mix mayo w/taco sauce), add fontina slices, tomato, mixed greens and onion. That is a great sandwhich and really filling. Great with a glass of wine!

Don't discount how great a bountiful salad can be also. Use mixed greens, chick peas, onion, sliced avocado, sliced almonds or sesame seeds, sliced pear, sprouts with vinaigrette. Serve with crusty bread, and some vegetable samosas from your local Indian store or restaurant (if you don't want to make them yourself). Serve a fruit-based desert, like apple pie. Enjoy!

What about a nice cheese and vegetable quiche w/ salad and bread?

As a vegetarian of almost 18 years with a hubby who is totally NOT a vegetarian, it's really easy to make a "typical" meal with vegetarian friendly dishes right along with it.

Here are two of my favorites!

Idea 1- Vegetable stir fry, brown rice, and stir up shrimp separately for those who eat meat.

Idea 2- Fajitas with vegetables and then rice and beans on the side. Then stir up chicken for those who eat meat and portobella mushroom for the vegetarians.

Enjoy!

Squash is a great seasonal idea. You can roast it along with garlic, onions, sweet potatoes or yams, peppers. Eggplant is less seasonal, but still available at Costco. Julia Child has a wonderful stuffed eggplant in her cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." It isn't difficult, it just has a lot of steps and is delicious. The only downside is that it is a bit on the caloric side.

I recommend checking, www.epicurious.com or http://www.marthastewart.com/food for some recipes.

If your friend is Vegetarian. Fish and seafood is not an option. Be sure that if you are adapting a recipe that requires stock, use vegetable stock. Chicken or beef won't work. Some people are Vegetarian for ethical reasons, some because of food allergies or sensitivities. It is best to eliminate all meat-based stocks and broths to be safe and use a Vegetable stock. The only caution I have on stocks is to watch the sodium levels. Don't buy Better Than Bullion. It is incredibly salty!

Have fun! Cooking Vegetarian isn't boring!

This is one of my favorite vegetarian meals, its easy to make, and if you don't know its vegetarian, you can't tell.

Shepherd's Pie

This pie is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter evening.

4 medium potatoes, diced

2 Tbsp. margarine

1/4 cup soy milk or liquid nondairy creamer

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

12 oz. faux ground beef-style crumbles (try Yves® Veggie Ground Round)

1 10.5-oz. can Campbells mushroom gravy (or 1 1/4 cups prepared vegetarian gravy of your choice)

1 6-oz. can mixed peas and carrots, drained

Salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne, to taste

* Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with the margarine and soy milk or nondairy creamer. Season with salt and pepper.

* In a medium pan, sauté the onion in the oil until translucent.

* In a medium bowl, mix the cooked onions, faux beef crumbles, mushroom gravy, peas and carrots, and spices. Pour into a pie pan. Top the crumble mixture with the potatoes, spreading to the edges.

* Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and the crumble mixture bubbles out the edges.

Makes 6 to 9 servings

Add a green salad, and you have a meal!
K. S.

Hi L., Have you considered doing a mexican dinner? Very informal with all the componets fixed seperatly so people can assemble their own dinners, you can have everything from salads, nachos, tacos, enchalads, burritos. I have a good friend that is a "veggie" and this is a great option that we all enjoyed. Beans, meat, chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, salsa, the list goes on and there's always something that everyone can enjoy. It's fun, colorful, a bit messy (that's part of the fun though) and it doesn't single out anyone's tastes or diet choices. Have fun with it and don't forget the sour cream!! :-)

hi Sorry this is late.
Alot of markets sell tofu type of products that can be added into dishes like a meat. maybe you could sautee veggies with some interesting spices and add tofu. I love indian spices with a nice jasmine rice. I also make an all veggie soup.

Hi L.,
We are not vegitarian as a principle, it just turns out that we eat mostly vegetarian. A lot of dishes can be made substituting tofu for the chicken/meat. Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever it is with, so I saute tofu in sesame oil with soy sauce and ginger before I put it into a dish. One dish that I love is found on "epicurious". The ingredients are red cabbage, yams, chicken, ginger, garlic and cilantro. If you plug in these ingredients, it will come up on the website. I have actually made it with tofu and everyone loved it.
Thanks for asking this question... lots of good ideas here!
:)
N

homemade burritos are great -- make a nice guacamole, black beans, rice, onions and peppers -- for those meat eaters, you can make some chicken or beef, then everyone can put together their own with whatever they like.

The other suggestions you got are great, too: I love fall squash dishes -- spaghetti squash and butternut squash are my favorites. Pasta primavera (pasta with tomato, onion, mushrooms, asparagus, etc) is great, too.

Just don't forget to use vegetable broth if any of your recipes call for chicken or beef broth.

Hi!
This is what I make for my very good vegetarin friend when she comes to dinner and even the non-vegetarians like myself and my family love this! It is a lot easier than it sounds and I sub dried herbs for fresh and it is still good.

Garden Lasagna

INGREDIENTS
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package no-cook lasagna noodles
9 roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, toss together the zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, red onion, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese,

parmasan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and stir in basil, oregano, sugar, salt and

pepper. Stir the mixture until evenly blended.
Place a layer of lasagna noodles into the bottom of the prepared pan. Make a layer of tomato slices over the

noodles. Spread a generous amount of the spinach mixture over the tomatoes. Don't worry, it shrinks a lot while

cooking. Lay slices of tomatoes over the spinach mixture, then another layer of noodles. Start with another

layer of tomatoes on top of the noodles, and repeat layering until the dish is heaped with lasagna, ending with

the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on the top.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until noodles, and vegetables are tender. Let stand for a few

minutes to set, then slice and serve.

L. =)

Hi L.,

Our au pair is a vegetarian also, so I know what you mean about all of the pasta. Some suggestions are eggplant parm, veggie chili, hearty soups like butternut squash or broc and cheese. Also, you can make many other items veggie. They sell veggie crumble that looks and kind of tastes like ground beef. It works great for anything mexican.

Good luck,

-Jenn

Veggie Burgers, rice and beans, veggie stir fry.

How about a fish or seafood dish? Or, maybe a big pot of meatless chili and some fresh cornbread? You can always serve a salad along with that.

There are lots of great stir-fry dishes if that's something that interests you. You can make from scratch (some Asian veggies can be hard to find fresh, but our local Wegmans carries a frozen option) or from a kit. This also gives you the option to make it all vegetarian or to simply set aside her portion before you throw in some meat for the rest of the gang . . .

I am vegetarian....Lots of responses, I didn't even read them all....

The thing I would seriously love more than anything is to go somewhere and just eat normal food that everyone else is eating....

Giant eagle sells vegetarian deli slices, cheese. I love a big old loaf of italian bread made into a big party sandwhich! Lettuce, tomatos onions, veggie salami, bologna, veggie pepperjack chees, american. Veggie pepperoni on a pizza made with veggie cheese shreds.

Anyway have fun!