Okay, for the first time in all my married years, I am hosting Thanksgiving at my home this year. Usually we treck back to Mississippi to my familiy or my husband’s. This year, everyone’s coming to us, plus two sets of neighbors, our former pastor and his wife and my former boss and her husband.
Everyone knows that we are vegetarian, so that isn’t an issue. Most everyone coming is vegetarian or flexitarian, but our former pastor, one of the sets of neighbors and my former boss’s husband are all regular meat-eaters so I want to create a really fun, flexible, delicious meal that will not leave anyone wanting. My menu thus far is:
*Appetizers
Arugula and Red Pepper Rollups
4 Onion Mini Tarts in Phyllo Cups
Baba Ghanouj with Pita Crisps
Dinner
Spicy Squash Soup
Braised Fennel Dolmades
Green Bean Casserole
Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
Mashed Potatoes
Vermicelli and Wild Rice Pilaf with Almonds
Confetti Corn Muffins
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Dessert
Pumpkin Pie
Applesauce Cake
French Vanilla Ice Cream*
As you can see, there’s no main entree. I can’t decide what I want to do, but Mr. TeaElle put his foot down because I was stressing so much about it and made me narrow it down to five options:
[ul][li] Vegetable Loaf with Mushroom Gravy[/li][li]Portabella Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie (I’d skip mashed potatoes in this case)[/li][li]Vegetable Lasagne (the mashed potatoes and probably the pilaf would be skipped in this case)[/li][li]Bulgur Stuffed Peppers (with tofu)[/li][li]Couscous Stuffed Eggplants (with TVP) – though I’m iffy on the quality of eggplants at the end of November.[/ul][/li]
Vegetarians, which would you choose? Or would you do something else altogether? I’m open to just about any suggestion at this point, because I’m ready to call everyone and warn them that I’m either going to order in from the Chinese restaurant down the road that’s open on every holiday or do a picnic meal with Boca burgers and Not Dogs with potato salad and cole slaw.
I occasionally do a vegetarian walnut loaf with a tamari-burgundy gravy for holiday meals. It’s ugly as sin, looks like a block of burned rubber, but it’s very, very tasty. Is the vegetable loaf recipe you’re looking at attractive?
The mushroom pie sounds intriguing. Some folks hate mushrooms, though, so you may want to check with them first.
I dislike both eggplant and peppers, so those options are out for me; tofu and TVP might disqualify them for some other guests.
Of those options, vegetable lasagna is probably safest, but if the veggie loaf is attractive, that might be better: lasagne just doesn’t seem very Thanksgivingish to me.
Here’s the walnut loaf recipe I’ve used before, I think. Garnish it with enough parsley, and maybe orange slices or marinated mushrooms or something, and you can probably disguise its ugliness. It’s really some fine eating, and contains no TVP or tofu or anything like that.
I’d pick the vegetable loaf. There’s not a lot on your menu for those who don’t particularly like vegetables. (I am a vegetarian but I went through a long phase where I didn’t eat many vegetable and mostly lived off of starch and meat substitutes) I’m assuming your lasagne is one of those horrible things with squash and zucchini in it, right? ( kidding, sorta. I’m sure it’s delicious lasagne but I personally can’t stand squash and am always aghast when the vegetarian entree is veggie lasagne) If it’s just plain, cheesy, no meat lasagne, I might pick that. But I think the veggie loaf is more Thanksgivingy. (I used to make a really yummy veggie loaf from a Fantastic Foods mix every year for Thanksgiving too)
An easy suggestion: have you considered a Tofurky? They make a Thanksgiving package that has a big, entree-sized tofu turkey with stuffing already in it, and it comes with gravy too. It’s pretty easy to make and tastes great.
If you want something less weird for your non-vegetarian guests, I cannot recommend this recipe more highly-- the Vegetarian Times’ vegetable pot pie with greens. It’s amazingly delicious and you don’t miss the meat at all. I use kale or collards rather than spinach because they maintain their structural integrity better, but that’s just a matter of taste. This recipe is easy to make but requires some prep, so try to get all the ingredients ready before you start. You also might have to double or triple the recipe if you’re having a lot of guests.
The VT’s basic biscuit recipe for the top crust is here. I’ve used this recipe to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast as well as dinner biscuits; it’s very versatile.
I dunno about those specific carnivores, but most of the ones I know would really prefer to just go meatless than to have stuff that “will fool your meat-eating friends.” Just between you and me, that stuff ain’t fooling anybody. It doesn’t taste anything like meat, and it doesn’t feel anything like meat. The texture of most of the faux meat products I’ve had has been really off-putting, even when the product is fairly tasty (albeit nothing like the product it’s trying to replace.)That’s why I don’t eat tofu; most of the time I’ve had it, it’s been so…gelatinous that it makes me feel like horking.
Out of the options so far, I’d vote for the lasagna, Daniel’s walnut loaf with gravy optional (like a lot of people, I don’t eat fungus, so I’d have to politely decline the mushroom gravy), or maybe the shepherd’s pie (maybe going light on the mushrooms so someone picking them out wouldn’t be so conspicuous.)
To be honest, though, there’s enough other stuff that anyone who doesn’t like whatever entree you make can fill up on the side dishes. Unless, of course, they hate vegetables, in which case they shouldn’t be coming to a vegetarian’s house for dinner. Forty lashes with a strand of spaghetti squash for them.
The arugula rolls and the squash soup sound wonderful, though; any chance you’d share the recipes?
Texturized Vegetable Protein :). It’s not bad, but it’s not great, either, and if you don’t like meat analogues, you’re not likely to enjoy it much.
The walnut loaf is kind of a meatloaf analogue, but once you taste it, you’ll forget all about the meatloaf: IMO it’s much more flavorful, what with all the walnuts and vegetables in it.
You could probably do the mushroom gravy sans mushrooms: the butter, tamari, and wine are all strongly flavored. But mushrooms are damn tasty, too.
Since you asked, I gotta say I don’t see much protein in this meal. To me it looks like what I, as a vegetarian, would end up getting at standard T-day meal: a bunch of starch and vegetable side dishes. And I would not feel particularly full afterwards; I find I need something with lots o’ amino acids to feel satisfied.
So what I’m saying is, yes to a main dish. Lasagne is good if you keep it plain enough for unadventurous carnivores (OK, it’s just that I loathe squash in lasagne, too. But us two can’t be the only ones), and make sure there’s enough cheese. If ya’ll eat eggs, using homemade pasta isn’t that hard, is waayy good, and gets some more protein in there.
Unless the veggie loaf is really, really, really, good, just the name and appearance is immediately going to turn off most non-vegetarians (and some vegetarians, too). And be honest about whether it’s good to someone else, not just to you.
Shepherd’s pie fits much better with the Thanksgiving theme, but there’s the protein question. If there’s lots of beans or something in there, that would work.
I agree with CCL on “don’t try to pretend it’s meat when it’s not.” I have no problem with many meat substitutes – I looooooooove Boca Burgers, for instance – but tofu is just nasty, and I don’t have to taste the {special dish you make that you [“you” in the most generic possible sense] claim isn’t nasty} to know that I don’t like tofu.
The veggie loaf sounds good – hearty and solid – a good entree. I like 'shrooms, so I’d go for the gravy – but agree that having the gravy on the side might be a good idea. Maybe you could serve the mashed potatoes around the veggie loaf as a presentation thing?
As a meat eater I’d say go for the Lasagnia or canneloni stuffed with ricotta cheese. Anything that tries to be meat (even vegetable loaf) tends to be dissapointing, but the cuisines of Indian Italy and the Middle East can be at their best with purely vegitarian dishes. Peppers stuffed with cheese in tomato sauce can be very nice (an extra mild chilli rellino), or falafals pitas humous and baba-ganoush if the group is into going middle-eastern. Your meal plan sounds excellent, I hope you don’t over work yourself in all that preparing.
A trick used in some very posh restaurants is to serve a small wine glass with a teaspoon of citrus sorbet just before the entree, this helps clear the diners pallets before the main course, and can give the chef an extra few minutes in getting the entrees perfect.
Sadly, not nearly as interesting as you’d think. I grew up eating it; it’s pretty bland and boring.
My favorite pseudosausage, Gimme Lean, is made with it, though. So sometimes it’s pretty good. (I have to mush up a bunch of spices into the soysage and then fry it in a bunch of oil to get it greasy and spicy, but it ends up pretty satisfying).
One of the advantages of the walnut loaf is that it relies on a recognizeable food–walnuts–to give that greasy, firm mouthfeel. TVP is kind of chewy, but doesn’t have any depth of flavor at all.
Also, are you really adverse to roasting a turkey? Your nuclear family doesn’t have to eat it. My mom’s a vegetarian and whenever she has guests over that aren’t, she tries to provide a poultry or seafood alternative.
Either way, good luck with your holiday dinner. I hope you and your guests have a blast.
And I agree with twicks! For the veggie loaf, I assume we’re talking about the one LHoD linked to instead of anything with TVP or tofu. It does sound great, especially with the gravy, but I might try some other nuts or seeds as well, maybe a few sesame or sunflower seeds mixed in, or slivered almonds, or whatever. I remember long ago getting meatless burgers from a similar recipe at a place on Fourth Avenue here in Vancouver that were different but as good as any with beef.
Finally, TeaElle, you need some yams! Cook and mash with butter, pack into a pie plate, sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds (pat them down flat), cover with a mix of brown sugar, butter, and a little cinnamon, and put in the oven until the sugar mix melts and caramelizes.
Yeah, interesting is not always good: the wasabi/yam burrito I had at a local burritoshop was interesting, yet nasty. TVP is just boring.
And don’t be dissin the tofu. One of my favorite comfort meals is tofu and kale in a spicy gingery garlicy rich peanut sauce. Ideally it comes out just this side of my spice tolerance, so that I have to eat it really quick and I start to sweat. You could do it with chicken, probably, but it wouldn’t be as good: the tofu’s texture blends perfectly with the creamy sauce.
As a vegetarian, I always try to bring a hot bubbling dish of cheese enchiladas to holidays. They are the sort of very filling comfort food we expect on holidays and they are so rich that even the most dedicated meat-eaters I know admit that they don’t miss the meat in them.
kidding, sorta. I’m sure it’s delicious lasagne but I personally can’t stand squash and am always aghast when the vegetarian entree is veggie lasagne) If it’s just plain, cheesy, no meat lasagne, I might pick that. But I think the veggie loaf is more Thanksgivingy. (I used to make a really yummy veggie loaf from a Fantastic Foods mix every year for Thanksgiving too)
It sounds like it would have a better texture than tofu, though.