Maybe a vegetarian lasagne?

my brother and sister in law did a fake tofurky type thing - it was shaped like a turkey but made of soy. looked spongy to me... whole foods will have it. now they just eat primarily side dishes and don't worry about a main course - mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, dressing (the not-stuffing kind made with veggie broth instead of turkey drippings or chicken broth), green bean casserole, mac n' cheese, etc... as long as they're not vegan there should be plenty to eat besides the turkey.

stuffed acorn squash is superb

there have been a few threads on the Vegetarian and Vegan Recipe Exchange tribe about holiday foods that might help ya out

this is one thread
tribes.tribe.net/676be46e-...142acdb867

hope that helps!

When I was a veg, I used to find the biggest mushrooms I could find, then stuff them with a yummy stuffing - like you'd put in a turkey. You can use your favorite dressing recipe. Mine used sourdough bread, pecans, celery, onions, veggie broth, etc.....very satisfying. And they go great with mashed potatoes!

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. Please keep them coming. My veg friends all say the same thing "side dishes are just fine" but I would like to make the dinner special for them too.

Milo I saw that got that that recipe of the day too and it looks really good.

I saw that tofu turkey on a comedy. show once and after all the jokes that were made about it I would be afaid to serve it. LOL

My husband's mother used to make Kugel at Chirstmas. I don't know the recipe but I'm sure you can find it. It is basically egg noodles with ricotta cheese, rasins, almond slivers, and a sweet whiskey or burbon sauce. All mixed together, put in a shallow 9x12 baking dish and baked until the top is nice and golden and it is warm all the way through.

You guys are fantastic!!! All of these sound great.

Maggimae I am going to make your squash recipe as soon as I get home tonight. I got a couple of acorn squash at the farmers market on Sunday.

I'm a total meat eater and only get a weeee bit of turkey on Thanksgiving. I love the extras sooo much more!! If you can make the sides vegetarian that will go a long way! I have a girlfriend who is a vegetarian ~ she's just happy to go to dinner parties and have more than one side dish to eat and not need to bring her own food!!

It's nice of you to go out of your way to host the holiday and be so thoughtful about it!!!


*OH* I would recommend offering vegan beer &/or wine (if you're drinkers). A lot of them have geletin.


Have fun!!!!
~Connie

Personally, I've made Tofurkey more times than anyone should and I really dislike it. Tastes like what it looks like...a big pile of paste. I would suggest the Unturkey, but unfortunately the manufacturers Now & Zen has closed up shop. BUT i found this awesome site:

unturkey.org/

Supposedly you can make this awesome thing at home. We shall see...

The Great Gluten Turkey
Posted December 20th, 2006 by s5

Serves 8-12.

Amazing, fun, incredible, and tasty, this creation will delight and satisfy any vegetarian wondering what to make for the centerpiece of a Thanksgiving or Christmas table. Like any good turkey, this one looks quite imposing with its golden and juicy-looking “skin” which, when cut, reveals white “meat” enclosing whatever kind of dressing you like. Accompanied by a tasty gravy and homemade cranberry sauce, no vegetarian will ever feel left out when the holidays roll around.

The skin for the turkey is made from “yuba,” a product made from the skin that forms when soy milk is heated. It can be purchased as fragile, dry sheets at Japanese food stores, or at certain Chinese markets in the freezer section. “Yuba” is a Japanese term and will not be understood at a Chinese grocery. The Chinese form, often labelled “bean curd sheet” or “bean curd skin,” is usually less fragile than the Japanese variety, easier to use and less expensive. To be sure you purchase the right product, avoid flat square sheets which, when closely examined, look like thick canvas (you can actually see the “weave”). Instead buy sheets that look heavily wrinkled. Sometimes they are sold as large (over 20″) circles that are folded and sold in small packets. They will be yellow in color. Some tofu cookbooks contain a recipe for making homemade yuba. The process is not hard and can be adopted when commercial yuba is not available.
Ingredients

Using wheat flour:
10 lbs. high-protein whole wheat flour, preferable finely ground
Approximately 14 cups water
1/3 cup Light Nutritional Yeast Flavoring (or more)

Using vital wheat gluten flour:
8 cups vital wheat gluten flour
mixed with 6 cups water
and 1/3 cup Light Nutritional Yeast Flavoring

One yard of cheesecloth
2/3 cup Light Nutritional Yeast Flavoring (or more)

1 gallon of water
1/3 cup margarine [we recommend Earth Balance –s5]
1/3 cup white wine

2 round circles Chinese bean curd sheet (yuba), or enough smaller squares to cover “turkey” in two or three layers (3 or 4 packets)

6 - 8 cups Great Gluten Dressing or stuffing of choice (bread, wild rice, chestnut, etc.)
Method

The “yuba” must be soaked and reconstituted to a soft, pliable texture before using. It is best to put individual sheets between wet towels until they turn soft and white in color. They are then ready to use.

Using either wheat flour or vital wheat gluten flour, make gluten according to the Homemade Gluten recipe. Roll it out into a rectangle approximately 15 inches long and 8 to 10 inches wide. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup yeast flavoring (unless you’ve added it in with your vital wheat gluten). Roll it up lengthwise. Spread out the cheesecloth and place the gluten roll in the middle. Wrap the sides of the cloth around the gluten roll first, then tie the ends together. It should be wrapped fairly loosely so that the gluten can expand a little while cooking but not so loose that it expands too much and becomes too soft and spongy in texture.

Place the roll in a large pot. Pour over it the gallon of water and the remaining 2/3 cup yeast flavoring. Cover, bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. This process can be done up to two days before serving.

Prepare the Great Gluten Dressing or stuffing of your choice. Remove the gluten roll from the stock, saving the stock for gravy. Untie and remove the cheesecloth. Unroll the “turkey” and fill it with the stuffing, or mound the stuffing on a large, greased baking sheet and place the gluten around it. Place the stuffed gluten on a large, greased baking sheet.

Reconstitute the yuba by soaking for five minutes in water in a flat, shallow dish, or between layers of wet towels. It will turn white and be pliable but will still be fragile. Cover the “turkey” with two to three layers of yuba. Melt the margarine and brush the entire “turkey” with some of it. Pour the wine into the remaining margarine: this will be used to baste the “turkey” while baking. If desired, two tablespoons of the yeast flavoring can be added to the margarine-wine mixture to give it an even more authentic flavor.

Place the “turkey” in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, basting every 15 minutes with the wine-margarine mixture and the juices in the pan. If it browns too much, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

Carve as you would a regular roast and accompany with stuffing.

Per serving: Calories: 514, Protein: 46 gm., Fat: 8 gm., Carbohydrates: 58 gm.

I just made polenta last night. there's a whole thread on it. I was thinking a modified eggplant parmigiana might be good. eggplant, sauce, and cheese on top of a polenta cake.

OMG! That squash dish was soooo good. I took some for lunch today and just as good as last nite. Thank you all for the nice comments, I don't think that making a little something extra for my veg friends is all that. I just know that at other dinners we have been to they have limited options. I want everyone to be able to gorge to their hearts desire and let their belt out a notch. We can all workout extra the next day.

A lot of the traditional veggies do nicely but my fall back holiday meals for non carnivores has been saute Portabello Mushrooms with an herb sauce

Mushroom Barley Soup (Change to veggie broth.)
www.epicurious.com/recipes/...ews/11525




Savory Bread Pudding (spectacular results with Grace Baking Co. Pugliese bread and a bit extra liquid... this has replaced stuffing at my Thanksgiving table and is great on it's own with salad)


Savory bread pudding
Courtesy Ornellaia, Craigslist Food Forum


Ingredients: 

6 cups of brioche or sweet baguette (crust removed) cut into 1 inch cubes. Make 
sure that the bread is either a couple of days old or dry it out in a 200 degree 
oven for 1 hour or so. 

2 cups of heavy cream 
1 cup of milk 
2 eggs 
1 1/2 cup of diced leeks (white and light green only) 
1 1/2 lb of mushrooms (if you are in a fancy mood chanterelles are incredible, 
otherwise use a mix of oyster, crimini, shitake, etc) 
1 cup of grated gruyere 
1/2 cup of white wine 
4 tbs of butter 
1 tbs of choped fresh thyme 
2 tsp of salt or more or less to taste 
3 tsp of black pepper or more to taste 

Heat up a pan and add 3 tbs of the butter. Add the mushrooms and half the salt 
and let all water leach out and keep sauteeing until they brown a bit. Add the 
leaks and cook till they begin to soften. Add the white wine and reduce almost 
entirely. Let this mushroom leak base cool down to room temp. 

Beat the eggs and mix in the milk and heavy cream. This is basically a custard 
base. Season this custard with thyme, salt and pepper. 

Butter a casserole dish and place the cubed bread in it. Add the mushroom-leek 
base and the gruyere cheese and mix well. Pour the custard over it and make sure 
it is evenly distributed with the other ingredients. You may have to mix them 
around. 

Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out 
clean. The top and bottom should be a bit brown, but the center should be soft 
and somewhat creamy, like really good bread pudding. 




Other holiday dishes I've made that are good...

Balsamic Glazed Beets
www.epicurious.com/recipes/...ews/10787


Fresh Cranberry Relish (this is *great* and doesn't even require cooking)
www.foodnetwork.com/food/rec...6,00.html


Cardamom Walnut Cookies (my favorite holiday cookie)
www.epicurious.com/recipes/...ws/104518

My CoOp just sent me this link for a Vegan TG in my newsletter:

www.tazarat.com/thanksgiving.html

the tofurkey is the bomb

the un-turkey is the spongy thing and its gross in my opinion.

the tofurkey is kind of a ball shape. make the marinade sauce it gives you the recipe for. its yummy.

enjoy!!!!!