Vegetarian Yom Tov Guests! Heeeeelp!!!!!

Frankly I cannot fathom a life time without brisket but what am I supposed to cook for vegetarians? If you have tasty, alternatices please share recipes!
I am so stuck I can't even think about the other three meals. Oh yeah, they are only coming for Shabbos lunch. I am sooooooooo flipped out all suggestions will be humbly and graciuosly appreciated!!!
THANKS!!!
I am off to eat a hamburger for breakfast!
(JK)
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sorry yet again for the typos...
I am so anxious

Gold Member Joined: Dec 25 2007 Posts: 1247

Are they vegans or will they eat eggs - fish. I find the best way to deal (my BIL is a vegan -- won't eat anything besides fruits, veges and grains) is to make lots of side dishes, kugels, salads. There are various vegetarian cholent recipes (I think there may be one in one of the KBD cookbooks), add kugel, chumus, salads, water challah and you can have a nice spread. And you can even serve the brisket also!
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I am officially going to be a pain in the neck and ask if people could PULEEEEEEEEZE post precise recipes...

I think it is the sifting through cookbooks that is overwhelming me.Thanks for rapid response.
Smile

shabbos lunch is probably the easiest meal for vegans. cholent. no meat. saute onions and garlic, add beans and barley. if you like some crumbled up soy burger. (my mom used to put in cocktail soy hot dogs!!)lots of spices.
u can add kishka if u like.

do they eat eggs?
if so u can also make whatever kugels u like.
if not
antipasti style foods, spicy olives, tomato salad, cucumber salad fennel salad,
and some starch like quinoa or potato salad. corn salad.
if theywont be offended with u serving meat,
u can offer a deli platter, or sliced corned beef for the rest of u
also make a smaller pot of ur usual chulent.

do they eat fish?
u can sever a salad for starters and offer fish to those who like.

if theyll eat eggs bake ur own challah. that always gets people excited.

dessert can be a mousse, or compote, or fruit and chocolate.

it might not be ur traditional. but I can definitely still be appetizing and filling.
also if u dont serve meat at the meal u can still prepare some deli for anyone really missing their meat to have with crackers after the meal.

Posted: Tue, Sep 15 2009, 10:43 am Post subject:

first off you have to find out to what extent they go ... will they eat fish or not ... or eggs or not ... then start finding recipes they will eat ...

giant portabella mushrooms - cooked with fresh garlic, onions, soy sauce and a side of green beans is a loverly dish ...

vegetable soups - I got a recipe somewhere in this site ...

garden salads - so long as they don't feel like they are killing the tomatoe Twisted Evil

p.s. I want a burger for breakfast too ... with a beer ... but for very different reasons ...
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Platinum Member Joined: Jun 30 2009 Posts: 8228

I remember a similar thread to this, think it had good ideas... will try to post it.

Platinum Member Joined: Jun 30 2009 Posts: 8228

http://imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=88456&highlight=vegetarian

Moderator Joined: Dec 26 2005 Age: 33 Posts: 11430

Vegetarian Shepherd's pie
Vegetarian Pad Thai using Seitan
(You can make easy vegetarian versions of most Chinese/Japanese main dishes using seitan)

I just realized you need these for shabbos day. If I were you, I'd just make your normal side dishes and then buy a package of vegetarian shnitzel. I'm assuming that most of your sides don't have meat in it.

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 07 2007 Posts: 10429

My menu for vegan friends includes vegetarian cholent--just like regular cholent, hold the meat; onion or mushroom-barley soup; I give the vegan two pitas and we have egg challah; hold the mayo on the coleslaw and potato salad and use olive oil instead, all other ingredients exactly the same; all other salads I make exactly the same; fresh fruit for a first course, applesauce or sorbet for dessert, and if I want to get fancy, an apple crumble as well.

Silver Member Joined: Mar 07 2006 Posts: 573

defy, can you tell more about seitan.
what is it?
where do you get it?
source for recipes using it?

Moderator Joined: Dec 26 2005 Age: 33 Posts: 11430

It's made out of wheat gluten. I like it because it has a similar texture to meat. I usually add it to stir fries. This week I made shawarma with it. You can get it at most health food stores such as Whole Foods.

If I were you, I would keep it simple because I always keep things simple. I would have lots of salads. I would probably make a stir fry of onions, garlic, pepper, maybe some green beens with oil. since they are vegetarian I would throw in some chickpeas for a protein. Add salt and pepper to taste. Maybe some onion and garlic pwder. I don't know if you are going to have a blech on. If you are bitm I don't know how good that would taste cold. just some ideas. Between different kinds of salads and kugels, and stir fry you should be okay.

Make it simple. Buy a ready made frozen vegetarian main dish to serve your guest while everyone else is eating the fish. (Let's say a veggie burger, or something more gourmet, with a mushroom sauce on top.)
Then serve regular salads and side dishes. Lots.
And then make a meatless chulent. I make a delicious vegetarian lentil bean chulent. Very light and saucy. If you want the recipe, let me know.
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Posted: Tue, Sep 15 2009, 8:01 pm Post subject:

I am sort of vegetarian so I just eat the sides. There's challah and good soup and vegatable and starch dishes usually by each meal.
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I would make what I do generally and let them eat the sides. Maybe a dish with some eggs or something but no big cooking. I don't see YT without meat.
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The easiest cop-out: just heat up one of these veggie burgers and serve with baked potatoes.
For lunch, you can make parve cholent (I use vegetarian burgers).

Just make sure you don't put meat (including chicken soup) to sides.

FYI
The Yom Tov lunch was perfect thanks to all your suggestions.
Thanks so much for helping me make my vegetarian guest feel welcome and loved!!

Posted: Mon, Sep 21 2009, 12:57 pm Post subject:

did they all leave with their vegetarianism still in tact ...

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 07 2007 Posts: 10429

we actually had no vegan guests, though we had a guest who doesn't eat beef so our cholent was meatless. we had someone who is allergic to eggs and didn't tell us in advance. (Please, allergy sufferers, just because you were here once before and told us then, don't assume we remember. You have any idea how many people we have over who have one allergy or aversion or dietary restriction or another? Do us both a favor and remind me when I invite you that you're allergic or whatever.) That meant the challah, coleslaw, potato salad, kugel and cake were all off limits. (Like I'm supposed to know when she points to the challah after washing and goes "Hmmhmmm, hmmhmm-HM-hm-hm" that she's asking does it contain eggs? I thought she was asking if I made it myself!) Had she told me in advance, I would have made a mayo-less coleslaw, mashed potatoes, cranberry kugel which has no eggs, ices or something other than cake for dessert, and pita or matzah for lechem mishneh for her. But if you don't tell me...