vegetarian dinner party ideas

[ScarlettStar86]

We are having my brother and sister in law round for dinner in a few weeks and she is vegetarian. The rest of us aren't but would rather cook dishes that we can all eat than do her something separate.
One of the problems with this though is that my brother HATES mushrooms, to the point where my mum used to chop up mushrooms into literally square millimetre cubes and he would pick them out...
We went to them for dinner a month or two ago and they did a tapas kind of thing with baked aubergine, tomatoes and halloumi, a vegetable tortilla, and other lovely little tapas dishes.
I would like to make something special, and a bit different but without having to spend the evening in the kitchen. I will happily use syns so it doesnt have to be free (infact will probably be a flexi syn evening so not too limited!) Any lovely yummy ideas? Xx

 

[missy1978]

The tapas sounds lovely!

Most of my special occasion things that I cook do contain mushrooms unfortunately. :/ I always think risotto is nice for an occasion - if you're not worrying about syns then it's even nicer to make it with butter and wine and grate some veggie friendly parmesan on top. My fave risotto is mushroom and rocket (so no good for you) but butternut squash and sage risotto is lovely too.

I will have a think and return with ideas

 

[ScarlettStar86]

Ok lovely thanks! I know its a pain not having mushrooms! One if my fave sw recipes is the spinach and mushroom cannelloni but not sure if it would work as well without the mushrooms? Could I add some extra cheese or something possibly? Glad to hear your ideas- risotto does sound lovely x

 

[Patchninja]

Can you get hold of a copy of the Christmas book?
There's a lovely winter salad, and mushroom filo crackers. Perhaps you could change the mushrooms for something else like spinach. There's a lovely-looking veggie and filo tart or a veggie nut roast with tomato sauce that looks tasty..... loads of desserts. Worth the price.

 

[ScarlettStar86]

Thanks I will see if I can get hold of a copy x

 

[Skulldilocks]

I love msuhrooms and when I was veggie was glad that was often the only options but I have found some gooduns along the way. If you like the idea of tapas, why not do a more finger food-esque spread?
Mini quiches with any veg, falafels/chickpea cakes, dips like tzatsiki and salsa, pasta salads?

If not I have a recipe for a nice spinach and pepper risotto, its simple and apart from the parmesan is syn free I know risotto can be a pain.

Or, Quorn is a life saver. I know it may not seem very fancy but if you're making a dish like curry then I really dont notice much different between Quorn pieces and chicken

 

[ScarlettStar86]

Ooh some fab ideas, thanks! I'd love the spinach and pepper risotto recipe anyway please even if I don't use it for that night, sounds lovely!
Love peanut curry so that's a good option also, ooh hadn't thought of roasted veg lasagne, will do some googling. Thanks everyone! X

 

[Happy Holidays]

Even though it's not special our family fav veggie meal is Shepherds pie, it's just so yummy & comforting.

Otherwise I'd think what you'd like to make & just substitute 'real' meat for quorn, that should be ok.

 

[missy1978]

The only thing I would say with lasagne (from a veggie point of view) is that it's often the only veggie option in pubs/restaurants so it can get a bit boring. I hardly ever cook lasagne for that reason, not that I don't like it but sometimes it's nice to have a change. That said, roast veg lasagne does sound lovely

The curry ideas sound good - it's easy to do a really nice indian dinner with lots of little bits! This is my fave curry recipe (altered for SW) http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/cauliflower-lentil-and-coconut-milk-curry - last time I did rice, bhajis and a yogurt and mint dip to go with. It went down really well with veggie mother in law and meat eating father in law so was very pleased.

 

[missy1978]

I'm trying to kick my reliance on quorn - it's useful stuff but I know I cook far more interesting meals when I don't use it. It's really easy as a veggie to rely meat substitutes when there are so many wonderful things you can do with veggies, tofu, beans and the like.

That said, I had quorn shepherds pie for tea tonight and it was lovely - with swede, carrot and sweet potato mash on top.

 

[ScarlettStar86]

Ooh that curry sounds lovely missy, Thanks! Will have a host of new recipes left over for me and bf to try once we've chosen what to make for my brother and sis in law x