what to have for Xmas dinner?

3greenrizla's

myself & some friends are having xmas dinner, there will be about 8 of us in total with 3 vegies (me included), for the meat eaters there will be the normal turky & ham (or pheasent) + trimmings , but i'm looking for somthing that us veggies can have alongside the trimmings.

i was thinking of doing a Nut Roast (havnt tried it before)

but any other ideas/ what are you all having for Christmas dinner?

Coconut

Unless you really want it to be home-made, I can highly recommend Marks and Spencers nut roasts. (Even as a starting point for ideas.)

3greenrizla's

cheers, i forgot about M&S, they do some good vegie options, & i can check out if i even like nut roast.

Tar.Aldarion

My sis is coming home for christmas and cooking us up some sort of roas, it sounds really good to me, so I would advise that indeed!
Otherwise, I do like the quorn that is around the place generally.
Try here if you want to cook up something nice as a meat alternative. http://vegweb.com/recipes/subs/

They even have a 'turkey' recipe http://vegweb.com/recipes/subs/turkey.shtml

3greenrizla's

i've never tried that Quorn it looks to much like meat for my taste.

whats it like?

Tar.Aldarion

Personally, i love it.
It looks and tastes like meat, if you don't like that then stay clear.
It's a very good alternative to the real stuff and if you are cooking meals for people that eat and some that don't eat meat, it is perfect.

direbadger

I'll be eating as much of the usual xmas fare as possible because it's stuff I wouldn't normally eat. We'll be making a "normal" stuffing to go in whatever bird they cook and vegan one for me, which will be all for me and I'll scoff it all. Mmmmm. My mam is making a nut and veggie roast too. She's very supportive of my "quare" diet! Hee hee. Other than that roast spuds, sprouts, carrots (two versions will have to be made cos my family traditionally put butter and rosemary on the xmas carrots) It's nice to get into the spirit of things. When I used to be a grumpy teenager I was known to eat koka noodles or tinned spaghetti on xmas day!

Tar.Aldarion

Heh, grumpiness for the win (:
Tinned spaghetti is deliecious so I can't blame you!
I don't really mind not getting in the spirit of things but I suppose I will to keep teh rest of the family happy.Since there are more of us vetarian now, (four out of seven) it will be easier to have two different types of food because each will be made in sufficient quantity.
I will be eating spaghetti hoops too though

Shabadu

Teso finest do some yummy posh vegetarian nut roast things.

3greenrizla's

i looked in M&S & tesco & no sign of nutraost?
both in galway, is it hard to make?

Laguna

3greenrizla's wrote:

What to have for xmas dinner

Tofu...

Shabadu

3greenrizla's wrote:

i looked in M&S & tesco & no sign of nutraost?
both in galway, is it hard to make?

No. There are a zillion or so recipes on google for it that seem very doable.

leftofcentre

I have the quorn roast, it looks just like turkey so you don't feel like a complete freak. You can get it from most supermarkets:
http://www.quorn.co.uk/cmpage.aspx?pageid=31&productid=46

direbadger

leftofcentre wrote:

I have the quorn roast, it looks just like turkey so you don't feel like a complete freak. You can get it from most supermarkets:
http://www.quorn.co.uk/cmpage.aspx?pageid=31&productid=46

But it's not vegan!

vibrant

I had that roast Quorn once, it was foul. Nothing is meant to be THAT chewy, I'm sure of it!

I've not seen nut roasts in M&S, but they do some delicious veggie kievs, which I've had for the last couple of Christmas dinners. There are two in a packet, and they are suitable for freezing. They're great with the roast spuds, stuffing, etc... I have never felt like I was "missing out".

As for home made nut roasts, the one I make is a bit fiddly and they might not be the greatest idea for preparing on Christmas morning (time much better spent dipping into tasty chocolate presents I reckon!)

Peanut

direbadger wrote:

... Other than that roast spuds, sprouts, carrots...

ahhh the combo of roast spuds, stuffing & veg... lovely.. I don't need anything else!!

Briony Noh

I discovered Linda McCartney's talents (which is more than Paul ever did - have you heard her backing vocals on Wonderful Christmas Time?) a few years ago and have sadly spoiled myself of my favourite Christmas dinner by having it every couple of months. Linda's pies are to die for - though, basically, they're just meat pies (without the meat), but I like pies.

For me, the Quorn range only really works if cooked with something else. Their "turkey roast" was a huge disappointment (to me *and* the cats), but their chickeny chunks cook well with spaghetti in a white wine and cheese sauce.

There are also some really tasty nut burgers in Iceland - I think it's own-brand, but I could be wrong about that (sorry) - that go very well with sprouts and bread sauce and the candied carrots (or whatever), but the prize this year has to go to my sister's chestnut roast. She gave me the recipe a while ago, if I can find it I'll post it. She's made it twice now and improved on it considerably in the interim. I have high hopes for this years main meal.

But the thing that really bugs me about vegetarian Christmas dinners is that while the carnivores are making sandwiches of the leftovers, we're left with cheese and pickle. How can this be fair??

lacuna

My mom's making a nut roast, her lovely vegetarian stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. And of course I'll be stuffing myself with roast potatoes! I can't wait!!

Tar.Aldarion

leftofcentre wrote:

I have the quorn roast, it looks just like turkey so you don't feel like a complete freak. You can get it from most supermarkets:
http://www.quorn.co.uk/cmpage.aspx?pageid=31&productid=46

Can't see it in tescon or several dunnes stores?
I assume they keep all the quorn together or id there a section I have always missed out on?

leftofcentre

'Can't see it in tescon or several dunnes stores?'

I am in Belfast, so we tend to get more of the range. I would check out some health food shops, they usually do it.

If your really determined head to the sainsburys in Newry

Everyone has there own tastes but i find it really nice, if you give it to someone and told them it was chicken they would be none the wiser.

Tar.Aldarion

belfast eh, guess I'll make my own. Thanks!
as for people not being able to tell the difference, my brother has been known to try and wind me up going on about how his meat is soooo good when in fact he was eating my quorn so i just play along with it, messing him around. 'Can I have some?' then his shocked face is priceless...finally followed by the realisation.'oh that damn quorn again'. muahaha!
I've noticed tesco are stocking different vegetarian things these days. Their own brand of burgers are always sold out though which pisses me off. They truly whip quorn in that department. It's one thing to taste like a burger, it's another to improve. Credit is due to them from moi.

monkeyfudge

Another vote here for the M&S Nut roast... that's what I have most years anyway.

vibrant

They used to sell those Quorn roasts in Iceland, but they've gone out of business here in the Republic, so they may prove elusive.

Kix

I like the quorn roast. I have to get it from health food shops in Galway (Evergreen for example) - I don't know any supermarkets which stock it.

Two things about it - don't over cook it and slice it quite thinly, otherwise it can be dry and seem rubbery.

I always cook it traditionally with stuffing*, gravy**, roast potatoes and veg.

It's excellent for sandwiches when cold, my meat eating girlfriend loves them, especially with a bit of stuffing thrown in.

It's very handy at home for Christmas, I bring the roast pre-cooked and my own gravy and don't look out of place (which I can get a bit tired of sometimes, let's be honest).

K

* Small onion softened in plenty of butter mixed with breadcrumbs, a little water if dry, and a good dash of mixed herbs. Put in an oven proof dish and bake for 20mins aprox. Simple and delicious.

** A near religious quest for me to find a satisifying veg gravy. Finally I came up with: To 3/4 pint of cold water add 3ins of konbu (kelp), bring very slowly to the boil and remove the konbu just before you reach it. You can save the konbu and and add to a stir-fry if you like. Add several tablespoons of good soy sauce and a veg stock cube. Mix 1 tablespoon each of bisto and cornflour in a little cold water and add to the gravy stock, stir till thickened. Lovely

Tar.Aldarion

Kix wrote:

I like the quorn roast. I have to get it from health food shops in Galway (Evergreen for example) - I don't know any supermarkets which stock it.

Two things about it - don't over cook it and slice it quite thinly, otherwise it can be dry and seem rubbery.

I always cook it traditionally with stuffing*, gravy**, roast potatoes and veg.

It's excellent for sandwiches when cold, my meat eating girlfriend loves them, especially with a bit of stuffing thrown in.

It's very handy at home for Christmas, I bring the roast pre-cooked and my own gravy and don't look out of place (which I can get a bit tired of sometimes, let's be honest).

K

* Small onion softened in plenty of butter mixed with breadcrumbs, a little water if dry, and a good dash of mixed herbs. Put in an oven proof dish and bake for 20mins aprox. Simple and delicious.

** A near religious quest for me to find a satisifying veg gravy. Finally I came up with: To 3/4 pint of cold water add 3ins of konbu (kelp), bring very slowly to the boil and remove the konbu just before you reach it. You can save the konbu and and add to a stir-fry if you like. Add several tablespoons of good soy sauce and a veg stock cube. Mix 1 tablespoon each of bisto and cornflour in a little cold water and add to the gravy stock, stir till thickened. Lovely

Where is evergreen? I might go there soon. Having a practice christmas dinner on sunday with the housemates
Thanks for the recipe on gravy, I miss it.

BolBill

3greenrizla's wrote:

myself & some friends are having xmas dinner, there will be about 8 of us in total with 3 vegies (me included), for the meat eaters there will be the normal turky & ham (or pheasent) + trimmings , but i'm looking for somthing that us veggies can have alongside the trimmings.

i was thinking of doing a Nut Roast (havnt tried it before)

but any other ideas/ what are you all having for Christmas dinner?

Jaysus, THREE veggies !!!! That sounds like a right hoot for Christmas day alright. God help the other 5. No doubt the topic of conversation will revolve around the 5 murdering b*stards been murders and the 3 veggies giving out about what is wrong in the world !!!!

Tar.Aldarion

BolBill wrote:

Jaysus, THREE veggies !!!! That sounds like a right hoot for Christmas day alright. God help the other 5. No doubt the topic of conversation will revolve around the 5 murdering b*stards been murders and the 3 veggies giving out about what is wrong in the world !!!!

Oh ye, my friends are really in for it on xmas, they think having dinner with me every night sucks...wait until I unleash the festive flames because that's all we do.
Now to write up those xmas cards to my parents ranting about how it's stupid to believe in christianity , they loved it all the other years. :rolleyes:

Kix

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Where is evergreen? I might go there soon. Having a practice christmas dinner on sunday with the housemates
Thanks for the recipe on gravy, I miss it.

There are several Evergreens actually. The one I go to is in the Headford Rd. Shopping Centre across from Tesco. There's one in Mainguard St., I believe there's one in the Westside shopping centre and others in Barna and Moycullen. There's also another nice healthfood shop, Healthwise on Abbygate St. who stock the roast usually as well.

Hope you try the gravy receipe. I'm cooking for 2 and usually find this makes plenty so that I freeze the remainder. I find if I defrost it in a pan directly from frozen the texture's a little funny, I guess the starch which was thickening it gets a little "torn". It doesn't affect the taste but I like to whizz it with a handblender once it's heated to improve the presentation. I imagine that if I didn't freeze it this might not happen but I'm not organised enough to to that This works very well with a rushed mid-week meal of mashed potato, veg and perhaps Quorn fillets. The gravy really lifts it from something quite bland to something very satisifying and comforting.

Just as a by-the-by (talking about mash). I've recently discovered the joy of a potato ricer for making mash. The size of the holes is designed to just break the starch (starch again) in the potato enough to give a smooth mash without reducing it to a sticky mess (as say a food processor would). I wasn't much of a mash fan before this, now I'm an addict. If you're feeling really self indulgent - roast a few heads of garlic in the oven and add them to the mash. Sweet jebus, that's good...

Tar.Aldarion

Kix wrote:

There are several Evergreens actually. The one I go to is in the Headford Rd. Shopping Centre across from Tesco. There's one in Mainguard St., I believe there's one in the Westside shopping centre and others in Barna and Moycullen. There's also another nice healthfood shop, Healthwise on Abbygate St. who stock the roast usually as well.

Hope you try the gravy receipe. I'm cooking for 2 and usually find this makes plenty so that I freeze the remainder. I find if I defrost it in a pan directly from frozen the texture's a little funny, I guess the starch which was thickening it gets a little "torn". It doesn't affect the taste but I like to whizz it with a handblender once it's heated to improve the presentation. I imagine that if I didn't freeze it this might not happen but I'm not organised enough to to that This works very well with a rushed mid-week meal of mashed potato, veg and perhaps Quorn fillets. The gravy really lifts it from something quite bland to something very satisifying and comforting.

Just as a by-the-by (talking about mash). I've recently discovered the joy of a potato ricer for making mash. The size of the holes is designed to just break the starch (starch again) in the potato enough to give a smooth mash without reducing it to a sticky mess (as say a food processor would). I wasn't much of a mash fan before this, now I'm an addict. If you're feeling really self indulgent - roast a few heads of garlic in the oven and add them to the mash. Sweet jebus, that's good...

Thanks, I live beside the evergreen in headford. We always pass it and say that we should go in some time...hmm I should have noted the name
Not a fan of mashed potato myself, normal ones do just fine for now!
If I make the gravy, I will just give the rest to my housemates I guess,
That or the dreaded...buy a blender option.

pastabrown

hey guys that quorn roast is fine for xmas dinner however it was only available in iceland which has gone belly up i have mailed quorn directly and they appologise for lack of range in irelnad and say that dunnes tesco etc hold some products
its a shame as the current range is remarkable
but i feel as a long term veggie that sometimes we just have to grin and bare it on food as the choice is not there and fussyness is one thing we can not afford
any veggies in kildare know any good local restaurants

EvilPixieOne

I'm having pasta. thats the way it always has been, and the way it always will be

Peanut

EvilPixieOne wrote:

I'm having pasta. thats the way it always has been, and the way it always will be

ah go on have a bit of stuffing with your pasta

Doctor Benway

BolBill wrote:

Jaysus, THREE veggies !!!! That sounds like a right hoot for Christmas day alright. God help the other 5. No doubt the topic of conversation will revolve around the 5 murdering b*stards been murders and the 3 veggies giving out about what is wrong in the world !!!!

Yes, I'm sure that that's exactly what will happen.

It could be worse, though. "No doubt" Christmas Day around at yours will consist of you shrieking nonsense in a constant and rather pathetic attempt to get attention, trying to be provocative and controversial but without an iota of the kind of wit or intelligence which defines a well-rounded troll, while everyone around you looks away getting more and more uncomfortable with the desperation in your eyes which show, behind the big man gibberish, the tiny tragedy of a very, very lonely little boy.

Given the choice, I'd stick with the Quorn roast.

3greenrizla's

dinner was last night - it was lush,

i couldnt find anything in tesco's or m&s but i got a packet nut roast (just add water) in healthfood shop, added a few extra bits to it - chilli, pepper's, mushrooms, & an egg & i have to say it was lovley.

although for the first time in ten years i tasted meat

- pheseant - one of my friends shot it & i helped him gut it & i cooked it - it was nice, i only had a mouthfull, it wasnt as strong as i thought it would be, but it still had that similarity to chewing gum.

& i had too much vodka jelly.

thanks for all the replies.

3greenrizla's

BolBill wrote:

Jaysus, THREE veggies !!!! That sounds like a right hoot for Christmas day alright. God help the other 5. No doubt the topic of conversation will revolve around the 5 murdering b*stards been murders and the 3 veggies giving out about what is wrong in the world !!!!

not at all, imo its more like the other way around - how can you not eat meat, have some turkey, eat meat......... eat meat....... eat meat.

i wouldnt try to convince some one not to eat meat if they wanted to, but if some one asks why i'm not eating meat i will tell them.

Kix

I was in Dunnes on the Headford Rd. (Galway) yesterday and they had Quorn Roasts in stock. I don't usually shop there (g/f had received Dunnes tokens from work as a Christmas bonus) so I don't know if they just have them in for Christmas or usually stock them. The healthfood stores tend to run-out coming up to the big day so this is another option for people looking for one.

Being Dunnes they might also be a little cheaper, I didn't honestly pay too much attention to the price because we were "livin-it-large" on the vouchers

K

Tar.Aldarion

Kix wrote:

I was in Dunnes on the Headford Rd. (Galway) yesterday and they had Quorn Roasts in stock. I don't usually shop there (g/f had received Dunnes tokens from work as a Christmas bonus) so I don't know if they just have them in for Christmas or usually stock them. The healthfood stores tend to run-out coming up to the big day so this is another option for people looking for one.

Being Dunnes they might also be a little cheaper, I didn't honestly pay too much attention to the price because we were "livin-it-large" on the vouchers

K

Ah cool, only live a minutes walk from there.
Went into everygreen, fantastic shop that shall be getting my custom quite a bit.
Also noticed that tesco are now stocking linda mccartney sausages. Got some last night for a xmas dinner, they are unbelievable!

not at all, imo its more like the other way around - how can you not eat meat, have some turkey, eat meat......... eat meat....... eat meat.

Indeed, 'we' go on about it a lot do we?
All i ****ing hear is eat meat, meat, 'incorrect fact', eat meat.
I mean wow....I have never once brought up anything got to do with animals, vegetarianism in my life(i'm quite private with my thoughts) but it's all they go on about.

Kix

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Also noticed that tesco are now stocking linda mccartney sausages. Got some last night for a xmas dinner, they are unbelievable!

It's nice passing along a few years of experience of different veggie products. I probably shouldn't say this (because they're already can be hard to get), but the very, very nicest veggie sauages I've ever tasted have to be the Cauldron brand Lincolnshire-style sausages. They've an excellent texture, lovely taste and are never dry. Again, several of the health-food shops stock them. They also do a variety with cheese and leek (Cumberland?) which I don't like the taste of, but you might disagree.

The regular Linda McCartney are alright, but I really dislike the sun-dried tomato variety which gave me dreadful heartburn (bleh). The quorn sausages I don't like. I find them tasteless and unpleasantly greasy.

A long time ago, when I first went veggie (for conscience reasons rather than taste ones, you understand), the thing I missed for the longest time was rasher sandwiches. Linda McCartney used to have a veggie bacon product. It was kinda terrible really - fell apart when trying to seperate the pieces from frozen and you had to burn it really to get a decent texture, topped off with the obligitary heartburn, but it did fill a hole. At some stage they changed the recipe (not for the better) and then dropped it altogether.

Happily, I've found a far superior substitute - Haloumi. It's a cypriot cheese flavoured with a little mint (very subtle). It's quite salty, slightly rubbery and has a wonderful property - it keeps it's shape when heated (like some other cheeses like Feta, paneer). Cut slices off the block about 4mm thick (not too thin or it'll burn too much) and pop them under a hot grill and let it brown on both sides. When the salty, crispy, protein-y goodness hits your mouth you'll be in hog-(safe)-heaven

K

Peanut

Kix wrote:

The regular Linda McCartney are alright, but I really dislike the sun-dried tomato variety which gave me dreadful heartburn (bleh).

They appeared to have a lot of hydrogenated oil in them last time I checked. They're nice but I would avoid them unless they change this. I think the Linda McCartney range in general is mediocre.

Tar.Aldarion

Kix wrote:

It's nice passing along a few years of experience of different veggie products. I probably shouldn't say this (because they're already can be hard to get), but the very, very nicest veggie sauages I've ever tasted have to be the Cauldron brand Lincolnshire-style sausages. They've an excellent texture, lovely taste and are never dry. Again, several of the health-food shops stock them. They also do a variety with cheese and leek (Cumberland?) which I don't like the taste of, but you might disagree.

The regular Linda McCartney are alright, but I really dislike the sun-dried tomato variety which gave me dreadful heartburn (bleh). The quorn sausages I don't like. I find them tasteless and unpleasantly greasy.

A long time ago, when I first went veggie (for conscience reasons rather than taste ones, you understand), the thing I missed for the longest time was rasher sandwiches. Linda McCartney used to have a veggie bacon product. It was kinda terrible really - fell apart when trying to seperate the pieces from frozen and you had to burn it really to get a decent texture, topped off with the obligitary heartburn, but it did fill a hole. At some stage they changed the recipe (not for the better) and then dropped it altogether.

Happily, I've found a far superior substitute - Haloumi. It's a cypriot cheese flavoured with a little mint (very subtle). It's quite salty, slightly rubbery and has a wonderful property - it keeps it's shape when heated (like some other cheeses like Feta, paneer). Cut slices off the block about 4mm thick (not too thin or it'll burn too much) and pop them under a hot grill and let it brown on both sides. When the salty, crispy, protein-y goodness hits your mouth you'll be in hog-(safe)-heaven

K

Where would one get Haloumi? meh, i'll look around the usual places.
Open a restaurant in galway man, your posts alone make me water at the mouth


Peanut, I assume they tasted so good because I was used to the quorn ones

bonzo82

Haloumi is lovely stuff alright, I get it in an Indian store in Dublin, I don't know if there are any in your area Tar. I have a feeling M&S stock it though, probably more expensive. I throw it on the George Foreman Grill, and it does the job perfectly. Never thought of it as a sub for rashers, but a dollop of ketchup would probably go quite nicely with it indeed.

Tar.Aldarion

Hmm, sounds good.
I think it should be around here somewhere as kix seems to be in galway too.
I too miss the rasher sandwiches a lot.

Kix

Peanut wrote:

They appeared to have a lot of hydrogenated oil in them

That stuff is well worth avoiding, and I was being fairly generous with "alright"

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Where would one get Haloumi? meh, i'll look around the usual places.
Open a restaurant in galway man, your posts alone make me water at the mouth

Hehe, you're too kind. It might be that I know a bit about food but can't cook for toffee you know? (hope not!) Halloumi is (again) easy enough to get in the healthfood stores in the chiller cabinet. I get mine in Evergreen across from Tesco.

Food is a bit of a passion and I don't think that vegetarians should suffer some of the bland crap which is served up to us. We demand real food DAMMIT! Man I could start on a million more topics but I've already derailed this Christmas dinner discussion quite a bit (so I'll shut up now and think of starting another )

Tar.Aldarion

ah it's in everygreen, great.
I think I'll go over today to look around the shop actually.

Oh btw, don't think it has been derailed. You just showed a lot of recipes she could try and plus the dinner is already over

3greenrizla's

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Ah cool, only live a minutes walk from there.
Went into everygreen, fantastic shop that shall be getting my custom quite a bit.
Also noticed that tesco are now stocking linda mccartney sausages. Got some last night for a xmas dinner, they are unbelievable!

Evergreen dose indeed rock.

& the linda mccartney sausages (the kitchen garden ones - tomatoe & somthing) are very nice & great on the BBQ (i know thats a summer discussion)

3greenrizla's

Kix wrote:

DAMMIT! Man I could start on a million more topics but I've already derailed this Christmas dinner discussion quite a bit (so I'll shut up now and think of starting another )

not that i think you have, but derail away my friend.