<p>I love, love, love this thread. I’m the outlying-freak-vegetarian in my family, so I don’t get the benefit of others’ experiences and ideas in my own life. Thank you so much to everyone who has posted a recipe or suggestion. You rock!</p>
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<p>I respect what your saying Romani, but honestly, I don’t get it. If I invite you to a dinner party, I’m basically saying that I want to make food for you. It doesn’t matter if you are a vegetarian/vegan/raw food person. I expect that people I invite will have dietary preferences–my own child does. My best friend is a vegetarian. It’s not a big deal, especially if your host asks if you have a preference. If you told me you were bringing your own food, that would be fine too. </p>
<p>I understand not saying anything if it’s a party where there many foods available. That’s a different story. In the case of a dinner party (especially a sit-down dinner with a set menu), I definitely feel that it’s preferable to let your host know of your dietary preferences rather than surprising him/her.</p>
<p>I’m referring to Thanksgiving where there will be plenty of options. </p>
<p>If I was just a vegetarian, that would be one thing. It was at the point where I couldn’t eat dairy, leafy greens, tomatoes, anything fried, etc. The list was so long that I would forget things. I would feel horrible if I said I couldn’t eat x and y, forgetting z, and then you make something with z and I couldn’t eat it. THAT’s what I’m saying. And this is just for ME personally as I don’t like to make waves. </p>
<p>Yes, I normally brought something with me that I knew for sure I could eat… just in case.</p>
<p>I also don’t do “dinner parties” really so you have to take that into consideration. I’m just not that fancy 
:p.</p>
<p>romani, if it’s a small party, I’d absolutely want to know what you can (or could eat). It would also be fine for you to say, “You know mathmom, the list of what I can’t eat is so long, I’ll just bring something I know I can eat.” But if I have a party (big or small) I really am not interested in having a lot of leftovers, I want to cook what my friends will enjoy. I’ll eat almost anything, I enjoy being challenged, it wouldn’t feel like an imposition to me to come up with things. That said, I have a few friends with vegan children and while I’ll probably have something edible - I just haven’t learned the substitutions you have to make to adapt all my recipes. Most of my desserts require butter, honey, milk products and/or eggs.</p>
<p>ariesathena, Apologies for missing your implication. Perhaps I did because it didn’t occur to me that you felt you could speak for all vegetarians. I was a vegetarian for years at a time when many people thought that as long as they weren’t putting a slab of beef on your plate they were respecting your diet. I could certainly taste the broth, or whatever, but I would not have described it as tasting gross. </p>
<p>I don’t think my vegetarian guests expect me to go out of the way to cook special dishes for them but when I am entertaining them it is because they are my friends and family and it is my pleasure to serve them a meal they can really enjoy. As someone who likes to cook, it is a gift I can give to people I love.</p>
<p>I’ve never quite worked out what you eat at Thanksgiving other than turkey, but this is a family favourite for the veggie main at Christmas. It can even be made vegan [Rose</a> Elliot: A veggie Christmas | Life and style | The Guardian](<a href=“http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/dec/17/features.weekend4]Rose”>A veggie Christmas | Life and style | The Guardian)</p>
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<p>I used the term dinner party to differentiate this party from a party where people are standing and chatting and there’s food/drink on a table/counter. Basically, I invited my neighbors to come over, sit down, and share a meal before watching the World Series. </p>
<p>I really think it was more awkward for the poor woman to push the pork off her plate–that certainly caught everyone’s attention. Since I asked and I believed everyone could eat all that I was serving, I didn’t serve the food family style. I plated everything and brought the individual plates to the table. If I had known, I could have easily had food for her on her plate and I don’t think anyone would have noticed and it wouldn’t have been a big deal.</p>
<p>BTW my D got me a recipe for a vegetarian gravy that I made on Thanksgiving to go with vegetable pasties, which I make for the vegetarians at the dinner. Last year, I put that gravy in a gravy dish and one of the non-vegetarian guests tried it and loved it. Pretty soon, everyone wanted the vegetarian gravy. </p>
<p>Here’s the recipe:
Golden Gravy (makes 2 cups)</p>
<p>In a sauce pan, toast until lightly brown (be careful not to burn)
1/2c nutritional yeast
1/4c garbanzo flour (Whole Foods has it)</p>
<p>Add and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently:
3T sesame oil
3T extra virgin olive oil</p>
<p>Whisk in:
2c vegetable stock or hot water</p>
<p>Add:
1T Dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic peeled and minced
1/4c tamari
2T balsamic vinegar
1/2t black pepper</p>
<p>Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently</p>
<p>Is there a recipe for the pasties? :)</p>
<p>I serve a wild mushroom bread pudding. It makes a great side dish for non-vegetarians and a really rich main dish for vegetarians.</p>
<p>^^^Here you go:
Vegetable Pasties (Serves 7–makes 14 small pasties)
Mix together in a bowl:
4c whole wheat pastry flour
1t salt
1/4t thyme (dried)
1/4t sage (dried)
1/2c sunflower oil or butter (I use butter)</p>
<p>Add gradually approximately:
1c ice water</p>
<p>until the mixture forms a non-sticky, one piece dough. (I put dried ingredients in the food processor and slowly add the ice water–this works much better for me than doing it without the processor.) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside.</p>
<p>Saute for 5 minutes:
4 T olive oil or sunflower oil
1 small onion minced
1 carrot, peeled and cut in quarter round
1c broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
2 small zucchini, cut into half rounds
1 potato, boild and cubed
1c mushrooms, sliced</p>
<p>Add:
1t dried basil
1t dried oregano
1t salt
1/4t black pepper</p>
<p>In a separate bowl, mix:
1/2c cool water
1T arrowroot</p>
<p>Add this mixture to the sauteed vegetables and cook until th vegetables are soft, stirring frequently.</p>
<p>Roll dough out (on floured board) until is thin, then cut into 14 rounds. (If you have a 32-ounce yogurt container, use it for cutting rounds).Place 2-4T of vegetables on half of each round. Brush water on edges of round (to help sticking) and fold over the empty half of the round. Seal by pinching edges together. Place pasties on a baking tray and prick top to release steam. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Immediately remove from oven–you can brush with butter. </p>
<p>These are really good with the golden gravy. Both of the recipes are from a book called The Expanding Light Cookbook. My D bought me a copy for Christmas last year so I could cook for her. It’s on Amazon.</p>
<p>[The</a> Expanding Light Cookbook : Vegetarian Favorites from California’s Premier Yoga Retreat: Blanche Agassy McCord: 9781565891289: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/The-Expanding-Light-Cookbook-Californias/dp/1565891287]The”>http://www.amazon.com/The-Expanding-Light-Cookbook-Californias/dp/1565891287)</p>
<p>The big issue in our house is only one of us actually likes turkey. I don’t except for some smoked turkey - which I share with the cat.</p>
<p>Looks wonderful. Thanks!</p>
<p>1moremom, you are one gracious individual!</p>
<p>My Thanksgiving and other group dinners alway have some vegetarian guests, so I always include something for those who don’t want ot eat meat. For Thanksgiving, I always have a stuffing with absolutely no turkey broth, juices or anything to with meat, along with a giblet stuffing. I also make a curry in the crockpot or have an Eggplant Parmesan or Lasagna in the oven for that main dish. I also make sure not to “contaminate” any of the veggie dishes with anything with meat. Works just fine.</p>
<p>I’m not really particularly gracious, but this is how I was raised. My mother never said “I love you” but when I came home she would cook wonderful meals. She would bring me coffee in bed and pack fabulous lunches for the drive back. Like her, I was a SAHM and, while we had less money than some other families, I’ve had the luxury of time to follow in my mother’s footsteps. For me, food is love.</p>
<p>Your friends and loved ones are fortunate. I was impressed by your measured and generous reply to posts that were…not. We’re vegetarians and would be very happy with side dishes but it’s lovely of you to make something special. Here’s a dish I made for a couple of Thanksgivings. It’s from a magazine and was a restaurant recipe but I’ve lost the source. It is somewhat labor-intensive so may not be the best choice when there’s a lot going on in the kitchen, though the last step would be a fun one to assign to an eager helper! If memory serves, the “x” in the final step is about 1.5 x 1.5 inches. You could certainly substitute other vegetable combinations.</p>
<p>Autumn Vegetables in Filo (Phyllo)</p>
<p>Cooking time: about 1 hour</p>
<p>Prep time: About 30 minutes</p>
<p>8 appetizer or 4 main dish servings</p>
<p>6 leeks (2 1/2 lb total), root ends and tough parts trimmed, thinly sliced crosswise and thoroughly rinsed
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c truffle or olive oil
1 12-oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese (substitute with 1/4 tsp. salt to make vegan)
16 sheets filo )each 12x17, about 10 oz total)
Italian parley for garnish</p>
<ol>
<li><p>In a 12 to 14-inch frying pan, combine leeks, mushrooms, and 2 T of the oil over medium-high heat. Stir often until vegetables are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in pepper strips and cheese. If making ahead, cool, cover and chill up to 1 day. Drain off any excess liquid and bring to room temp before using.</p></li>
<li><p>Lay one sheet of filo on a flat surface; keep remaining filo tightly covered when not in use to prevent drying. Brush lightly with some of the remaining oil. Lay another sheet on top of the first; brush lightly with a little more oil.</p></li>
<li><p>Spoon 1/8 of the vegetable mixture on center of filo 3 inches in from a short edge. Fold short side of filo closest to filling over vegetables, then fold two longer sides over filling. Fold wrapped filling section over itself, and continue to do so until extending dough is completely wrapped around filling in a tight packet.</p></li>
<li><p>Repeat to make 7 more packets, using up all but 1 T oil.</p></li>
<li><p>Place packets, seam sides down, on a lightly oiled 12 x 15 inch baking sheet. Cut an x in the center of each packet and gently bend back triangles of dough. Brush each packet lightly with remaining oil.</p></li>
<li><p>Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to individual plates. Garnish with Italian parsley if desired.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Per packet: 262 calories,41 percent from fat; 5.8 grams protein; 12 g fat.</p>
<p>I have an amazing layered apple/raisin, butternut squash, cornflake pecan crumb topping dish if you want to PM me for. Perfect for everyone and children love it.</p>
<p>A great looking vegetable lasagna from America’s test kitchen I watched via Amazon Prime and plan to try myself this week [Vegetable</a> Lasagna Recipe - America’s Test Kitchen](<a href=“Recipes Featured on TV | America's Test Kitchen”>Recipes Featured on TV | America's Test Kitchen)</p>
<p>I’ve never quite worked out what you eat at Thanksgiving other than turkey,</p>
<p>I am not a big turkey eater but I love pumpkin pie & cranberry sauce. & potatoes. & green beans. & rolls.
( taking notes on the phyllo packets)</p>
<p>My goodness, I have a vegetarian daughter who is very happy to load up on the sides. She is the only one who doesn’t eat the turkey, We have so much to eat, much of it is veggie only dishes.
Once had a French guest who was a vegetarian that actually broke form and ate the turkey. She lived to tell the tale and didn’t feel guilty to break her rules for the special occasion of a traditional American holiday</p>