Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?
How to Serve a Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feast

Don’t trade turkey for tofu when cooking vegetarian this holiday season.

With a little advanced planning and some simple recipe changes, hosts can cook a meal that makes both vegetarians and meat eaters happy.

"Eating occasionally in a vegetarian style can benefit meat eaters because many vegetarian foods are low fat," said Dr. Rebecca Reeves, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "The availability of meat substitute products also makes it easy to convert traditional dishes into meatless meals."

Before planning the menu, Dr. Reeves advises talking to vegetarian guests to discover their diet limitations. Some vegetarians eat fish or seafood. Lacto/ovo vegetarians do not eat any animal meat or broth, but do eat some eggs and milk products. Vegans do not eat any food product that comes from an animal, including any dish that is made with honey, eggs or milk products, like Grandma’s famous pecan pie.

"Hosts should understand that their guests are not trying to offend them by not eating certain dishes," Dr. Reeves said. "They are not making a statement about the food."

Vegetarian guests can make it easier on the host by bringing a vegetarian main dish to the meal. Hosts can accommodate their guests’ special diets by making the following recipe changes:

Appetizers: In addition to the traditional cheese ball or cocktail wieners, serve some raw vegetables, nuts and fresh fruit.

Dressing and gravy: Use vegetable broth or bouillon instead of turkey drippings or chicken broth to flavor the dressing, and to make gravy. If dressing is usually cooked inside the turkey, set aside a portion to cook and serve separately. Hosts can replace the sausage in sausage dressing with a meat substitute. The taste and texture is similar to real sausage.

Soups: Most soups are not vegetarian because they contain either chicken or beef broth. Use vegetable broth instead.

Casseroles and vegetables: Avoid using bacon or ham to flavor casseroles, or if guests are hooked on the taste, label dishes that use meat as a flavoring. Let vegans know if any butter or cheese is in the vegetable dishes. Steamed vegetables are a good alternative.

Desserts: Some vegetarians do not eat Jell-O salads or pudding because they contain gelatin. Vegans may not eat pies and cakes because they contain eggs, milk or honey. Serve fresh fruit in addition to traditional desserts if not sure. Fruit is also a healthy alternative to fat-laden deserts.

More adventurous cooks can visit the health food section of the grocery store to find special vegetarian ingredients. Soy milk, egg substitutes and soy flour can be used in place of traditional ingredients to make vegan cookies, pies and cakes. Some stores also sell vegan soy cheese.

"The benefits of soy are numerous," Dr. Reeves said. "Research shows that soy helps reduce the risk of heart disease, alleviates some symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and may even help prevent osteoporosis."

Serving vegetarian dishes exposes guests to a new way of cooking and eating. Many vegetarian guests are eager to share their knowledge of the vegetarian lifestyle with others. Others would rather not be singled out or questioned about their beliefs. Hosts also should be sensitive to the feelings of non-vegetarian guests, who shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about eating meat.

"The most important part of planning a vegetarian-friendly holiday feast is communication," Dr. Reeves said.

---

©2006 Texas Medical Center

---

E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/12_15_01/page_14.html