Vegetarian Christmas Dinner

meritaten

I have 14 people to lunch on Christmas day and I am not worried about 13 of them - but the 14th is a vegetarian! my 10 yr old granddaughter. Now, she is lovely and would sit and eat a plate of vegetables without complaint - but I want her Christmas dinner to be special too!
I remember having a Nut Roast somewhere and it was gorgeous - very nutty, sagey and delicious - I would like to make similar for her - and spent the last couple of days searching recipes online. only none of them sound the least like what this person made (it was a bring a plate type of buffet and I don't know who made it).
The best way I can describe it is sort of like a nut meatloaf which tasted like sage and onion stuffing but even more savoury? anyone got ANY idea of a recipe like this?

the other thing is that I want to serve braised red cabbage - now I normally just braise it in veg stock - but had the most delish red cabbage in a local hotel ..........I could tell that there was apple in there, but there was a tartness there too? Lemon? I couldn't smell lemon - only the cabbage and apple. any ideas there?

I KNOW that someone will know! and be kind enough to give me some pointers (recipes) before Christmas eve in case I have to go buy an ingredient!

wondercollie

No clue on the nutloaf but the Red Cabbage? My German MIL uses apple and a liberal dose of red wine when warming it up.

Callie22

Delia's red cabbage is great - it's got apples, cabbage and onion and a tang from some red wine vinegar.

lostinrates

I do my basic red cabbage with tart apple , red wine vinegar and a little brown sugar.

Nut loaves....there are amazing ones.....as a meat eater I adore them...


We had this much earlier this year and all loved it...


http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/15/how-cook-perfect-nut-roast

caitybabes

I second Delia's braised red cabbage!

calicocat

lostinrates wrote: »

I do my basic red cabbage with apple, red wine vinegar and a little brown sugar.

Nut loaves....there are amazing ones.....as a meat eater I adore them...


We had this much earlier this year and all loved it...


http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/15/how-cook-perfect-nut-roast

That's how I make mine....lovely it is too.

Nut roast is fab, never made it but ate loads of it as a kid when I wouldn't eat meat either ,and would still eat one happily today instead of meat.

scaredy_cat

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/15/how-cook-perfect-nut-roast

http://whyveg.com/recipes/make_this.php?recipe=45

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/69605/parsnip-cranberry-and-chestnut-loaf

meritaten

thanks - you have been very helpful! I didn't think that the tartness may have come from a wine vinegar! the sweetness from the apple and perhaps some brown sugar. I think I know enough now to develop a good recipe! I do know delia cooks hers for a couple of hours in a slow oven - checked out her recipe and I don't think it was exactly like the hotels.
hmm nut roast is proving a bit trickier - I thought the buffet one had macadamia nuts in it - but the suggestion that its chestnuts makes more sense! but it definitely also contained walnuts or pecans, hazelnuts and possibly almonds or ground almonds. but it was quite savoury too, with quite a strong taste of sage and onion (lol, as you can tell, it made a lasting impression on me! it was so delish I wouldn't mind it instead of meat myself!).

wondercollie

Honestly, with all that's going to be happening, don't faff about making red cabbage from scratch. Buy a jar from a deli. Some of the good German brands have the apple in it all ready and just splash on the vino.

meritaten

Buy a jar from the deli!!!!!!!! I pride myself on making the meal from scratch! rofl - honestly, I couldn't do that! I do 'cheat' on occasion - but the 'occasion' isn't Christmas!

MummyBobble

I don't eat meat and very happily sit down to Christmas dinner with everything but the turkey and pigs in blankets, there's always more than enough and I have plenty of room left for puddings :rotfl: If you want to do a nut roast or similar just buy something in and see how it goes, it may be tastier than the turkey!