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Najakcharmer -> RE: Help! A carnivore with vegetarians to feed (12/10/2007 9:06:50 PM)
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Hearty dishes that don't pretend to be meat can be excellent. Are they vegans, meaning no eggs or milk, or are they okay with eggs, milk, butter and cheeese?
Oven roasted caramelized root vegetables (sweet potato, onions, fennel, winter squash) go beautifully on a tart or a foccacia. If eggs, milk and cheese are acceptable, a quiche or savory bread pudding makes a fantastic main dish.
I love pita sandwiches with roasted whole mushrooms, hummus, falafel and labneh yogurt sauce with minced cucumber. Pita toasts with baba ganoush (roast eggplant) and hummus is also nice, served with a spanakopita (spinach and cheese flaky pastry pie). There are vegan cheese for folks so inclined.
On the Indian side there's saag paneer (creamed spiced spinach with matter paneer cheese), spiced lentils, chickpea curry and a host of other tasty dishes.
Rich, hearty vegetable soups and stews are delicious, either hot or cold, served in a bread bowl. A vegetarian cassoulet with white Northern beans, flageolet and roasted veggies would be lovely. You'll need a fairly intense flavored vegetable stock to pull it off properly.
A dish I serve to vegans is a roasted portobello mushroom tower. Roast large portobello caps in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and slice into two thick rounds. Alternate portobello rounds with slices of cooked potato, lightly roasted tomato and roasted eggplant. Serve as "vertical cuisine" and decorate if you wish with sun-dried tomato shreds, peppers, fresh herbs, etc.
Vegetarian burritos with brown rice, avocado, beans, tomatoes and lettuce are very tasty. Meat substitute (soy sausage or soy ground "beef") is optional.
Cajun red beans and rice is delectable as a vegan dish. Again you'll need a good quality vegetable stock for proper flavor. I also suggest adding a cilantro based flavoring.
Which direction do you want to go, cuisine-wise? Give a few more hints.
I am a die hard carnivore who hunts and butchers her own meat, but vegetables are lovely things and very tasty when cooked to their full advantage. Whole grains, especially the fun ones like quinoa and wild rice, are also great accompaniments. Polenta is another shortcut to easy elegance; it slices into amazing shapes and can be crisp-fried on the outside while nice and tender on the inside, and it's especially lovely when made with fresh corn kernels, a melty cheese (goat cheese is great) and perhaps a fresh herb or a lemon essence.
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