Vegetarian Christmas
Being a vegetarian come the holiday season can be hard work, with all of the turkey, ham and roast beef floating about. Still, there are plentiful vegetarian sides for you to enjoy and even some mock meat solutions that can make the holidays go a little smoother for herbivores. Even if you are a diligent vegan, in between all the butter and cream, there are still a host of creative and wonderful options for you, too. This guide will help vegetarians decide what will work for them the holidays and also provide meat-eating hosts some insight into how they should present Christmas for their vegetarian friends.
Main Courses
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| While the traditional focal point of holiday dinner is a gigantic piece of meat, there are plenty of alternative choices for vegetarians. Most major meat dishes are available at regular grocery stores, but if you're finding the selection thin, an organic food store is sure to have what you're looking for. Most portions are relatively small, so if you're cooking for a vegetarian, you won't have to worry about having a ton of mock meat leftovers. And for all-vegetarian Christmas practioners, the small portions give you a lot of flexibility in preparing multiple courses. You can find some great mock meat recipes at the Veggie Table Web site. Turtle Island Foods, creator of famed mocked-meat solution tofurkey, even offer special Holiday dishes. Of course, if you're not too picky and not worried about capturing the Christmas meat spirit in a guilt-free meal, go ahead and prepare your favorite tofu  or seitan dish.
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Vegetarian Turkey Breast or Tofu Turkey
Fowl is the meat of choice for most Americans come Christmas. There are indeed comparable alternatives available. Though vegetarian turkey breast isn't exactly like real turkey, if you soak in enough (vegetarian) gravy, it will get the job done. Mixing it with those mashed potatoes is a novel idea. Try Now And Zen's larger unturkey for the most meat-like experience or a Vegetarian Breast by Veat. There are also plenty of Tofu Turkey recipes available on the Internet. Check out this recipe from allrecipes.com.
Lentil Loaf and Roasts
English meat pies, roast beef and even boar are carnivore standards come Christmas. To that hardy end, Lentil loaf is a sleeper favorite for vegetarians come the holiday season. Lentil loafs can be prepared for scratch or purchased in an easy-to-cook refrigerated form. If you're not a fan of freshness and like to cook, you'll prefer the former. For a lovely guide to making a complete Christmas day meal with Lentil Loaf as the centerpiece, check out this link. If you're not a lentil person and really want a beef-like dish, check out the Field Roast Web site. They have dozens of delicious vegan roast products.
Vegetarian Ham
Mock ham is probably the most difficult to find vegetarian meat alternative. However, several companies offer vegetarian ham at reasonable prices, though it may take some searching to find their products. An easier alternative is to cook your own mock ham meal. Here's a short mock ham recipe from Vegan-Recipes.com and here's a Chinese mock ham recipe from About.com. Go ahead and try your own tofu for TVP experiments until you hit the taste right for you.
Side Dishes
Most Christmas side dishes are already vegetarian and many can be made vegan easily by using simple dairy substitutes. For a list of conventional side dishes, see the Traditional Dinner Christmas guide.
Vegan Desserts
Though almost all desserts are inherently vegetarian, vegans will have a more difficult time navigating through holiday sweets. Luckily, because of lactose intolerance, a grassroots industry has risen up devoted to providing delicious dairy-free vegan treats. Vegan treats are best purchased through a local bakery or made at home following any assortment of vegan dessert books. However, there are some online retailers who will ship vegan desserts right to your door. Check the list to the right for a handful of these providers.
Egg Nog
If you're a vegan who likes to indulge in the finer side of Christmas, Silk makes a vegan Egg Nog. Some smaller manufacturers produce vegan egg nogs as well, though they're a bit more difficult to find.
External Resources
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