Vegetarian celebration foods?

[herbgeek]

My husband went vegetarian a couple of years ago. Typically, when I feel like having meat, I'll just make some for myself and a veggie burger for hub. Tonight is New Years Eve, I usually cook at home anyways. In the old days, I'd grill a nice steak or make some decadent lobster bisque and call it a day. Something "fancy". But I have a hard time coming up with fancy vegetarian food. So I'm just making a bunch of courses, hoping we'll be full before we get to what used to be the entree. So far we've had crostini with brie and red pepper peach jam, a salad with roasted pears and blue cheese, and a 5 onion soup. Twice baked potatoes are in the oven, and an asparagus saute is on deck, with little pastries.

For those of you who are vegetarian, what do you make for special occasions? (My body really doesn't react well to soy foods, so meat analogs are out).

[Rosemary]

That all sounds delicious to me!
We like enchiladas, spinach lasagna, samosas, empanadas, calzones.. none of those are difficult, but they do take some time and aren't weeknight fare.
A favorite vegetable dish is brussels sprouts, pear, and onion roasted.
Deborah Madison has some amazing vegetarian lasagna recipes. I've made one with greens, walnuts, and a bechamel sauce that was outstanding.
A simple green salad can be made fancy with special fruit, glazed nuts, or a delicious cheese. A cafe in Tucson made a wonderful salad with kumquats, glazed pecans, and goat cheese.

[lmerullo]

I can commiserate. I changed to a vegan diet last May, and some times a celebration meal is not the same without the meat foods.

Sushi says celebration to me. Some soups can be nice when served specially - here I'm thinking of a squash soup in a hollowed out shell, etc. I

Pastries!

[rosarugosa]

Herbgeek: That actually sounds wonderful to me. I frequently prefer getting a few appetizers and skipping the entree.
We ate out the other night, and DH had lasagna made with eggplant, where the eggplant replaced the pasta. It was made with a bolognese sauce, but no reason you couldn't substitute a marinara sauce.

[Rogar]

My top of the line "fancy"vegan food is lasagna. There is a variety of vegetable variations and the best I've found uses cashew ricotta cheese substitute. I've never quite homed in on an excellent vegan meatless loaf, but have had a couple that were decent. I get some vegan gravy mix and usually have sweet potatoes or mashed cauliflower to go along with a vegan meatless loaf. Stuffed portobello mushroom is on my list to try. Portobellos have something like a meat texture.

[Teacher Terry]

Spaghetti without meat.

[HappyHiker]

My husband went vegetarian a couple of years ago. Typically, when I feel like having meat, I'll just make some for myself and a veggie burger for hub. Tonight is New Years Eve, I usually cook at home anyways. In the old days, I'd grill a nice steak or make some decadent lobster bisque and call it a day. Something "fancy". But I have a hard time coming up with fancy vegetarian food. So I'm just making a bunch of courses, hoping we'll be full before we get to what used to be the entree. So far we've had crostini with brie and red pepper peach jam, a salad with roasted pears and blue cheese, and a 5 onion soup. Twice baked potatoes are in the oven, and an asparagus saute is on deck, with little pastries.

For those of you who are vegetarian, what do you make for special occasions? (My body really doesn't react well to soy foods, so meat analogs are out).

Frankly, your celebratory dishes make ME want to celebrate! We like Indian food a lot, so often make something spicy with lentils or spinach...and falafels are yummy but not too special for a celebration...wracking my brain...nope, not coming, brain running on empty. too much Proseco last night???

[herbgeek]

Spaghetti without meat.
Ha- this is our "made it through Tuesday" celebration meal every week. :D

[Teacher Terry]

I make a really good homemade spaghetti sauce that cooks in the crockpot for 12 hours. When someone doesn’t eat meat I remove theirs before adding meat.

[Zoe Girl]

Sounds very tasty, i like to take a reguar meal and add dessert with chocolate. My other facorite is indian food with all the dishes, special rice, raita, dal, saag paneer, roasted eggplant, yum!

I agree with lasagna and the assorted appetizer foods.

[Rosemary]

I made a vegan paella last night. Everyone enjoyed it, and DD ask if she can have leftovers for breakfast!

[catherine]

I've been craving channa masala. That's a good vegetarian dish.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Cheese to me is celebration, so for some versions of vegetarianism. Scalloped potatoes or a potato gratin is celebratory (not health fare for sure, but celebration foods).

A good pesto pasta is celebratory to me (but out of season). Some Mediterranean appetizers are fairly celebratory like baba ganoush but out of season there too.

[Miss Cellaneous]

For me, celebration food is your favorite food. One of my brothers celebrates with steak, I tend to celebrate with cake.

When they were younger and came to stay with me for a week or more, my niece and nephew always wanted the same menu for their first meal at my house--hot dogs, mac and cheese from a box, and peas. (Menu was approved by their mom; it consisted of things they almost never, ever ate at home, except for the peas.) One time my nephew said, "This is how we know we aren't at home anymore! We get to eat the good stuff!" A little mini celebration.

At some point in my childhood, my mother started baking a cake for dessert for Friday dinner, to celebrate the end of the school/work week. Frequently, she'd make the cake earlier in the week when she had the time and then freeze it. And then she'd forget to take the cake out of the freezer on time. Semi-frozen cake still brings back fond memories for me.

I think any meal that has a couple of your favorite dishes in it can count as celebration food. Double points if the food is difficult/time consuming to make, because that tends to mean that you have it less often.

When in doubt, I'd ask the person the celebration is for to list their favorite foods or a favorite menu, and work from that.

[Luna6544]

I'm also vegeterian and I love to make asian food. I slice different kinds of vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,eggplants, onions and pepper with my kitchen master slicer (https://my-kitchengadgets.com/collections/slicers/products/12-pcs-vegetable-slicer)and put it on the oven.

[dado potato]

Vichyssoisse on the 4th of Jjulyy

[henrysmom]

Late to the party but many years ago when I was a vegetarian my husband took me to a really nice restaurant for our anniversary. They served me a gorgeous roasted vegetable Napoleon on a bed of a light roasted tomato sauce. It was beautiful, festive, and I am sure a lot of work to make!