How to Have a Vegetarian Christmas Eve Dinner

Think again if you think vegetarians suffer during the Christmas holidays. There are plenty of dishes that can be made for a festive and delicious Christmas Eve. These are not only tasty but heart healthy. There are enough meat free recipes out there for any kind of gathering, whether it's an elegant sit-down dinner or a small , homey tree trimming get together.

If you're planning on a sit down dinner or a more formal buffet , then you;re going to have to rely on your supermarket along with online sites such as Vegan Essentials. These combined will give you the arsenal to create a well rounded holiday meal. You can create cream cheese puffs using Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and phyllo dough. Another hors d'ouevre is a veggie kabob, grilled indoors or out. Sprinkle rosemary and oregano and nix the salt for a really healthy opener.Tapas can be made by mashing black olives in your food processor and then spooning them on thin rounds of Italian bread. For the main meal you can create an elegant Stroganoff using MorningStar Farms Vegan Beef strips. For a more traditional main course then order two or three Field Roast Celebration Roasts from Vegan Essentials. These look like turkey breasts but are made with mostly wheat gluten. They come pre-stuffed with butternut squash, apples and mushrooms. With these you can serve stuffed mushrooms and sauteed greens such as broccoli, kale or Brussels sprouts. Finish off the dinner with baked apples or poached pears in wine for dessert.

If you're going towards a more homey Christmas Eve dinner, then think about making meatless chili. The meat can be substituted with more beans or you can add Morning Star Farms' Griller Crumbles. This last looks and tastes exactly like real ground beef but without the fat or cholesterol. Chili is easy to make and fun to serve. You can spoon it over polenta or cornbread bricks for more body. You can also use the crumbles in a Bolognese sauce for any kind of pasta or vegan lasagna. if you;re going this route, then add garlic bread and a tossed salad, full of broccoli, grape tomatoes and artichoke hearts. These informal gatherings also call for homey, folksy desserts. You can make your own ice cream and serve it with homemade cranberry oatmeal cookies.

For a more friend oriented Christmas Eve meal think about a winter barbecue. If the temps are good in your neck of the woods then fire up the grill and get out the tofu burgers and dogs. You can add American and cheddar tofu cheese to these. Also make veggie kabobs for fun snacking before the present opening. You can also skewer MorningStar Farms vegan chicken and beef strips and roast these over the fire too. What's the perfect drink with an outdoor barbecue? Organic, micro-brewed fruit beers. These are to serve with a holiday barbecue. finish with grilled pineapple spooned over home made ginger vanilla ice cream

There are many meatless ways to go this Christmas Eve. You can wow guests with an elegant sit down dinner. You can give them a cozy chili or pasta dinner to be eaten around a tree. You can create a new tradition by having one wild barbecue. Best of all you can go vegetarian with all three.