Top Ten Gift Ideas for Vegetarians

When most of us hear the word vegetarian or vegan, we're usually stumped trying to decide what to give these nice folks for the holidays. Count out the elaborate holiday feasts with the roast beef or lamb shank centerpiece. But really, there's a multitude of other items to give that will surely get raves from your vegetarian loved ones. Here's a quick guide that will hopefully, spice up their holidays without being too hard on the wallet!

Vegetarians will love getting different types of rice and grains for the holidays, not to mention that it's such a unique present, too. There are many websites and specialty food stores that offer assorted rice packages packed nicely and ready to be given away as presents, but you can also assemble your own set. This is quite a unique present, not very common, and not very expensive, too. You can buy small quantities of different rice varieties like fragrant basmati rice (for Asian cooking usually), Arborio rice (for Italian risottos or rice puddings), organic brown rice…there are so many unique varieties from Asian food stores or specialty food stores! Package them individually and you can mix and match your own gift sets for your friends! It's a great time to get creative and give your gifts a personal touch!

Also gaining popularity are sea salts and spice sets. You can purchase these sets from gourmet shops or online gourmet outlets, ready to be doled out as gift packs. They're flavorful and unique, and they will certainly add a new dimension to their holiday meals! Not to mention that there are so many different varieties coming from different parts of the world, each with its own distinct flavor, like French sea salt, black salt, Celtic salt, Fleur de Sel, and Smoked Sea Salt, among others. Aside from salts, you can also give different spice blends or spice rubs. You can assemble your own sets, mixing and matching the different spices to give a personal touch to your present and suit your loved one's taste.

Wild mushroom assortments also make for a wonderful gift. Depending on what's in season, you can pick them up from your local market, too, and package them on your own. Assemble your own assortments, or check out online gourmet food shops for one-stop shopping. Autumn mushrooms are particularly flavorful.

For many vegans, the drink of choice is tea. With the right tea, any meal can be instantly transformed into a more intense experience for the diner. There are many different kinds of teas available in the market today, including organic varities, fruit flavored ones (cranberry is popular this season) or traditional blends like Oolong, green, Jasmine, Chrysanthemum. You can also assemble your own blends, but there are also many tea gift packs readily available today. Harney and Sons have flavorful assortments and some beautiful gift pack varieties conveniently created for tea lovers.

Salads are becoming all the rage, even among non-vegans. A beautiful salad spinner will surely make for en elegant and functional present. Zyliss and Oxo have some beautiful salad spinners that will surely stand the test of time and serve up as impressive, satisfying presents for salad-lovers. There are plastic models to choose from, but stainless ones take the cake. MIU also has an elegant stainless steel spinner.

In the information age, even gourmet dining has gained a wider following from better exposure and better accessibility of ingredients. Elegant meals are more commonly churned out from home kitchens, and what could make for a more satisfying meal than aged balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a dress vinegar that's been aged, giving it a nuttier, fuller flavor than other vinegars, and it adds multitudes of flavor to salads and other vegetable dishes. 10-year old balsamic vinegars make for a luxurious present. Older varieties like 15, 20 or 100-year old vinegars are even more flavorful, but they can cost as much, or even more than, as bottle of good quality wine.

Oils are another alternative, and we're not talking about peanut oil, corn oil or even olive oil! There are so many varities of lesser-known oils that will make for an excellent present and will add dimensions of flavor to dishes. You can try looking for pumpkin seed oil, grape seed oil or some of the many nut oils available like pistachio oil and hazelnut oil, among others. These oils promise to delight your friends through every bite of the meal with their unique flavors. Chances are, your friends might not even had the pleasure of trying out any of these oils as yet!

Coffee blends also make for wonderful presents. This is a more common gift, so don't go for commercial varieties like those you find in Starbucks or any of the other chain coffee shops. Go to your specialty food store and look for other unique fragrant blends, like Hawaiian or Asian coffee varieties. You can even assemble your own coffee gift baskets, too, and throw in a nice coffee mug for good measure. It'll make for a wonderful, aromatic holiday present!

Truffles definitely make a statement. Nothing says 'gourmet' better than good, aromatic truffles. By the time you start your Christmas shopping, autumn picks might no longer be available, but winter varieties will start springing up. White winter truffles tend to be more expensive, but a bite into their flavor and you won't wonder why. Italian or French varieties are luxurious, and if you can't find them in your local specialty foods store, you can order them conveniently online.

Of course, if your vegetarian loved one is extra special, you might want to consider going all the way when it comes to presents. You can make a reservation at a gourmet restaurant, but be sure to make one early! The best places pack in the fastest! Gourmet restaurants usually have tasting (degustation) menus, and they will usually have a vegetarian menu available. It's something that's sure to make extra special memories for your loved one, and it's a food experience that will certainly rock your holidays!

Fresh food and creative ideas surely go a long way! They're all you need to come up with elegant and beautiful presents for vegetarian friends!