Vegetarian Christmas Dinner Recipe: Raisin Nut Casserole

Is one of your family members or a holiday guest a vegetarian? So now you're looking for a tasty vegetarian recipe for Christmas? It's not difficult to find some great tasting recipes your vegetarian guests will enjoy. My girlfriend Sherry has been a vegetarian for years and always serves the best tasting food for her dinners. Sherry gave me this recipe several years ago and I've always found it to be a crowd pleaser. Here's a festive and tasty main dish recipe your vegetarian and meat lovers alike will enjoy. This casserole serves 4-6 people. I usually make two batches to avoid the "running out of food" situation as I've found the non-vegetarians like it as a side dish.

Ingredients You'll Need:

1/2 cup of mushrooms (for a more intense flavor I use baby Portabella mushrooms)

1 tablespoon of oil

Dash of nutmeg (if you have the opportunity to use fresh nutmeg, do so. It will make a world of difference.)

2 cups of cooked rice (if I have time, I use wild rice for one batch and Basmati rice for the other batch)

1/2 cup raisins (You can use golden or regular raisins)

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (Buy the unsalted roasted ones. Salted ones throw off the seasoning in your casserole)

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Preparation:

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Grease or oil a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.

Next, in a small fry pan, lightly sauté the mushrooms in oil. Don't forget to add the dash of nutmeg.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the sesame seeds (mushrooms, rice, raisins, almonds, sunflower seeds,salt and pepper) . Turn the mixture into the oiled dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

For a different change of pace you can add: 1/2 cup of water chestnuts, 1/2 cup of celery and 1 small onion diced to the mixture. Add the water chestnuts, celery and onion to the fry pan when you sauté the mushrooms. You can season with soy sauce if you like.

I've never had leftovers, but Sherry tells me this reheats well. She just places the remaining casserole in the oven and reheats.

To complete the meal for my vegetarian family members, I add candied yams, green beans with almonds, and an individual baked butternut squash. This makes a festive holiday meal my family and friends enjoy.