Vegetarian shabbos day guest

juggling

Wed, May 03 2023, 6:19 am

Most vegetarians don't eat a "main dish" that needs a fork and knife at every meal. If the side dishes are nutritious and filling they will be fine.

Salads, kugels, veggies. You can beef up salads with chickpeas or edemame. Make brown rice with lentils. Etc. You could make a vegetarian cholent with beans, barley, and potatoes - lots of recipes online.

imasinger

Wed, May 03 2023, 6:21 am

You can do a quick search here, there are many threads with suggestions.

What do you normally serve for Shabbos lunch? Your guest might eat everything except the meat. If you normally put kugel in your cholent, you can think about an alternative to that. But many people already serve enough that a vegetarian can easily be satisfied, and very few expect you to not serve your regular meal.

Debbie

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:05 am

Actually if they eat fish they are not vegetarian but pescetarian.
Anyway as another poster said salmon and a parev chulent should be plenty.
If they're anything like my vegan daughter hummus is a good addition to have with the challah.
I'm sure you'll serve your guest a lovely tasty meal.

amother

Tulip

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:05 am

Elfrida wrote:

You can serve them salmon for their main course if you like. together with a parev chulent that will be plenty.

Many vegetarians don't eat fish. You should ask whether s/he does, and also about eggs.

amother

Maroon

Wed, May 03 2023, 7:41 am

Are you planning to make the whole meal vegetarian, or just have options for the guest?

Quiche is a good main dish if they eat eggs.

Eggplant meatballs are also good, just skip the parmesan.
https://www.acouplecooks.com/e.....alls/

Stuffed peppers using and couscous, beans. https://www.thespruceeats.com/.....77071

Mock chopped liver is good if you have time for it. https://www.myjewishlearning.c.....iver/

Amarante

Wed, May 03 2023, 8:56 am

If she eats fish, she is NOT a vegetarian Smile

However since she eats fish, it couldn't be simpler to serve her a protein. Poeached salmon is delicious and a classic dish served cold with a sauce on the side. You would serve a green salad of some kind on the side or a steamed simple vegetable.

Or tuna salad

Loads of side dishes that don't contain beef, chicken or lamb -

amother

Blue

Wed, May 03 2023, 2:30 pm

Debbie wrote:

I think it is important to note the difference between vegetarian and pescatarian. I am a vegetarian and it is so awkward when people think that means I eat fish when I don’t. If you eat fish like OP’s guest you are indeed a pescatarian not a vegetarian.

SuperWify

Wed, May 03 2023, 2:33 pm

I have done:

stuffed peppers with rice and veg covered with tomato sauce

Potato kugel

Vegetable stir fry with egg noodles

Roasted potatoes

Lots of salads

Debbie

Wed, May 03 2023, 2:39 pm

amother Blue wrote:

There are people who think that no meat or fish means vegan, but vegans don't eat any animal products or by products, whereas vegetarians will (generally but not always) eat eggs, honey and milk.

amother

IndianRed

Wed, May 03 2023, 2:46 pm

My dh is a pescatarian. HE's also not otherwise a picky eater.

Challah, dips, salads, parve sides (if you do kugels--I don't do kugels), gefilte fish/salmon, and if you want to do a parve cholent, go for it....if you have enough other sides (ie. salad, pasta salads, etc. challah and dips, and maybe fish) I wouldn't stress about cholent if you really really don't want a parve one.

amother

Blue

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:27 pm

Debbie wrote:

There are people who think that no meat or fish means vegan, but vegans don't eat any animal products or by products, whereas vegetarians will (generally but not always) eat eggs, honey and milk.

Yes, and people need to know the difference if they want to host. In my ignorance in the past when single, I would tell a host I was a vegetarian but it was mortifying when they served fish that I wouldn’t eat. They would always say in a puzzled way, but you are not vegan. It was embarrassing for both sides, which is why I hope people will take note of the differences. I started saying that I eat everything that didn’t have a face and that helped a bit…

amother

Strawberry

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:35 pm

Teenaged DD has a friend who went vegetarian for a while. She came to us for a whole Shabbos and it wasn't that difficult for her to find food. We served a vegetable soup Friday night instead of chicken soup and she was able to eat everything else other than the chicken. I always make my sides pareve anyways. I made sure to have plenty of roasted veggies and salad, including a filling grain salad. Dessert wasn't a problem either. For Shabbos lunch we prefer a crockpot soup to cholent. I prepared a mushroom barley soup in my regular crockpot and I transferred a good sized portion into a mini crockpot for our guest before I added some meat bones to the big crockpot like usual. Again, she couldn't eat the chicken but she happily ate the sides.

You have it even easier if your guest eats fish. Just make whatever you normally make and serve the guest fish when everyone else is eating meat/chicken.

Debbie

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:45 pm

amother Blue wrote:

My older daughter went to visit her sister in seminary in EY several years ago at the time she was vegetarian and ordered a vegetarian meal. At check-in she was told they had a fish meal for her thankfully she had plenty of snacks.
Now she's vegan which actually makes airline meals a bit easier because she definitely won't get fish!

amother

Coral

Thu, May 04 2023, 4:25 am

I was vegetarian for many years when I was a teen until my late 20s. Usually when I was hosted for Shabbos, I ate challah with dips, salads, potato kugel, dessert. Occasionally I would go to a good friend who put meat in everything, and that was a little hard because there was only challah to fill up on - why put cut-up deli in your lettuce salad (the only salad you serve) if you're hosting a vegetarian? I always wondered why she couldn't set aside a bit of salad for me before she added the deli. But usually when I was hosted for Shabbos, there was plenty to eat. No need to make anything different from your normal stuff unless everything you make has meat. But ask your guest in advance to find out what she normally eats.