Can he eat beans? A black bean soup maybe? Served over rice? Or red lentil dal? You can have vegetable sides/garnish for others.

My other thought is a Spanish tortilla.

This is one case where I'd ask the friend for a list of foods that he can safely eat before I even started planning!

poor thing about being vegetarian + allergic to all fruit & vegetables! what if you just ask them to bring one dish that they would BOTH like & can eat...so you are not carrying all the menu burden all by yourself. with all the diets & food preference these days, it can get super insane...and maybe-people will just eat/drink air instead!

I'm sorry .. I cannot believe that a person is allergic to ALL fruits and veggies. That's insane. I think if someone is that restricted in what they eat, then they need to plan to bring their own food and not place the burden on the host.

my first thought was black beans as well. black bean burritos? something that each person can build and create themselves? or since they are your friends - ask them what they typically eat together. i'm sure they can give you better answer.

MUSHROOMS!!!!!! Not a fruit. Not a vegetable. I like the previous suggestion of a spanish tortilla, that could be lovely paired with some grilled portobellos or shitakes.

Also, I don't know that I believe he's allergic to ALL fruits and veggies. But whatevs. :)

this is not real.

I have heard of allergies to a wide range of fruit/veg, but it's typically restricted to raw, uncooked fruit/veg ("oral allergy syndrome"). You might want to ask if he can eat cooked fruit/veg. If so, you could just go with vegetarian options.

I agree with other folks that some kind of DIY "buffet" might be good -- tacos, burritos, panini bar?

What about flipping the script and make breakfast for dinner? Different combinations of savory and sweet waffles/crepes/pancakes, etc? An egg and cheese casserole?

I can't believe that's actually possible to be allergic to all fruits and vegetables. Every last one? I've known people who literally refuse to eat them, but come on!

Second Burpchick. Usually cooked fruits and vegetables can be tolerated.

@ burpchick You got it! My husband has a terrible birch allergy that crosses over to fruits and veggies that share the allergen: pears, apples, carrots, radishes, celery, grapes, kiwi, nuts... the list is strange and it varies for each person with the syndrome. He can, however, handles these items when they are cooked. Wikipedia has a great article about it and fortunately, most tropical fruits are still in the game!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome

So I'm allergic to most of the fruits and vegetables. And it's no joke. The only thing I know for sure I can eat is watermelon.

But what I can tell you is that there will be something he can eat, and a lot of the fruits/veggies he can still eat if they're cooked. I didn't even know I have allergies to tomato until I did the skin test at the allergies and he said my reaction to tomato was as bad as peanut and grape (and those 2 are deadly to me). I was fine if they're cooked, so maybe you want to double check with your friend if he's allergic to raw and cook, or just raw fruits/veggies.

Though, one thing, if he's allergic to nuts (any tree nuts and peanuts or related spiecies of food) it won't matter if they're cooked or not. They're still deadly.

I'd make a big dish of mac n' cheese and offer the option of topping it with veggies served on the side.

He is vegetarian, not vegan, correct? Can he eat cheese? If yes, how about truffled mushroom cheese fondue? http://7th-taste.com/2012/01/10/truffled-mushroom-cheese-fondue-with-barbera/

This is madness. I've known some people with pretty crazy allergies, but never to all the things. How is he still alive?

Along the mix and match idea, omelets in the bag are fun. Cook omelets in ziplocs in hot water. Everyone adds what they like and they are all done at the same time. http://therunawayspoon.com/blog/2012/01/omelets-in-the-bag/

2 gin martinis, straight up.

In all seriousness people like that should volunteer to bring dishes potluck style.

My first thought is whole grain salads with combination of toasted nuts, mushroom, tempeh, tofu, lentils, beans.

Quiche and egg salad also come to mind.

What Runaway Spoon said, we've tried that recipe and love it, came out perfect. When else can you put on a dinner party with a half hour of prep??? :)

Oh my goodness, your poor friend. I know you are not the one with the health issues and the question doesn't state what health issues arise from your friend eating any fruits or vegetables (I know that wasn't the point of the question) but I have heard that certain people with severe IBS/ulcerative colitis really don't handle insoluble fiber from fruits/veggies well so while this question almost seems unreal and poking fun at those of us with crazy food allergies, I have heard of such cases before where meat was the only tolerable food group. That said, I know from my own personal experience that having intestinal permeability has caused me to show up positive for every possible type of food (low grade grade to everything aside from corn, oats, and wheat which were rather high) and have read that this is a common problem with food allergy testing as your body is basically reacting to everything in your diet. Avoiding these foods does not fix the root cause of the problem (intestinal permeability) and I would encourage your friend to check out some research on foods that tend to "irritate" the intestinal wall (gluten, casein for some). The paleo community is pretty deep in these types of discussions, and though that may initially seem counter to your friend's vegetarianism, I really believe that one can not get all the necessary nutrients on this type of diet and would say that they should do some research to figure out the root cause of why they can not tolerate all fruits and vegetables.

To answer the real question, I would suggest white rice based dishes. Soaking the rice for 24 hours prior to cooking will help break down some of the compounds found in rice that are known to irritate the gut and chelate minerals. Brown rice has more nutrients but is also higher in the phytic acid so the nutrients will not become available to absorption unless you take greater effort to properly prepare it by soaking/sprouting/fermentation.

Nowhere does it say that HE is vegetarian; only that his girlfriend is. (I doubt that he is vegetarian who is allergic to vegetables!)

You could do a meal of meat + starches that would work for him, and you, as well as vegetable sides that would work with the starch to make a meal for the vegetarian.

First, get a complete list of what everyone is able & willing to eat, and then take it from there.

Some sort of casserole. She's not vegan, so a good batch of macaroni and cheese might work.

haha good call, mschatelaine

Lentil soup and bread would be safe and easy.

Tequila! No? Then definitely black coffee and cigarettes.

All kidding aside, this is a head-scratcher.

If you're going fancy I'd do a quinoa salad with pine nuts, goat cheese and basil and maybe tofurkey with a champagne "gravy" over the tofurkey. I bet if you could find the champagne based gravy online. I know that I've seen it.

If you're going for casual then I'd do a black bean burrito or taco (no corn tortillas- just flour) with cumin, garlic, and goat cheese and a side of black beans, olive oil, s+p, and lots of cilantro.

Does the vegetarian eat fish? You could do a fish taco with a nice beer batter and sauce of ranch dressing mixed with sirracha sauce. Yourself and the vegetarian could add shredded red cabbage. Yum! I make those for my kids all the time. And you could serve black beans on the side....and maybe watermelon which someone mentioned as a possibility.

An elegant herb and goat cheese omelet? Croque Monsier? Honey Mustard Salmon?

That Mac and Cheese idea was good too! And it brought on a craving actually....

How about Hawaiian Haystacks?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_haystack

The first time I had them it reminded me of curry dinners with all the little toppings, so I usually make it with curry sauce. You could serve the chicken on the side with all the other toppings instead of putting it in the sauce.

How do these people not die from malnutrition?

Did someone just ask if the vegetarian eats fish? Last I checked, fish was meat.

Some folks who consider themselves vegetarian, do in-fact eat seafood. Not everyone uses the term accurately and not everyone is familiar with pescetarianism.

What on Earth...!?!

Water? ALL fruits and veggies? No.

He should see an allergist... I went through being allergic to most fruits/veggies unless they were cooked to death. The allergist I saw said it is a relatively common allergy, esp in people who are also allergic to pollen. Long story short, Zyrtec keeps my food and pollen allergies in check (got lucky, easy fix for me), although I am still careful because occasionally I'll eat a carrot that makes my throat and mouth itchy and burn-y.

wow. how do they kiss?

All the people saying it's not possible: it is. One undergrad friend was allergic to all fruits (not vegs) and it made her life miserable. No wine, for example, no salad with tomatoes/avocados in them, etc. She had to take tons of supplements to have a somewhat balanced diet.

To solve your issue, yes, I would ask them what they can eat. For dessert just make a chocolate cake or chocolate mousse, and yay to the suggestion of a main dish with tons of side dishes.
If the girlfriend eats seafood, just have fish with pasta/potatoes/quinoa and a side of steamed veggies. You could also do many small dishes for starters (deviled eggs, cheeses and charcuterie for him, and a few marinated vegs and various spreads for her). I'd go heavy on the breads as well.

You should double check if your allergic friend can also eat herbs, you never know...

I had a coworker who said she was allergic to almost all fruits and vegetables (for some reason hard winter squash were okay). I didn't believe her until she ate some of the cafeteria's mac and cheese-- which turned out to have onions in it. She got a stricken look on her face with the first bite; then huge welts appeared on her face, neck and hands, and she started wheezing.

Fortunately she keeps an epi-pen and some benadryl handy. It was the scariest thing I'd seen in a while-- and I'm an ICU nurse!

So I'd say: ask him in advance if there are any vegetables or fruits he can eat (many people with broad-spectrum allergies have a few isolated safe foods), how intense his allergies are (my coworker was also allergic to green herbs), and if he has or needs any emergency medication just in case something goes wrong.

I think your guests should provide you with ideas on what they can eat, because they will have a better idea of what works for them than we can guess on your description. I have oral allergy syndrome which means some raw fruits make my lips and throat swell - I always let people know in advance if they're cooking for me to avoid any issues.

In answer to your question though, I would make a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a vegetable-free grain side dish. The non-veggie eater has the meat with grains, the veggie has the veggies with grains, and you eat all three.

Assuming the friend is an ovo-lacto vegetarian (eats eggs and dairy), there should be plenty of options. Think comfort food - macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, tostadas, heck, even chili mac. Or egg-based dishes like omelettes, souffles, stratas. Love the "breakfast for dinner" idea.

And hello - pasta. So easy and versatile. Whip up some cacio e pepe (pasta with Pecorino Romano and cracked black pepper).

Not ovo-lacto? Soak hunks of tofu in teriyaki marinade and grill them. Legumes, grains, and seeds are a great idea too (black beans, vegetarian refried beans, rice, quinoa, bulgur ...)

Also, take a look at "one dish two ways" recipes where it's easy to leave the meat out of just one or more servings.

I'm sure your dinner guests would hate to know you're agonizing over this. Trust me, the way people stress about what to serve me sometimes is one of the worst parts about being a vegetarian! Just relax, whip up a couple of options, and let them bring something of their own if they offer.

What about a mushroom risotto? You can use portobello and boletus, beer instead of wine (as it contains grapes), water to boil, butter and parmigiano.

If you don't know how to cook risotto you can try pasta with mushrooms and cheese, a quinoa salad with tofu, cheese omelets, bread and grilled cheese, corn on the cob, black beans, and maybe you could ask your friend if hummus is okey for him.

try this mushroom couscous casserole:

http://theactorsdiet.com/2012/06/17/recipe-recap-mushroom-couscous-casserole/

what? how can you be allergic to literally everything?

For those who are skeptical, this type of allergy really does exist. It's rare, but it does happen. My partner has true, full-blown allergies to pretty much all fruits and vegetables - both cooked and raw. We don't usually accept invitations to eat with others due to the high risk involved. That said, bless you for attempting to work with the allergy. I'm sure they both appreciate it.

My first thought was a dish like fetuccini alfredo may work. You could have other meats (chicken, shrimp) or cooked vegetables on the side for guests to add to their dish as desired. Another idea would be to have something like a fajita bar with several different options for fillings so that each person can customize their own meal. The only caution would be that sometimes set-ups like this can be dangerous if people start mixing spoons from one dish into another. If it's a small, conscientious group then it would probably be okay.