With all the meat-heavy meals this time of year, the holidays can leave vegans and vegetarians feeling rather left out of the party. Tofurkey can only do so much! Here is a book that aims to fill the gap with some holiday-worthy vegetarian dishes to truly get excited about eating. And not just vegetarians — Meatless Celebrations is packed with tasty dishes that will appeal to everyone sitting at the table regardless of their stance on roast turkey.
Quick Facts
• Who wrote it: Kim O'Donnel
• Who published it: Da Capo Press
• Number of recipes: around 100
• Recipes for right now: Sweet Potato-Pesto Gratin, Delicata Boats with Red Rice Stuffing, Pumpkin Pudding, Carrot-Fennel Soup, Chickpea Fries, Black-Eyed Pea Paella, Lentil "Meatball" Sub, Cajun Blackened Tofu
• Other highlights: With her motto of "Delicious first, meatless second," Kim O'Donnel creates more than just alternative main courses for vegetarians at a meat-laden table. I really appreciate how she puts ingredients and flavor first so that you'd hardly notice no meat was involved. Everyone will want a taste!
I also love the range of celebrations and cultures covered in this book, from Thanksgiving and Christmas to Diwali, the Lunar New Year, and Cinco de Mayo. And of course, the dishes created for these feasts have appeal beyond the holiday itself. This cookbook can carry you into date night dinners, Meatless Mondays, and a simple summer picnic.
• Who would enjoy this book? Vegetarians, people doing Meatless Mondays, folks wanting to eat less meat
Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: The Meat Lover's Meatless Celebrations: Year-Round Vegetarian Feasts (You Can Really Sink Your Teeth Into) by Kim O'Donnel
• Visit the author's website: Kim O'Donnel
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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I think the hardest thing to accomplish when cooking a holiday vegetarian meal is to choose a main dish that is as interesting looking and sturdy as the meat dishes (like turkey, ham, whatever). Usually the table seems filled with only side dishes.
As a vegan I find I prefer to fill my plate with what I once considered "sides". More often I eat a more rounded variety of flavors and nutrition!
This book sounds great. I'm very happy to eat side dishes like Nicole above but my family are more keen on having a more traditional main dish. Can anyone comment on how vegan-friendly this book is? I'm often reluctant to buy vegetarian books as they can be dairy and egg heavy..
Follow the link through to Amazon, you can check out the index for vegan recipes. Looks like ~40.
I have enough trouble getting my family to replace chicken stock for veggie when making the sides, let alone a full recipe for a vegetarian main.
I just end up bringing my own main to most holiday dinners, or eat lots of sides that haven't been obviously tainted by animal parts.