Vegetarian Dishes Find Place In Holiday Meals

Thanksgiving is the ultimate harvest party. The groaning board is spread with traditional foods like turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. But each year we also feature several vegetarian dishes, courtesy of my brother.

Charlie traveled around the world at 18 and returned home a sincere vegetarian. The first Thanksgiving with the family after his trip became a battleground of strong wills.

My traditional family didn’t know what to make of Charlie’s new-found dietary beliefs. Most thought that he could dine as he pleased the rest of the year, but Thanksgiving was a sacred holiday that couldn’t be meddled with. Mom uneasily hummed “We Gather Together” and watched Charlie heap his plate full of everything but turkey.

Charlie still comes home for Thanksgiving, but a new appreciation for things vegetarian has developed between my brother and the rest of the family. He often helps by preparing one or more elegant dishes to serve as delicious counterpoints to the rest of the meal. His favorites are spanakopita, a Greek spinach-feta pie, and baked squash.

As more and more vegetarian cookbooks and magazines line the bookstore shelves and newsstands these days, the repertoire for the vegetarian Thanksgiving grows. It’s not unusual for one or more family members to shun the turkey in favor of the vegetable dishes. The cook’s challenge is to provide traditional Thanksgiving fare in a new way.

I look for vegetarian recipes that are elegant, festive and hearty, full of harvest aromas and tastes. Baby pumpkins stuffed with herbs, nuts and sauteed vegetables satisfy those requirements, as do these other appealing dishes.

Stuffed Baby Pumpkins

8 (4-inch) baby pumpkins

1/3 cup vegetarian broth

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup toasted bread crumbs

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

Salt, optional

Slice off top 1/2 inch of each pumpkin. Discard tops and scoop out seeds. Place pumpkins on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes.

Bring broth in large skillet to simmer. Add onion and cook, stirring, 8 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, sage, thyme and bread crumbs and cook 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in pine nuts, celery, apricots, cheese and salt to taste.

Stuff mixture into pumpkins. Bake 15 minutes longer, or until stuffing is lightly browned. Be careful not to overbake or pumpkins will split.

Yield: 8 servings.

Baked Sweet Potatoes and Red Potatoes

I find the combination of sweet and savory in this potato side dish a perfect balance to the stuffed pumpkins.

3 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into thick slices

8 small red potatoes, unpeeled, halved

1 tablespoon olive oil, warmed

Freshly ground black pepper

Place sweet potatoes and red potatoes on ungreased baking sheet. Lightly brush potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 400 degrees 30 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are soft and lightly browned.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Braised Leeks and Mushrooms

Gourmet and slightly exotic, chanterelle mushrooms shine in this side dish. Allow them to cook long enough to exude moisture so their flavor develops.

1/4 cup dry sherry or apple juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

5 cups thinly sliced leeks, well washed

1 cup sliced chanterelle or other wild mushrooms

1 teaspoon fresh orange juice

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Salt, pepper

Heat sherry and oil over medium-high heat in 10-inch nonstick skillet. Add leeks and saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and saute, stirring, 5 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms exude moisture. Stir in orange juice and peel, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Spiced Pumpkin Custard

Avoid the high-fat crust of traditional pumpkin pie by serving this delicious pumpkin custard. Individual ramekins (small souffle dishes) or custard cups make a very elegant presentation.

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon honey

2/3 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

2-3/4 cups nonfat milk

4 eggs, beaten, or equivalent of egg substitute

Nonfat vanilla yogurt for topping

Lightly oil 8 (1-cup) ramekins or custard cups and place on baking sheet. Set aside.

Combine pumpkin, molasses, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in large heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Dissolve arrowroot by stirring with small amount of the milk. Add remaining milk, then pour milk mixture into saucepan. Stir well to combine with pumpkin mixture.

Bring to boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Cook until thickened to consistency of whipping cream. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs.

Pour into prepared baking dishes. Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes or until firm. Let cool slightly. Serve with dollops of vanilla yogurt.

Yield: 8 servings.