A Very Vegetarian Christmas

Let me just come right out and say it…it's not about the turkey.   Not in our house, anyway.   We are a house full of vegetarians and while we've tried the Tofurky thing a few times, it's quite disgusting.  And then there is the joy of being the only vegetarians while visiting family.  I have to give our families A LOT of credit here…they have tried to make us special vegetarian foods so we don't feel left out, but often the results are not what we could consider something we'd want to eat for our "special" holiday meal.  After all, how many people want their special meals to be someone elses experiment?  It would really just be much easier if we could just bring our own tried and tested meals with us and have no one be offended.

A few years ago, we decided to try something new.  Instead of trying to fit our vegetarian lifestyle into the turkey-centric mindset of the masses, we decided to forge our own path.  And, if I should say so myself, it's a pretty good path and has given us a pretty neat tradition.   Every year, we choose a different country and prepare special vegetarian foods from that country/culture.   The beauty of the tradition is that the country doesn't even have to be real.  One year we did a middle-earth Christmas - hobbit style.  Lemme tell ya, by Elevenses, we were STUFFED!  Lots of mushrooms that year and a whole day spent watching the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings movies.   So much fun.

This year, we haven't chosen our country yet, but I am sure it will be fabulous.   From researching the foods, sourcing recipes and shopping for unique ingredients - it is sure to be an adventure.  Something to remember for years to come.