Vegetarians for Dinner

All too often as a vegetarian invited out to dinner, I am met by concern and even fright on behalf of the host who literally goes to pieces at the thought of having to cook something veggie. On some occasions, the dinner invite simply never materialises, the host finding vegetarianism too much to cope with. If I do get invited and, even if the host seems to accept the idea, many find it hard to break away from more traditional veggie dishes. I’ve not met a vegetarian yet who doesn’t like vegetarian lasagne or some stir-fry, but this type of food gets a little monotonous after a while. This book therefore aims to act as an aid for concerned hosts who find themselves having to cater for a vegetarian. It is not solely concerned with vegetarian food, but also with how all meals can be easily converted into a vegetarian dish for one, two or even 20 people. Therefore, if the host decides he/she still wants to serve meat to the non-veggie guests, this can be easily combined with preparation of a tasty veggie dish. The key to this is adaptability – it is lovely for the veggie guest if they are presented with a dish which bears some resemblance to the meat eaters’. For example, at a barbecue, make some home-made veggie burgers or sausages rather than just a few salads. Vegetarians like to feel included too.