Call me lame, but sure could use some help! My 23 year old son called last night and said that when he comes to visit on Sunday that he was bringing his girlfriend. Of course we thought that was great, until he warned that 'she doesn't eat anything that once had a face'. Both my husband and I are meat eaters (him more that me) but never-the-less, I could use some help in figuring out what to fix for Sunday dinner that would not be offensive to her. I have considered making 2 separate main dishes, but my mind has gone completely blank on what I can serve her.

I am open for suggestions as I am having trouble"removing the excess stone".

Thank-you!

Italian/pasta?

PB&J. Closed face.

go to google, type in vegetarian recipes, you will find numerous websites posting recipes that actually look like they taste good!

She is a possible addition to your family. As such, she will have to get used to being in a family of meat eaters. You do not have to serve an all vegetarian meal. You can have your meat--and should. However, cook plenty of vegetables for her. You also need to ask what kind of vegetarian she is. This will keep you from having a problem because she will not eat milk products, eggs, etc....

The "anything with a face" is a political statement to meat eaters that any polite vegetarian would never say to a meat eater. I have many friends who are vegetarians--eating out with them is often a compromise, but they have never once said anything about the burger or steak I bite into. However, there are some, mostly very young, who make you feel guilty. Don't feel guilty.

I agree with Anon. My sis-in-law was like that when her & my brother started dating. We respected her wishes, but at the same time, we asked that she respect ours. My wonderful mom made sure to find out what types of food she ate and her preference then she planned a meal around them to include steak. The one concession that mom was made was to make sure that any meat choices were boneless (meat seems less "alive" if there are no bones).

If you are willing/wanting to make some non-meat dishes, doing a search at allrecipes.com will yield some wonderful vegetarian lasagnes.

Thankfully for our family, my SIL now eats most meat, but there are still times, when all that she will eat is veggies.

Suggest you question your son more on some things that she does like. I am learning that there are diferring degrees of vegetarian. My son's girlfriend doesn't eat meat. She does eat any kind of seafood (there is a face there). Loves veggies, cheese, etc.

Eggplant Parmesan is good alternative recipe to serve with your regular meat entree.

The key here is to make a nice rice or couscous dish and shape in the the form of a face!

For those of you who have taken the time to respond, I am extremely grateful. I think my initial reaction was a feeling of intimidation(?), not of the girlfriend, but of the vegetarian factor, and possibly ending-up embarrassing my son. In reading your different kind words of advice, I found myself thinking, "Hey, I am the middle-aged adult here, and I am being silly to let this make me crazy"! So to all of you, THANK-YOU! You are the best!

How hysterically funny. You have truly brightened my day!

Thank-you! I understand that the girlfriend is really very sweet and supposedly (according to my son) is very easy to please.

I am still sitting here chuckling about the rice, etc., shaped in to a face. That is truly very funny.

Thanks again to all.

I should have said that the "won't eat anything with a face" can be a political statement rather than saying it is a political statement.

By the way, the BEST thing you can do to figure out what to cook when she is a guest is to just come out and ask her what kinds of foods she enjoys the most, or ask your son. If he can't tell you her favorite foods from dating her, he probably doesn't know enough about her to be bringing her home for dinner anyway

Easy "Faceless" Meals:

Vegetable Fried Rice
Cook Rice, Add some soy sauce and a packet of fried rice seasoning directly from the ethnic aisle at your local supermarket. Throw in some mushrooms, peas, etc. to taste. Stir fry! It's must simpler than it tastes! It makes a good main course, but is also a nice side dish that you can all enjoy.

Another option, if you can find it, is to prepare a meatless entree that tastes and looks like meat. See if your supermarket has Quorn products. These are made from some sort of mushroom, but you can get "Chickenless Patties", "Turkey", "Gardenburgers", etc. I have my whole family hooked on the Quorn Chickenlike Patties. I'm allergic to Chicken, so I don't know if they really taste exactly like Chicken, but they are great, simple, and inexpensive.

Again, I must thank-you. I will certainly ask my son about her favorite foods. I guess I was thrown for a loop, as he called very late and I was half asleep. Of course, I then laid awake most of the night trying to figure out what the heck to fix, but thanks to you, I feel quite confident now on how to proceed.
Thanks again.

Oh yes, and as I understand it, my son knows her quite well!

And vegetable chili can be awesome. Even me, a carnivore that makes the cows shiver when I look at them, is satisfied with it.

Vegetable Chili

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4 stalk celery, diced
6 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1 4-ounce can diced mild/medium green chilies
1 teaspoon ground coriander
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon hot or sweet paprika (to taste)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 15- to 16-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
1 15-16 ounce black beans
1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, green chilies, chili powder, coriander, paprika, cumin and oregano. Cook 10 minutes to blend flavors. Add beans and corn. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chili is thick, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over rice with shredded cheddar cheese (or with tortilla chips).

Boy, just reading this makes my mouth water! Thanks for taking the time to share! I am appreciative to all.

Be careful of the seasonings you use also. Some vegetarians will not eat veggies that are seasoned with meats or meat greases.

Be sure not to just ask her if she eats seafood. You need to be specific. I have a friend that will also eat seafood, as long as it doesn't have legs. So, for her, shrimp, lobster, crab, etc are all out.

Good luck. Let us all know how this turns out.

Won't eat seafood that has legs? How bizzare is that? If you're vegimatic due to a political choice not to eat live things...why is a clam of less value than a fish?

Clams are people too you know

Worcester sauce is out for my cousin who is a vegetarian, since it includes anchovies among the ingredients. He uses soy milk and tofu and tabasco. (not together though )

Also, if you cook meats and vegetables, be sure to clean all meat juices and oils off the cooking surfaces before cooking the veggies. "Meat juices and oils" Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm Good!

Maybe his girlfriend is not a vegetarian because she loves animals; instead, she is a vegetarian because she hates plants.