The Christmas Quiche

When Derek and I became vegetarians a number of years ago, our families did their best to cope with it, with very little grumbling (and only at first). They found ways of making dishes veggie-friendly, or of adding a protein side dish that would replace the meat.

But "dealing with us" on holidays was a whole other issue. What in the world do vegetarians eat at Christmas or Easter? Those holiday meals all revolve around the all-important turkey: there's the bird itself; the stuffing, which goes into the bird; the gravy, which is made for the bird's drippings; the vegetables, which are roasted in the pan with the bird (at least in my family)... What is a meat-eating family to do with a couple of (and now 4!!) vegetarians?

So the first Christmas, Derek's gramma pulled a quiche from the freezer and baked it up for us. And we ate the vegetables and trimmings, just like regular people. It worked out fine, so every year after that, we got the quiche. Not as exciting as a turkey (which I must admit I never really liked anyway!), but it did the job.

This year, Derek and I and the girls hosted Christmas, first for my mom, then for Derek's parents and brothers and their partners. In the spirit of Gramma's idea, we decided to bake up a quiche, from scratch. And you know what? It was delicious... hardly a grumble from anyone concerning the conspicuous absence of the bird (mind you, they were all getting turkey at Gramma's the next day anyway).




And that's how our little family partakes of the Christmas meal: a very tasty quiche complete with mashed potatoes, stuffing, steamed veggies, and gravy.