Dinner ideas fo vegetarian guests ??

Spanikopita - easy and tasty.

Package of frozen phyllo dough
3 boxes of frozen chopped spinach
3 eggs
1/2-3/4 lb. feta (I use Mt. Vikos sheep & goat's milk feta. It's a young, tangy, not-strong-at-all feta and it takes two packages.)
1 stick (cube, whatever 1/4 lb. butter, melted)
Salt, pepper and dill (fresh or dried) to taste.
Chopped onion--fresh or dried to taste.

You're going to be using 16 sheets of the phyllo total. In the stuff I buy, it's divvyed into two packages, so I just thaw one. Thaw dough according to package directions.
Thaw spinach and press as much water out of it as you can. Then, stick handfuls of it into a towel and wring the bejeesus out of it. You want it dry.
Put the spinach in a largish bowl. Crumble the feta over the spinach and add salt, pepper, dill and onion to taste. I usually use the dried onion. Fresh tastes better, but the dry helps to take care of any leftover moisture in the spinach. I use little salt--the cheese already has a fair amount of salt in it and lots of pepper.
Break the eggs into another bowl, give the a brisk beating just to combine them and then pour them over the spinach/feta/seasonings. Mix well.
Butter a sheet of filo and put it dry side down into a 9" pie plate. Drape it so that it goes up the sides of the pie dish and hangs over the lip. Do that with 7 more sheets, arranging them so that they completely line the pan.
Put your spinach mixture into the pan and settle it in nicely. Do 8 more sheets of phyllo just like you did the pan-liners to cover up your pie. Roll the edges all the way around to make things tidy and to seal it up.
Place your pie in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.

And, yes: fresh spinach, dill and onion are way better tasting. But if you're in more of a rush or, like me, just plain lazy, this makes a pretty tasty dinner. If you have leftovers, I beg of you, PLEASE reheat this in the oven. Floppy, damp greasy phyllo is just plain nasty. A slice takes about 10 minutes or so at 350 in the oven to reheat.

If you don't like this one, let me know and I'll give you my recipe for Portobello Mushroom burgers.

Well, specifically what "type" of vegetarian?

Lacto-vegetarian (vegetables and dairy-cheese)
Ovo-vegetarian (vegetables and eggs, no dairy, i.e. milk, butter, cheese, etc.)
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian (vegetables, dairy, and eggs)
Pescatarian (will eat fish), may be any oine of the above as well
Flexible vegetarian, ocassionally eats animal protein
Vegan (NO animal products, period! NO dairy, NO cheese, NO eggs)

Spanikopita works ONLY if they are lacto-ovo vegetarians.

You might be interested in: Vegetarianism Defined

Well, since it was "vegetarian", I went with so-called "straight" vegetarian (no meat). I figured if there were other restrictions, it would've been stated. If there are other restrictions, the Porobello Burgers are vegan (as long as you use a vegan bread product to serve them on, hold the cheese and don't use mayo or mayo-based sauces on them).

And thanks; I already know the differences between the varying sorts of vegetarians/vegans. Living with one, being related to a number more and having a large number of friends following that path, has a habit of doing that. ;) It also makes me tear my hair out when trying to cook something tasty that they'll all eat, but that's another story.

" It also makes me tear my hair out when trying to cook something tasty that they'll all eat, but that's another story. "

Yeah! Ran into that last night. We, generally, do NOT have Vegan/Vegetarian menu selections. I had to come up with a three course dinner as well as appetizers for a Vegan.

The spanikopita sounds delish - I've got some filo and spinach lurking in the freezer
just need some feta now.

Depending on what they'll eat:

Quiche - with mushroom or grated zucchini, or any combo of seasonal vegetables you like. Nice fresh salad to serve with it.

Giant spring rolls - meatless of course, make them like normal ones, just bigger.
Seerve with steamed chinese greens

Canneloni filled with ricotta, top with passata and a mix of grated cheddar and parmesan cheese, bake, then at the last minute sprinkle with torn basil

Souffle omelette

Chunky bowl of minestrone soup with stacks of tasted pide bread

Grilled eggplant done parmagiana style

A few years ago we had a young woman living in our downstairs "apartment" [no real kitchen, just microwave & hotplate] who was vegetarian. Her family was in another state, and she had no plans for Thanksgiving so we invited her to share our dinner. Knowing she would not want turkey, I made a special dish with acorn squash. I cut them in half, scooped out the seeds and brushed the flesh with oil & sprinkled salt & pepper, then baked them until tender. In the meanwhile, I made red rice with diced green onion, garlic & celery and chopped pecans. Once the squash was done, I stuffed the cavities with the rice, topped with cornbread stuffing and baked until the stuffing was browned. Fortunately I thought to make enough for everyone because it was a very popular dish. Since then, I've made this same dish often for HubbyDearest and myself. Sometimes I make it meatless. Sometimes I put in sausage or shredded cooked chicken. It's always enjoyed.

Dash off to Whole Foods and buy Gimme Lean brand, meat free ground sausage or meat free ground beef; Vegan Gourmet dairy free mozzarella cheese alternative; some tofu; egg replacer; and eggplants. Make moussaka using the substitutes. Use your favorite moussaka recipe.

I've discovered that many, if not most, vegetarians/Vegans are actually "turned off" with meat and cheese substitutes.

In addition, they are also "turned off" by "steamed vegatable plates", portobellas in any way shape or form, or any other "simplistic" adaptation.

At Le Bistro, we do NOT have menu items for those who are vegetarian/Vegan, however, last night we did have a Vegan in a party of three for dinner. On the "spur of the moment, we served:


Tapas:
Capponata di Carciofi (Vegan, left out the anchovies)
Grilled Asparagus with olive oil

Salad:
Greek Dinner Salad (Romaine with Parssley-dill vinaigrette, diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, Garbanzo beans, minced red onion, hold the Feta)

Entrée
Farfalle Prima Vera (Farfalle (bowties), fresh tomato sauce (diced Romas, tomato sauce, onions, garlic, olive oil, red pepper), asparagus, zucchini, petite peas, green beans, sautéed in olive oil.

Dessert:
Fresh strawberries, quartered, with Balsamic Vinegar

IMLE (I've only been cooking since the 1960s), vegetarians/Vegans simply want to be treated to a good meal, not to a vegetarian/Vegan adaptation of an omnivore meal.

Besides, EVERY vegan cheese substitute or non-meat substitute I've ever tried is something I would NEVER serve ANYONE, requested or not.

risotto.....I've finished it off with Earth Balance 1/2 and 1/2, butter sub...
or you can leave naked....corn or wild shroom works.

Eggplant, zucchini, roasted tomato, pesto (or basil/oil/pine nuts), chevre/mozz or not.....roast separately, then stack

Beet salad, or Beet soup, top with chevre and a drizzle of sherry vinegar syrup

Asparagus, grapefruit salad, shallot tarragon vinaigrette

souffles

savory pumpkin "pie" or small turnovers
you can use an olive oil crust (really easy and tasty for savory dishes) or a puff pastry crust (frozen)
line a pan with the dough

cook some squash or pumpkin - i use dark green ones that have little bumps, are round but flatter than spherical, and inside the flesh is more yellowy-greeny than orange, they have less water and are really tasty - acorn or butternut or anything else work fine though. I usually steam because baking takes so long, but do as you like. Don't peel before cooking or you waste hours. Just cut in big chunks. when cooked scoop out the flesh, put in a bowl.
slice two or three onions, and sautee slowly in butter. Add to the squash.
Add (optional) raisins and pine nuts
When cool, add an egg.
pour into crust, cover with a top crust, and bake till golden (orn the puff pastry has puffed up

What's wrong with steamed vegetables? Are roasted better? And what is so "simplistic" as portabellas?

Mushroom soup, or veggie pasta, eggplant parmigiano, or how about stuffed peppers, and tomatoes? These I made this weekend, stuffed with rice, shredded onion, shredded zucchini, lots of fresh parsley and mint, olive oil, and s/p. In a bowl I seasoned potato wedges with oil, s/p, and oregano and tucked them in between the veggies along with some stuffed grape leaves. Truly a vegan feast although you can grate some cheese on top.

He said "steamed vegetable platter" as in the chef's not here and the line cook can't think of anything else.

Good vegetarian website

I'm not a vegetarian. But some time ago, I came across a really good website that had some tasty-sounding recipes. I haven't tried any of them yet, but if you (or anyone else) is ever looking for vegetarian ideas, it's certainly a good reference.

101 Cookbooks - Healthy Recipe Journal