Entertaining your vegetarian friends for the holidays need not be a perilous experience.  With a few handy tips and cheats, you can be will on your way to presenting a celebratory affair that all will remember.

If you are unsure what type of vegetarian food your guest prefers, we encourage you to ask them. Given the opportunity, they may even offer to bring a dish, which will take some of the stress off your meal preparation.  When in doubt...keep it simple.  Please find hints below for each various course:

Drinks:
Just like your other friends, whether or not a vegetarian drinks alcohol depends on their spiritual and personal preferences.  Be prepared to offer alternatives like hot tea and coffee.

Appetizers:
Light snacking need not be a complicated affair for non-meat eaters.  Fresh vegetables are always a welcomed delight.  When choosing a dip, stick to something light and natural that doesn't contain milk or eggs.  (Vegans shy away from consuming anything animal-based.)  A simple raspberry vinaigrette creates a colorful presentation and is deliciously healthy.

If you need something a bit more substantial, silken tofu can be mashed and mixed into a tasty eggless salad.  Simply add in mustard, pickle relish, onion, salt, pepper and an eggless salad dressing like Nasoya for a delicious sandwich spread or thick dip for crackers.

Soups:
Choose a soup with a vegetable stock.  Serving soup with made with meat bullion cubes can be considered a social faux pas.

Salad:
A liberal serving of salad is always a nice icebreaker.  Show off your culinary prowess by serving your salad with a few choice legumes like kidney beans or garbanzos.

Dinner:
While there are many ready-made products on the market, most of what you will find in a conventional store like MorningStar contain eggs.  Vegans and lacto-vegetarians do not eat eggs.  You can avoid an uncomfortable situation by simply offering a marinara  pasta dish with a few vegetables on the side.  Simple to prepare, marinara is a wonderful alternative that other guests may enjoy as well.  Note:  Some pastas like ravioli contain eggs and/or milk products.  Be sure to read your labels.

Dessert:
Most cakes, cookies and such contain egg products.  Fresh fruit is always a delightful and welcomed surprise for your vegetarian friend.  Fruit may sound simple but can actually be a compliment to your vegetarian guest when served with thoughtful insight.  The holidays can be a rough time for vegetarians, as dietary trends tend to be heavy on the creme and meat products during the holidays.  By ending your course with fruit, you've served a wonderful gift of compassion to your guest.