Holiday Food - California Style/Vegetarian?

[km]

Just found out i will be hosting Christmas Eve gathering for the family, and in laws from California will be visiting. They lean toward a more vegetarian selection.

I know they don't care for our heavy midwestern menu (and Im not insulted or complaining, Id just like to do something that accomodates them and i actually do like this style of food more). Does anybody have good ideas/recipes for a more 'california style' meal side dishes (Im not sure Im even using the term correctly, Im looking for lots of fresh veggie, herbs or fruit ingredients, no 'can of mushroom soup' type ingredients....and i come up with things like green beans with lightly buttered pecans, but want something a little more dramatic/special)

We will be having a smoked turkey, and probably a fish (likely salmon) as well. I have a wild rice w/ mushrooms recipe that i like that has a nutty taste and avoids the heavy traditional mashed potato type dish.

So, I know there are some great cooks out there. All ideas are appreciated!

Thanks

[elliput]

Try a really simple salad. We went to a friends for Thanksgiving and had this:

Baby Field Greens
Cherry/Grape Tomatoes
Blue Cheese Crumbles
Walnuts (pieces or chopped)
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (drizzle over plated salad)

It is very taste and super easy!

[Dcclerk]

I love grilled veggies, and around here (CA), we can do them year-round. A variation for the broiler is asparagus (tossed in olive oil in a ziploc), and then broiled until they just start to get charred. Then drizzle with really good balsamic (the thicker, the better). For the non-vegetarians, if you add some bacon bits, it really is TDF.

I also think that relishes go really well with fish. I'm not sure if you have a Trader Joes around you, but they have an amazing frozen grilled corn. I add that stuff to everything. Mix up some chickpeas (canned is fine), with diced tomatoes, that grilled corn, something citrusy (orange juice concentrate works in a pinch), and cilantro, and you can serve it as a side dish or on the fish.

How lucky for your in-laws to have Christmas with snow (I'm assuming if you are in the midwest). I've never had one and always wanted to. I'm sure they will have a wonderful time no matter what you serve. :)

[jesseandgrace]

I had a vegan Thanksgiving with this menu:

Field Roast from Whole Foods stuffed with vegan stuffing (it was a veggie loaf kind of thing)

Black rice with peppers and veggies

Vegan mashed potatoes

green beans

pears

It was all really good!

[Sillygirl]

Or if you want to get fancier, replace the tomatoes with strawberries and the bleu cheese with goat cheese.