Annie Somerville

It's been a long time coming, but this year was the first time that vegetables saw their moment in the spotlight. Call it what you will (bacon backlash?) but in 2010, vegetables were proclaimed to be the "new meat." From Mario's vegetarian cookbook to low-carbon, meat-free restaurant chains, vegetable-driven cuisine simply couldn't be ignored.

Is this trend simply recession flexitarianism, or should we expect to see more carrots, cauliflower, and parsnip bacon on menus next year, too? I asked Annie Somerville, executive chef at Greens restaurant and a California pioneer in meatless eating, what her predictions were for the coming 12 months. What's the future of vegetarianism? Find out when you read more.

While holiday roasts will likely be a seminal part of this year's Christmas celebrations, don't forget that 2010 was the year of the vegetable, too.

Even if you aren't making an entirely meat-free meal, there are a number of ways you can still make the night's menu vegetable-driven without missing the animal protein.

I asked Annie Somerville, executive chef at landmark vegetarian destination Greens in San Francisco, CA, for some of her recommendations.

To see chef Annie's best bets this yuletide season, keep reading!