Can you help me plan a lovely vegan, nut free lunch?

[talkingnonsense]

Our lovely friends are coming to lunch on Sunday and he is a vegan who does not eat nuts. I would love to give them something yummy and homemade- as they are travelling and could arrive any time I thought we would have nice bread, salad, maybe peppers stuffed with lentils? But what about a pudding? Can I make a cake with vegan margerine and no eggs? I am a complete meat eater so am really really stuck as I so want to make them feel welcome!

[chuckeyegg]

There are some really nice recipes on the vegan society site here I'm vegetarian but have used many of there recipes and they are yummy. :)

[talkingnonsense]

Thank you, I'll have a look.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

Peppers (or big flat mushrooms) stuffed with various grains are always nice. Use avocado rather than cheese. Indian food is very vegan-friendly and dhals are easy to make. Beans are very versatile either whole in casserole-type dishes or crushed as a base for burgers or 'meatless' loaves. I sometimes use the bigger lentils as a base for a meatless Shepherd's pie. Top with a mix of white and sweet potatoes let down with a little soya milk.

For dessert... cream, eggs and butter are out but you could do something interesting in the 'fruit compote' line.

[trixymalixy]

Look at the chocolate cheesecake recipe on parsleysoup.com. It is divine.

[jetsetlil]

What about a thai curry? and for dessert a crumble. you can use vege suet for the topping.

[colditz]

Oh christ what a nightmare - where on EARTH does he get his protein from?

[chuckeyegg]

There are lots of other sources of protein, beans, rice, wholemeal flours tofu and more. It's really quite easy to eat enough protein on a vegan diet.

[thisisyesterday]

there is a lovely rose elliot recipe for mushroom pate en croute.

it's delicious hot, but equally good served cold the next day with cranberry sauce or similar

[thisisyesterday]

oh bum, no it contains nuts.

will have another think. most of my recipes have nuts in

[colditz]

If it's so easy to get enough protein on a nut free vegan diet, why has this thread not been inundated with replies?

[motherinferior]

You could leave out the pistachios and provide this. Coconuts, despite the name, are not nuts...

[motherinferior]

...which would avoid the plasticky horror of soya milk...

[thisisyesterday]

maybe because there aren't many vegans about.
maybe the ones that are on here are off making dinner (like me, but i am mn-ing in the kitchen)
maybe they haven't seen it yet!

let's be honest, the vast majority of people don't know much about veganism or what to cook. so it's hardly surprising that the thread hasn't been inundated with replies is it?
nothing to do with nuts or protein!

and chuckeyegg is right. there are plenty of other forms of protein available

[motherinferior]

...or vege suet, or other approximate foodstuffs that simply make one run, screaming, into the nearest cheesecake...

[colditz]

Anyway, enough of my bafflement, it's not up to a host to ensure a diet is balanced - how about something pasta based with olives, baby plum tomatoes and capers, with vitalite garlic bread?

[motherinferior]

Actually, ahem, all the protein options you've outlined are grains (rice, flour - and I am not sure really how much protein they have) and beans (tofu being a bean product, obviously). So not that many. Avocadoes as well, I'll give you avocadoes. But it's not exactly a smorgasbord of protein-packed nutless options.

[thisisyesterday]

whereas a meat-eater has SO many more options.
i mean there is meat. meat. ummmm, meat! and i guess meat too. oh and some dairy. and meat.

now that's what i call a smorgasbord

[Popbiscuit]

Lots of Great recipes on the Post Punk Kitchen website and also try "Oh She Glows" (all Vegan recipes) or Peas and Thankyou.
These are no-fail and absolutely DELICIOUS (just leave out the nuts or put in choc chips instead...most dark chocolate is vegan by default but check the ingredients).

[motherinferior]

Felafel with hummus (check he's OK with the tahini - some nut-allergic people react to sesame seeds as well). Or rice and dal and aubergine slices with Madhur Jaffrey's 'pickling style' sauce over them, and cucumber and tomato dressed with lime juice and chopped coriander.

[motherinferior]

Meat-eaters get different types of meat, from different animals/fish; and dairy; and nuts and tofu and avocadoes and pulses.

I'm just querying the definition of 'lots'. Two isn't lots in my book.

[colditz]

Well, yes, as a nut eating meat eater, people rarely panic about feeding me, because I will eat what I'm given.

I have chicken, lamb, beef, pork, venison, every variety of fish, every variety of nut, nut butters, nut milks, meat stocks, various sausages, smoked meats, smoked fishes.... then we have the milk, the cream, the butter, the cheese and the eggs, not to mention the honey....

[talkingnonsense]

Well thank you all, I did dips and hummus, salad, bread and peppers stiffed with lentils and tomatoes; and then I used that vegan site and made a truly yummy spiced apple cake which the non vegans had with clotted cream! Was so nice I am going to try it again with gluten free flour ( for me!). Thanks, All!

[motherinferior]

Actually I would do the meal I suggested with chappatis or nan instead of rice, then do the coconut rice pudding. Which would actually be rather authentic, drawing as it would upon Indian payasam. (My mother is Indian.) (And I used to be a vegetarian.)

[colditz]

Recipe for coconut rice pudding very much wanted here please!

[thisisyesterday]

well if you're counting different TYPES of meat then i guess vegans can count all the different varieties of pulse, bean, legume, tofu, seitan, tempeh etc etc


when chuckeyegg said "lots" i am presuming she meant lots of variety, rather than lots of different types of food.

so non-vegans get meat products and dairy. wow. 2 whole extra things. amazing