To ask what you’d cook for a vegan dinner party?

This isn’t true. Cruelly treated animals are not productive animals.

I've been to a few 'gourmet' vegan restaurants where the food has been incredible - but barely any flippin protein!

So often it's a meat veg and two veg meal. Tasty but not satiating. A cauliflower steak is not protein.

You sound like a great cook. I am too <preens> but - and obviously this isn't an issue for the odd dinner party - the challenge for me isn't making delicious vegan food, it's making delicious vegan food with enough bloody protein to keep us all alive.

I've been to a few 'gourmet' vegan restaurants where the food has been incredible - but barely any flippin protein! I come away thinking 'it's actually not hard to make delicious and/or really fancy vegetable side dishes, but that doth not a meal maketh mate. It's just several fancy side dishes that came to £150.'

Same with Instagram content - sounds amazing, probably tastes amazing, will kill you in a year unless you're scarfing tofu by the handful off camera.

Since I went vegan a few years ago, I've definitely been cooking less 'Frenchy-European' food and more Japanese, Korean, Chinese, SE Asian and middle eastern food. Partly because I try and avoid the fake meat, cream, and generally very processed vegan 'substitutes', and that makes it hard to do classic french-derived stuff that I miss - especially for eg the very quick 'steak and some kind of reduction/cream sauce' stuff. I have recreated Pommes Dauph though which felt like a massive triumph - with a combo of miso, yeast extract, creamed cashews and vinegar to make the garlic-gruyere-cream ... my kitchen is like a laboratory.

Most (if not all?) shop bought puff pastry is vegan, so I’d do puff pastry tarts, either individual ones or perhaps two large ones for people to choose from. You could make your own nut free pesto for them if you have time. Served with buttery new potatoes and a salad or spring greens.

Lots of options to choose from for pudding too. You could try a chocolate mousse made with tofu, chocolate tart, brownies, ginger cake?

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables/vegan-shepherd-s-pie/

this is a lovely recipe

@Favouritefruits , That sounds dreadful to me. Mushroom risotto is not delicious and I don't like brownies.

@RationalIrrational , many on here don't. There are lots of different squashes that are tastier and less ubiquitous than the butternut squash, mushroom stroganoff depends on the mushrooms, risotto is just slop. Beetroot is ok but is overpowering.

It's so refreshing to see a menu that doesn't have them on it.

I am vegan and I love all those things!

It’s only for one evening. Hopefully the OP will find something easy to make, I’m sure her friends will appreciate the efforts.

Mushroom risotto for main as it’s so tasty and delicious and easy to adapt to vegan. A dark chocolate vegan brownie with a scoop of vegan ice cream.

Personally, I'm make a trip to M and S.

@ToomuchtimeagainJust out of interest, what are the wasps dissolved by?

@FullCrimp , Do you know why lots of vegetarians and vegans hate mushrooms?
Overexposure. If you go out to dinner and you're faced with a mushroom starter and a mushroom main, it can put you off them.
They have a definite taste and texture and can be slimy.

They are usually offered in the form of mushroom risotto, mushroom stroganoff or mushroom wellington, all of which are very mushroomy.

Beetroot, risotto, mushroom, butternut squash , or goat's cheese.
Look how many replies on here have suggested beetroot, risotto, mushrooms or butternut squash.

Recipes | BOSH! Gut-Healthy Big Burrito Cake | BOSH! | BOSH!

Yes good point.
I'd say in Europe, the most vegan-friebdly cuisine is probably Italian.

I HRTFT but I think the reason that people turn to Asian or Mexican food is because those cuisines tend to be complete without dairy or meat. Most of the other suggestions have required either a meat substitute or a cream/butter substitute. A lot of the flavour and texture in European food comes from the meat or the addition of cream, butter etc because flavour is carried in oil; Thai and Indian food use plenty of oil but then the strong flavours of ginger, garlic, lime, and chilli carry through the whole dish.

Especially for someone who isn’t a confident cook, a good curry recipe is pretty straightforward, and there are also accessible recipes for sides- I’m thinking of Meera Sodha’s Brussels sprouts thoran (I use kale in mine or chard if my chard crop is going mad; this version uses cabbage) and her oven-baked onion bhajis which remove the need for a deep fryer. I do mine in a gas oven but I bet they’d be amazing in an air fryer. Those alongside a nice main like dal, and maybe some home made breads, and a few chutneys (bought- check label- or made) like lime pickle, brinjal chutney, a little salad of finely chopped tomatoes and shallot- would be delicious and look impressive as a spread.

@Fueoe I remember as well a Christmas dinner menu on here that someone listed who was making vegan West Asian food- it sounded lush. May be worth searching for.

So I was informec upthread, thank you.

Love this - best suggestion so far!

I made this the other week:
https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/squash-spinach-and-chickpea-filo-pie/amp/

We’re not vegan but the dc have food allergies, it was a total winner and disappeared in a flash!

If you fancy a hot pudding you could make apple crumble using dairy free butter, or use rhubarb if you wanted it to be more in season. Hot custard made with Bird’s custard powder and oat milk, or plant based vanilla ice cream.

lol - you must know that Most dairy comes from hyper industrialised farms where the animals are treated utterly horrifically.

id honestly rather eat meat than dairy. At least it’s over for the animals once they’re slaughtered and they aren’t subjected to an endless living torture.

I'd probably do 3 or 4 Ottolenghi style salads, some nice bread/dips and booja book ice cream for dessert. Keep it casual.

I like roasted cauliflower with pomegranate almonds and tahini, date pitta and spinach salad, lentil or white bean salad, muhammara or romesco dips.

@Helliephant , I would check that they eat fake meat before presenting it. I haven’t eaten meat for nearly 60 years and while I appreciate that recent vegans might appreciate something resembling what they’ve been used to I certainly wouldn’t. Fake meat turns my stomach. I’m made of beans and lentils. ☺️

Easy vegan dinner party

Caramelized onion tart with ready made puff pastry, Hasselback potatoes done in Rosemary and olive oil with lots of crunchy salt, salad.

M&S ready made vegan brownie warmed up, Swedish Glace vanilla ice cream, selection of red fruits

To make the tart slowly cook down more thinly sliced onions than you ever thought possible in a little bit of oil. Very low heat for a few hours. Tip into a dish and cover with a layer of ready made puff pastry. Supermarket ones are usually vegan. Oven until pastry is cooked
Score through lots of salad potatoes with 3 - 4 cuts but don't go right through. Leave unpeeled. Coat in olive oil, rosemary, pepper and sea salt. Also in the oven and probably put them in first as they take a bit longer.
Big mixed salad with seeds and beans for a bit of protein (would usually do a walnut, fennel and orange salad).

Some vegans (me) are funny about figs because of the dissolved wasps.

Ok, thanks to this thread I just read all about the process of how some figs are pollinated by wasps 😳

Second a roast dinner with mushroom wellington - makes it really special. Or mushroom and vegetable pie (add brown lentils to make it ‘meatier’) Pastry with vegan butter/spread is great.

Rice pudding with plant milk is really creamy tasting or apple and pear crumble and custard made with plant milks.

Starter: bruschetta and anti pasti
Main: any nice pasta dish - lemon spaghetti upthread sounds nice. Garlic bread and salad.
Pud: vegan tiramisu