help - vegan coming for dinner.

[HufflepuffRavenclaw]

Having friends over for dinner next week. Woman of the couple is quite faddy in her eating. Over the time we have know them she has been gluten-free for about 6 months, abandoned that and then gave up alcohol completely for about a year, stopped doing that and then cut out sugar, was also a pescetarian for a while. Latest is that she is vegan.

I am not a vegan and have zero interest in vegan food/cooking. I am looking for ideas which are easily adapted to vegan diets - so for example I could do tomato/mozzarella/basil and crusty bread for a starter and use vegan "cheese" for her.

Think I may buy a dessert for her as any decent pud has to have cream and butter in it.

Any ideas?

So why invite them?

Second this, this curry is absolutely delicious!

Indian is the way to go as so much is vegan anyway, you really don't need to learn about new foods or schlepp about for fancy ingredients, you are just enjoying making an issue out of nothing.

Lol. I’ve seen you posting negative things about vegan food on other threads, no doubt you jump at the chance to defend this ridiculous OP. How sad.

@drpet49 well she didn't need to invite them for dinner if she was going to be so put out!

Don't buy vegan cheese - it's repellent.

There are loads of nice vegan dishes you can cook. My DS makes awesome tofu fajitas which we load with guacamole and salsa. I also chuck cheese and sour cream on mine because I'm not vegan. But delicious! (and I say this as a card-carrying meat eater.)

But you don’t have to - curry/Moroccan/Chinese all fairly easy to create both vegan and non vegan meals and the staples you need would just be one meal.

vegan cooking does need spices and herbs but they are easy to use up.

the Ozp clearly doesn’t like the person she has invited. DDs friends parents manage fairly easily every time she goes round without any fuss which I am reading this very gratefuk

Well I’m grateful for the lovely recipes and ideas people have posted! OP, I and others have given you precisely what you asked for, it’s a shame they don’t meet your requirements, sorry.

I only invite people for meals if I like them and am prepared to accommodate their dietary needs. Makes like much simpler and nicer.

Just serve jacket potatoes with garlic mushrooms and salad. Then she can't whinge about gluten.

Vegan brownie for dessert 😋 (I made vegan gluten free brownies!)

Sorbet and fruit?

I didn’t like any of the vegan cheeses until I found Cathedral City blocks of plant based cheese which is just like their nature cheddar. Even my vegan hating FIL and BIL didn’t complain.

Honestly, just buy a vegan main that you can bung in the oven and then crack on with cooking the other dishes.
Buy a vegan pudding for the 'vegan' guest too.

I'd not be pandering to a faddy eater.

I have a couple of vegan family members that I will always go out of my way to cater for but once had a friend like yours who seemed to switch from one fad to the next. It was exasperating.

*mature

That's not what I'm saying at all @bluebellaa . I said in the very opening post that I was looking for ideas which can be adapted to suit vegans and non vegans. I was very very clear that I was not looking for "vegan recipes" yet this is what everyone has been providing. Other than a few helpful people who have suggested a certain sauce with chicken added or things like bruschetta with a range of vegan or non-vegan toppings.

I wouldn't fall out with someone, or exclude them, just because they're faddy. They could still be a very good friend and have many other good qualities. However, I wouldn't base the entire menu for everyone around their latest (and short-lived) whim either, especially if (sorry) it makes things taste worse. I would try to accommodate them in the simplest and most convenient way possible.

Roast fillet of beef and a nut roast for the fussy one.

Bruschetta for starter.
Boeuf bourgignon for main with a mushroom bourgignon for the vegan. Sides can be cooked in olive oil instead of butter.
Poached pears for pudding, with a cinder toffee type crumb and mascarpone for the non-vegans.

smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/
this is delicious and it's vegan if you use olive oil instead of butter.

Meat aside, just think how you would handle this if your child or partner had a dairy and egg allergy. You’d find ways to manage it quite quickly. Apple crumble with flora!

Some of my family were vegan and so we barely ever had meals together unless in a restaurant. I made a curry once that they really loved but I didn't like it that much and I didn't want to always cater to their diet. If we ate at theirs, it was truly awful food so we stopped going.

None are vegan anymore, some vegetarian instead and some back to meat.

Decide a theme for your dinner party and work from there.

Japanese; Vegetable pickles and tempura for starters. Make a teriyaki marinade and use it on chicken, salmon, tofu and tempeh. Add rice, miso carrots and charred pak choi. Make some mochi for afters.

Indian; Pakora for starters, veg curry, dal, rice and then some tandoori chicken. Pickle your own veg as sides. Make some coconut ice-cream and serve with mangos.

Moroccan; Vegetable tagine, jewelled couscous, skewers of spiced meat.

Make your beouf bourginon and do a small veggie one with some Moo Free strips.

Either make the meal, 80% vegan and then add an interesting meat side or try and make a small vegan version that looks quite like the regular version. You don't want food intolerances to be the main topic of conversation.

Go to supermarket

Peruse the gazillion plant based meals already made

buy one

Serve alongside the others that you will cook

it is ridiculously simple these days to buy vegan food

I’m with you, OP

could you do a meze table? So there could be vegetable dishes and dips, but also some meat, yogurt, cheese ones. It’s quite nice as an entertaining ploy, because you can put all the effort in at the beginning, and then relax ( and eat lots) while it goes on.

good the Vegan 🌵isn’t teetotal any longer.

Just go to wautrose and look at the vegan options. See something you'd like to make a meat version of (eg maybe they have a salmon thing and you could do a salmon dish). Pick that way round and she gets shop bought.

BTW I would do 2 slow cooker dishes but you really don't sound like you like this woman so I doubt you'd want to haha.

@HufflepuffRavenclaw Why does it matter if you think it's a bandwagon or a fad? If I invite people round I'm not going to cook them stuff they don't like or make one person out of four sit there nibbling on a rusk to make a poing. That would be weird and inhospitable.

I'm not vegan but I often eat things without meat or animal products in them for the hell of it because I like food and cooking it.

If you are seriously looking for something delicious and interesting to serve that most people will like I suggest the following easy recipes. But if you just want to moan feel free. Someone else on this thread might be interested.

www.theguardian.com/food/2023/feb/12/nigel-slaters-recipes-for-aubergine-lemon-and-parsley-couscous-and-for-pear-walnuts-and-gorgonzola - The couscous recipe not the pear and gorgonzola one. Also, I think it's a misprint. They mean fresh coriander leaves not parsley. Though you could use parsley and I'm sure that would not be too alarming.

www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/28/tamal-ray-recipe-squash-lentil-dhansakwww.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/28/tamal-ray-recipe-squash-lentil-dhansak - you can easily get vegan yoghurt-type things that are extremely nice.

www.theguardian.com/food/2022/jun/25/vegan-matar-tofu-pea-cashew-tofu-curry-recipe-meera-sodha This is lovely. If you don't like it I can't help you. It's not quite as good as the real paneer one but paneer is mega-high in fat and I'm on a diet so tried it. i used pistachios instead of cashews because I had some but any unsalted nuts would do.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegan-rice-pudding-with-pear-berry-compote This is delicious even though it contains fruit-salady stuff. Even meat eaters like me eat fruit sometimes. I like the taste and it keeps me regular

We're all meat eaters but some of our favourite recipes are still vegan, just by chance and not because we have an 'interest in vegan food'.

You sound a bit narrow-minded about food issues and also kind of mean

I think it’s a bit OTT to be pissed off that people are suggesting vegan recipes rather than adaptable ones, when a lot of those vegan recipes could be served with non-vegan sides/additions and are, therefore, adaptable.

You sound tedious op (as does your regular dinner party menu, so dull!)
You also sound like a crappy, condescending host.

Thank god for my lovely friends who happily cater for anyone.