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?

I think I would make

Vegan wellington pre bought from Asda
Baby potatoes roasted on oil and garlic (everyone can have these)

Whatever veg your having. It will look fancy if you present it nice

I thought I was really clear in the first post but obviously not .

Was not looking for ideas for vegan food.

Was looking for something adaptable, so that we are all eating the same thing, more or less. It seems weird to me to invite people over, three of you eat chicken kyiv and chips (for example) and the other one has a mushroom risotto.

Did not know that vegan cheese was minging - point taken.

Will almost definitely be buying a dessert, have had vegan brownies in the past and wasn't impressed, all vegan cakes seem very "oily".

Completely agree with you OP, the 'just make it all vegan' people clearly don't get that for a lot of people vegan food is really quite miserable
Your joking right?
I am not a vegan but I bloody love vegan food from fake -always, Mexican Indian, middle eastern ( my favourite) or Jaoenses ( my second favourite)and so on. You are never short of choice.there's so much variety in texture and taste. It can be made as simple or as elaborate as you want but it certainly doesn't have to be boring.
Even meat meals can be miserable at times.

Respectfully, some of the attitudes on this thread are so antiquated and outdated. So many cultures come with plant based cuisines - it's a sad state of affairs in 2023 that people are just slapping a 'miserable' label on food they just can't be bothered to learn about.

I'm a pescatarian who tries to eat plant based a few times a week, just because it can be a healthier decision - and it is better for the planet. It's not hard, if you aren't narrow minded.

Or maybe some people just can't cook.

My lunch was "vegan" - bagel with peanut butter and a sliced banana.

But take away meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy, honey and your remaining choices are limited. I like a vegetable as much as the next person but I am not a fan of chickpeas or beans as the "star of the show" or the main ingredient in a meal. I have made vegan cakes in the past as a colleague was vegan, have been given brownies in a "you'll never guess they're vegan" way and you definitely would.

I don't think it's particularly hospitable to invite someone over for dinner and put a ready meal in the oven. Which is why I was looking for the half and half compromise options. I'm sure we'll cobble something together. My friend who is currently identifying as vegan is living off hello fresh style meal boxes - they deliver everything she needs to cook so she's not investing a huge amount of time and effort either.

@bostonchamps , respectfully, your tone is somewhat patronising. You're not entirely vegan yourself.
Most cuisines are not exclusively plant-based, to my knowledge.

This. If your began cooking is miserable, you're doing it wrong.

You could do a great Indian meal? You could have the same 'curry' sauce with a vegan sub for the meat. Or a biryani- one that's meat and one vegan (jackfruit!)
If I was having someone over I'd be doing some sort of chaat (a bit like a salad), samosas, butter chicken, rotis/naans, biryani and dessert.
The dishoom recipes are fab.

And definitely agree that a 'vegan' dessert would totally miss the mark for me!

@Dalooah , butter chicken isn't vegan friendly.

I just did a meal for 30 with 2 vegans and 2 coeliacs and 3 pescatarians.

I did a pork roast with a roast veg hash with chestnuts, roast potatoes and various green veg

for the non meat eaters I separated off the hash before I threw it in with the pork and mounded it on top off portobella mushrooms with a glug of olive oil. It turned out really nicely and was vegan and gluten free 😁

i did variety trays of shop bought dessert brownies/lemon bars etc cut into quarters so that people could have a little bit of several . I had a plate of vegan varieties for those that chose them

For the main course I'd do two different wellingtons. You may not, but I always cheat and buy puff pastry. I prefer it when it's made with butter but you can also buy vegan puff pastry, so even if you make the buttery one you could buy yeh vegan one.

The meat eaters would have Beef Wellington and the vegan would have a vegetable based one. Obviously you can put what you like in it, but I'd probably go for half a butternut squash, sliced lengthwise, and then top (or fill the cavity) with the same sort of mushroomy stuff that you are using for the Beef Wellington. I often put pine nuts and leeks into the mixture too

The wellingtons would look similar from the outside so it wouldn't look as if the vegan was being short-changed.

Here’s a thought - ask her partner? See if he/she has any ideas.
Because being vegan or vegetarian isn’t the monstrous choice people seem to think it is.
But at any rate, if it were me going to a dinner party as the only vegetarian (as I am a vegetarian) with a lot of food allergies I’d be offering to bring my own food if the hosts would be put out
I’m allergic to a few types of nuts, kiwi, strawberries, uncooked baby and plum tomatoes , pineapple, uncooked chickpeas, I could go on.. and I hate butternut squash etc but it’s not my expectation that I’d put people out and I’d rather just have potatoes, peas, carrots or whatever veg with a vegan gravy if that wasn’t too much trouble than put someone out to the extent they disliked me for it

Really? I didn't realise! 🙄🙄

I didn't specify my sample menu was vegan friendly, just an idea of what I'd be cooking if I had guests over. All the options were what the OP asked for; adaptable for a vegan.

One vegan meal my friend made for us we had a mushroom and chestnut pate for starters, slow roasted aubergine with tamarind and vegan dark choc brownie. It was a menu she got from internet. I have to say it went down a treat and everyone loved it. I like to make caramelized parsnips and coconut soup for starters and for main course I like half a roast butternut squash with harrisa and coriander sauce. So accidentally vegan

But that's my point - I'm not vegan but I still understand enough about food, and am open minded enough, that I can easily make myself vegan meals that are enjoyable. I don't assume vegan food is miserable, I make an active choice to differ my diet at points to make it.

Seasonings are often the star or key I have found to vegan cooking - getting the flavour right. Then it is just making sure the textures work.

Apart from cheese vegan dairy substitutes are spot on milk/butter/cream/mayo all work well for me

baking then becomes about replacing eggs as the binding agent. I find applesauce works with a bit of bak8ng powder and there is an amazing mango cake that uses mango. But I do get that takes time to perfect. Vegan pastry is also easy

I’d do a mezze - lots of delicious salad, meats, cheese etc or for multiple dietary needs I’ve made a range of Indian food - meat curry, dhal and bhajis (vegan), rice, breads etc.

Thai curry

One with chicken /prawns
One with tofu/ chickpeas (no fish sauce)

Easy

Nope, not joking at all. It depends on whether you genuinely enjoy vegetables, or whether you eat them because you know you should but they will never be anything more than 'meh'

Vegetarian food is ok but take dairy and eggs out of the mix, and (unless you are with a very talented vegan chef) it can be a an exceptionally unsatisfactory experience

Or maybe, just maybe, not everyone is the same and just don't like what you like.

@Ketchupwee and that's totally fine but it works both ways; I don't like eating meat. Vegans don't like, for whatever reason, eating any animal products. If/when a vegan starts a thread on here on how they think eating animal products is disgusting or whatever they (rightfully) get torn apart. The same is sort of happening here in reverse.

@HufflepuffRavenclaw
well it sounds like you could maybe just get a ready type meal for her and serve with potatoes / rice / whatever the carb portion is for all and the vegetables / salad if there’s a bit of butter or something and you are absolutely convinced it’s a fad stage then I sure all will be well.

@HufflepuffRavenclaw I mean a vegan ready meal, sainsburys do a nice vegan Kiev in the frozen section, good luck

Nice steak cooked to preference and cauliflower steak for her?

Honestly, in future I would suggest going out for dinner instead