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?

Oh for goodness sake, just tell her she's not welcome until she agrees to eat your meat/fish meals. You clearly can't stand the woman.

I can barely cook (yes, judge away) but even I know how to cater for vegans. It's really not hard, especially if you're good at cooking.

It sounds like you're more interested in showing off with a big extravagant meal than enjoying food with friends.

Do you have a nutribullet?

I do lots of vegan cooking and can make the best sauce with cashew nuts in this, but only a blender of that calibre will do.

You could do putanesca pasta red wine, olives, capers, tomato sauce.

A coconut milk curry with lentils and chickpeas.

A veggie tart. A risotto using a vegan cream from Oatly or just a reduced sauce of stock.

Big salad with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, olives, and just grate the cheese from Aldi in, it's nice. I eat both. I brought my little one up vegan and she still chooses to be so loves this cheese and I eat that and dairy now.

Jamie Oliver vegan cottage pie.

Vegan lasagne just use the Aldi vegan cheese, it melts.

These are all staple meals I make regularly. I was "vegan" for 6 years. Child is 6 still veggie with very little dairy in products. So I cook vegan all the time and still eat vegan most of the time by default. In fact I only eat meat at restaurants but eat dairy at home.

@LuckySantangelo35 why should 75% of the party who are not vegan and have no interest in being vegan have to eat an entirely vegan meal to accommodate the 25% of the party who has decided to be vegan (this month)?

@HufflepuffRavenclaw

adapt it then! Easy enough especially if you’re a good a cook as you say

why are you being so rigid??

@Eudaimonia5 I agree, it's up to people what they do and don't eat and making food without animal products is a piece of cake. I make a lovely cheesecake with cashews. It's not hard and not expensive.

Giving up alcohol for a year is amazing.

I would look at Indian food - a lot is vegan so you can make a selection of curries with a show stopper main for the non vegans - tandoori whole fish or a whole lamb leg slow cooked in an amazing curry sauce maybe with rice nanns poppadums etc

Starters - homemade / bought onion Bajis

That way you're all eating the same ish but with the treat element of the whole fish

Pudding - how about basing it on ice creams - affrogato with homemade biscuits- almond ones made with flora vegan butter or I've made a variation with sour amarena cherries, ice cream and a shot of espresso- then you can have vegan ice cream and vegan squirty cream - she can take any used home with her but vegan ice cream is ok

Why not?

We don't have a nutribullet. I do have a blender but that's not the same thing I don't think. I'm not looking for vegan recipes for everyone.

Fair enough - but it's very easy to make a fully vegan pad thai that is delicious and loved by vegans and non vegans alike... It's my go to and people always enjoy it. So, there are options + vegan versions of a lot of recipes that you cook as standard with minimal substitutions or effort.

Bit controlling, @hekissedmybottom ? "I have decided to eat in this way, so all of the rest of you must eat in the same way too"?

@HufflepuffRavenclaw

cos it’s one meal!

even if you if you think the veganism won’t last just accommodate - she is your friend so you like her presumably?

Okay then don't worry about cashew cream sauce but you could easily use Oatly cream and you can get great flavour from the jars of sundried tomatoes, and a bit of Marmite and throw that sauce over pasta, that will impress her. I eat this all the time and it's so delicious.

Not unless she said that, otherwise you could just be saying 'my friend's decided to not use animal products and in the age of climate obsession what a lovely opportunity to have a meat and dairy-free meal and a bit of a challenge'

Or just go to Aldi and literally get her a freezer meal. It's so easy being vegan now it's unreal.

Go Aldi and get vegan fish steaks and do her fish chips and peas with a wedge of lemon.

Or get the beef burgers, they are so lush! So juicy, and put them in a vegan brioche with slices of avocado.

Honestly so many ideas and really easy. And I'm an ex "vegan" telling you what will be delicious for her.

There's loads of vegan desserts that don't include dairy. I make a vegan banoffee cheesecake with crushed digestives (accidentally vegan), some plant butter (flora plant butter is good), biscoff spread (also accidentally vegan), with bananas and elmlea double plant cream whipped on top. It's lush and you'd never know it was vegan. Or betty crocker cake mix with a can of coke or sprite instead of all the other ingredients works too - just be careful what you decorate it with. Starter could be a vegan baked camembert studded with garlic and rosemary with crusty bread and a little side salad (that's my Xmas starter) with dairy versions for non-vegans. Depends what you were planning to do for the main but lentils work very well in place of minced beef (tinned are fine so no need to soak)

Because it’s considerate and that’s what you do for friends. It’s hardly a difficult ask. One meal you cook vegan. You’ve had plenty of suggestions, if you don’t want to do it, tell her she can’t come

How is this something that still causes people difficulty?

Just decide on a theme (Indian, Mezze, Mexican or Tapas). Include something with pulses, something with potatoes, a vegan friendly sauce or dip, appropriate bread and salad and then do a separate plate of chicken something for then non vegans, make sure there is plenty of everything, but plan on using up any leftovers in the next day or two.

Everyone can pick what they like, everything apart from the chicken is suitable for everyone, and no-one will go hungry or feel left out.

Can’t believe the pile on OP is getting here!

Friend sounds like a PITA.

I'm an absolute carnivore but I occasionally end up making food that is vegetarian or vegan quite by chance. The best of the latter was when I had a surplus of butternut and sweet potato and no chicken and the meal was actually so much more delicious it has become the preferred version now. It absolutely works !

Thai green curry. It ends up orangey red butvtge flavour and texture and aroma is just amazingly good. Especially with a bunch of frozen kaffir lime leaves in it

Duck legs with puy lentils and onions www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/rachel-allens-duck-legs-with-puy-lentils-and-onions for vegan option groceries.asda.com/product/vegan-chicken-alternatives/grano-vita-mock-duck-vegan-seitan-in-gravy/1000220154354

Most commercial pastry is vegan or has a vegan equivalent. Lots of lovely veg pie/ tart recipes

Seriously though who's being difficult here? www.google.com/search?q=easy+vegan+meals&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB882GB882&oq=easy+vegan+meals&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i433i512l3j0i512l6.1567j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Maybe don't host at all if you feel this way. It's really not worth the eye rolling.
Unless you decide to embrace the lovely ideas you've had.
Personally if I was one of the 75% id think oooo a vegan dinner, how interesting.

Personal recommendations are always better than Google. That's obvious, surely?

Because eating vegan isn't a punishment? Most food is vegan. Most people like vegan food. They just don't realise that they accidentally eat vegan food all the time.