To ask vegans about their biggest dinner party bugbears

[revampneeded]

I am a brown butter and cream loving non vegan with wonderful vegan friends and I want to lay on a wonderful meal for them, but I'm a total rookie.

So: asking vegans what makes their hearts sink (and conversely, what they'd most like to eat) if a friend is cooking for them?

@Elephantcats
Even Vegetarians wont eat any thing cooked in Animal fats, a big no no.

Due to stomach problems I can't eat anything spicy at all but I'm always offered spicy food or salad.
Plain food is 👍.my clever sister made a vegan chocolate ca ke is was amazing.

As a vegetarian my bugbear is being given vegan cheese and mayo substitutes rather than the real things!

I agree that a mezze-style spread with 3 or more complimentary dishes rather than a designated "main" with "sides" is better for non-meateaters.

@HPmagic whereabouts are you? I know of several places in more than one city that do excellent Vegan sunday roasts, at least 3 of which are in entirely meat-free establishments.

@PattyPan

There are plenty of accidentally vegan dishes *@bumblingbovine49*. Pizza marinara for one! Or penne all’arrabbiata, spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino, spaghetti alla puttanesca (version without anchovies), pasta e fagioli etc. Just need to make sure you’ve got good quality ingredients particularly olive oil and tomatoes. (OP you mentioned looking for vegan pasta - I don’t think I’ve even seen dried pasta that wasn’t vegan) I wasn’t brought up vegan but never liked Parmesan - it smells like sick! I make a vegan risotto and you just have to make sure you cook it properly ie stirring constantly to bring out the starch and that way it is creamy without any dairy products.

@pattypan, while I agree re seafood pasta not needing parmesan , this isn't suitable for vegans anyway . The flavour of spaghetti alla putanesca definitely suffers if you leave out the anchovies for me though I appreciate others may disagree

The vast majority of pasta dishes benefit from parmesan for me, otherwise they are just dull. Chill and strong garlic helps to offset this so I agree re aglio , olio o and pepperoncino but I doubt that would be very popular with many people as an entertaining dish

As for risotto, I am an excellent risotto cook , it is one of my specialties and we will have to disagree on that one I think as I've never had one that tastes that good without parmesan and I've tried a few in my time .

@bumblingbovine49 including anchovies in puttanesca sauce is a regional thing, it’s not a question of leaving them out but using a recipe which doesn’t include them iyswim so the flavours are still balanced

I barely eat meat and was vege for many years, my close friend is vegan. What I always wanted and for some reason was impossible to get…a bloody good roast dinner!! Why is it so hard to find anywhere that does one when it’s 90% vegetables! The alternative would be a vegetable lasagne or macaroni cheese! Both I love but not when everyone else is eating a roast!!

You can make some beautiful roast potatoes, even cauliflower cheese (I’ve been told the applewood vegan cheese is best), there’s loads of meat free options for the ‘meat’ part, and loads of veg and a good gravy!

My friend does get tired of the only options when eating out being a curry or a burger.

Also make sure the alcohol is vegan, most state it on the bottles now and things like candles (make sure they’re not beeswax) if you’re burning any and handwash/soap has no animal products in.

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/yotam-ottolenghis-stuffed-aubergines-in-a-curry-and-coconut-dal

I made this the other week
I used halloumi, but if also suggests tofu. It was very good.

To replace meat in a roast dinner i sometimes just roast cauliflower slices, with olive oil and jerk seasoning or butternut squash chunks drizzled in sage oil with crushed walnuts scattered over.
Sweet potatoe chunks roasted in a hot chilli rub work well too.
Roasted asparagus bundles, tied up with spring onions and drizzled with olive oil, black pepper and salt.
I could live off trays of roasted peppers, courgettes, onions and tomatoes, with olive oil and italian herbs, served with pesto and a few olives. Mind you, im not vegan so I would also sprinkle feta all over it.

oh I also do tomato tarts for work buffets as we have a few vegans there. Just cut circles or squares out of vegan puff pastry, spread with vegan pesto and lay multicoloured mini tomatoes on top, drizzle with garlic oil and bake.

Re: parmesan , the Tesco vegan parmesan is nice.

Personally I am not picky and will eat just about anything as long as it's vegan but I second the appreciating people not constantly going on about what I eat. I'm there to enjoy my food not debate and defend my lifestyle

I served a vegan friend roasted veg with tahini and soy yoghurt dressing, followed by vegan Gu pots. She had seconds.

@Keepemguessing

I served a vegan friend roasted veg with tahini and soy yoghurt dressing, followed by vegan Gu pots. She had seconds.

Probably starving if all she had was roast vegetables.

This is beyond easy to make and tastes great. thehappypear.ie/recipes/easy-malaysian-laksa-curry/

There were a lot of vegetables username.

No more courgettes and aubergines please!😭Oh
The amount I've had to force down. People hear vegan/vegetarian and think ah...courgettes..ratatouille. Nooooo

I think all Vegans and Veggies are different. For example, I cannot stand 'fake meat' like Quorn etc. I also really like when hosts make an effort to not make you feel like a burden. For a bbq etc, I'm super happy to bring something along myself.

I'd recommend making a few suggestions to the guest/s in question to see if there is something they'd like. Don't ask '"what do you want?".

I vegan-ised this dessert www.nigella.com/recipes/salted-chocolate-tart# by replacing the butter in the base with coconut oil (oreos are vegan). The milk can easily be substituted for plant milk and the cream replaced with coconut cream - I put a couple of cans in the fridge which separates it and makes it extra rich. It was delicious.

This thread just shows that there is a very diverse range of tastes. Frankly if someone has made a real effort you should just say, “Delicious!” It’s only one meal. Meat eaters too have to suffer some unpleasant dinner party offerings or be served with something they are not that keen on.

These days there seem to be just as many vegans/vegetarians as meat eaters, so complaining about somebody eating “your” dish is a bit questionable.

I made roast for non vegans and made a layered veggie bake thing for the vegans because i paniced basically. Anyway they were all nice about it but all said theyd have liked the roast which when i thought about it was 90%vegan as pp said. They said they liked vegan sausages or something like that for the 'meat part' . But it was mid winter!

Do they like curries? I have vegan friends and always cook them vegan curries with all the yummy sides. Think aubergine and roast tomato, chickpea and spinach etc. Loads of good recipes out there. You can all eat them and they are good

But I must look into vegan pasta

Most pasta is vegan, what's to look int to?

I’m an on and off vegan and always vegetarian. Rest of my family are vegans. Biggest bugbear are when people act like it’s impossible to cater for a vegan and a big performance is made out of preparing a sweet potato. So I’d be happy to come to your house because you’re making a fabulous effort and not finding it an imposition.

I like anything mostly and really happy with meat substitutes.

soups with chicken stock urghhhhh
a plate of roast veg(done in animals fat).
..just ask your friends for ideas-id just buy some nice microwave meals&heat them up..you wont fall out over it ffs

@claralara42

But I must look into vegan pasta

Most pasta is vegan, what's to look int to?

A lot of people seem to think pasta has eggs in which to me doesn't make sense because you can keep pasta in your cupboard for years. Would you really keep something with eggs in your cupboard for that long? Yet the myth that vegans can't eat regular pasta persists 🤷‍♀️

Yet the myth that vegans can't eat regular pasta persists

Probably part of the narrative that vegan food is special weirdy food that only vegans would eat and no omnivore would ever want or know how to prepare.

Most cereal - vegan
Most bread - vegan
Many manufactured biscuits, sweets, crisps, soups, party nibbles, snacks etc - vegan
Fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds etc and just about all the dishes that are prepared from them - vegan

The list of food that is vegan is almost as long as that which isn't.