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

[Fueoe]

Hosting a vegan dinner party for 6 people. One of them is allergic to all nuts.

I’m not a great cook and stressed. What should I make that seems impressive? Just a main and dessert

And tonnes of parmesan...

Bosh recipes are vegan. It a possible to make a vegan carbonara in the same way it is possible to make a vegan burger!

Or you can sub a vegan cheese.. 🙄

Miguel Barclay has a very good vegan cookbook.

You can also sub cashews in any white sauce with white beans/tofu.

Vegan Mediterranean Carbonara | BOSH! | BOSH!

The recipes are vegan.

Yes, obviously.

You can buy vegan substitutes. Or make one from scratch. Let's not make this a "gotcha".

That just isn't true at scale. It's a lovely myth that the massive global meat conglomerates want us all to believe.

In fact, almost ALL dairy is industrially produced - it's nothing like the Farmer Ted image that you've had from childhood. In fact with dairy farming it's no longer accurate to talk about 'the farmer' at all - they are 'manufacturers'.

Zero-grazing 'systems' are now much more prevalent, so these creatures, who are emotionally complex like us, and form close bonds with one another, are unable to move, and cannot bond with one another. Can you imagine having to stand in a tiny cell for 22 hours a day for your whole life, and the other two hours being beaten towards the machines in chaos and fear, and then milked? Would you do this to your dog, whom cows resemble in terms of their emotional complexity, capacity for love, and intelligence?

And even if they could walk, they are likely to be physically incapable - vast numbers of them are 'lame', which sounds all romantic-olden-days but actually means crippled and in constant pain from dangerous floors and foot rot. Most of them have constantly recurring mastitis for their whole lives - anyone who has had that will know the pain and how ill it makes you. They are abused by farm workers who have come to see them not as creatures who feel pain but just.. meat I guess. Lots of undercover filming at British dairy farms online if you can bear to look.

And that's before you get to the psychological trauma of having their calves ripped away from them within hours of birth. This happens every year. They are very intelligent and maternal - they know exactly what has happened to them. Those calves never have a mother. The male ones are killed at birth - and in fact, that might be preferable to being a female calf, when you will face the pain and torture of your mother's life as a reproductive unit, without ever having experienced that mother's love.

It's horrific. We should all be ashamed of the world we have created. Please don't allow yourself to pretend this isn't happening, every hour of every day, within an hours' drive of most of us.

Some of these recipes sound fussy for a nervous cook.

I think curry is fine. Yes, vegans do get a lot of them but there’s a huge variety. The big advantage for the host/ess is being able to cook ahead. Tagines are a good and easy alternative. Something with a tray of roasted vegetables on the side is also good. Stay away from having several different elements in the go, keep it simple but plentiful and everyone will be delighted.

I don't know if OP is vegan or not, but very brave either way to cook for 6 vegans. I am not vegan myself and there is no way I would make anything as restricted as vegan food. Not because there's anything wrong with it but because I'd be terrified I'd unwittingly include something non vegan!

I'm the same with coeliac family members (2), they bring their own, because even though I would try cook gluten free I would be scared of cross contamination in a group meal setting. And so would they!

It's quite easy to make vegan food if you follow a vegan cook book. Otherwise the Op can go to a supermarket and buy ready made vegan food and heat it up

I've been vegan for ten years and I have no problem cooking for myself

Why would you include something non vegan if you were cooking from a vegan cook book? There's nothing difficult about cooking vegan food either from scratch or from the supermarket

Some dips are vegan anyway - salsas, guacamole, etc.
Does the allergy extend to sesame? If not look at some of the Middle East dips.
Many Indian dishes, though be very careful of nut contamination with ingredients.

So much of this is untrue. It is true that many dairy cows are inside year round and their calves are taken away days after birth. However they don’t live in tiny spaces. They are not confined to tiny spaces. They have open stalls and can move around freely. In some systems they can choose when they are milked since they are not dependent on humans to do it.

I’d do a vegetable Thai curry with coconut rice. I make this one and sub butternut squash for the chicken. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/513151/recipe/malaysian-chicken-curry

and this chocolate cake is pretty easy.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/dark-and-sumptuous-chocolate-cake

I make a version of this aubergine curry if they're not allergic to coconut (not really a nut is it? My friend has a nut allergy and is completely fine with coconut milk but happy to be corrected).

Otherwise you could do a lovely vegetable curry, homemade pakoras, salad.

Dessert I've made this chocolate cake for a family gathering before - only one vegan there (not me) and nobody realised it wasn't vegan! I think chocolate cake really works as a vegan recipe.

That is the very top end of the welfare spectrum, for 'premium' products. The vast majority of cows which produce milk for supermarket products live hideous lives full of pain and trauma.

Have a look at something like the Humane Society site for the 'standard' levels of welfare, even on Red Tractor farms.

I can assure you it’s standard.

You are talking nonsense and you are derailing the thread

I loooove rissotto veggie thou not vegan

It is not. Go and have a look at some Viva campaigns if you think that

Curry is really easy to do vegan, also lentil bolognaise I do a lot.

For a dessert maybe raspberry brownies, brownies are very easy to make vegan. Apple crumble also easy vegan option.

You are derailing the thread.

Chicken curry made with butternut squash instead of chicken is not going to be a balanced meal.

Use a VEGAN recipe.

Cookbooks on vegetables, and supposedly vegan-friendly dishes often aren't vegan. Many people don't know that things like oyster sauce, lard and anchovies are of animal origin.

Coconut isn't a true nut but I'd not risk it.

No. I'm not derailing the thread thanks very much. The person who has been arguing for pages that dairy cows are not maltreated is - go call them out.

@SpryTaupeTurtle , It has nothing to do with this thread.
Why should I call the poster out? I know plenty of dairy farmers and their cows aren't maltreated.