Help with vegan dish ideas

[cheezy]

I’ve some vegan friends coming for dinner and I ALWAYS do them chickpea curry so wanted something a bit different, but so stuck on ideas there’s a nice looking mushroom and kale lasagne but that will involve vegan cheese which am highly suspicious of. Would prefer to avoid any vegan substitutes like quorn. Any ideas most gratefully received

Hmm yes vegan cheese is not great IMO and if you'll eating it too and are used to regular/dairy cheese you might not enjoy!

How about doing a stuffed butternut squash or stuffed aubergine, with lots of roasted veggies and some pine nuts, maybe a breadcrumb topping for crunch? Lots of recipes if you want to google, some include cheese but you can leave out and it still works fine. Do with some roast potatos and maybe some extra veg on the side?

Or maybe if you can find vegan puff pastry, a tart of some kind, perhaps with the mushroom and kale filling from the lasagne? Or if you fancy pasta, stir some vegan cream (oat cream or similar) through the cooked mushrooms, kale and pasta? You can have some vegan cheese on the table if anyone wants to scatter over the top but I wouldn't advise it for non vegans

I like this

www.ambitiouskitchen.com/healthy-sesame-orange-ginger-chickpea-stir-fry/

However, I use more sauce and I also put more chili in and add green veges.

Jaggary or Palm sugar can be used instead of honey.

Lazy cat kitchen has a delicious vegan bolognese recipe. I just use regular mushrooms not the dried ones, and I got a packet of ‘good grains delicious lentils’ from Aldi and added those instead of the lentils in the recipe.

www.lazycatkitchen.com/lentil-and-mushroom-bolognese/

A salad made of fresh spinach, cooked puy lentils, smoked tofu, baby tomatoes, avocado, and sesame seeds, and an apple vinegar and olive oil dressing. Think it's from the Demuths cookbook.

I make a warm roasted butternut & cherry Tomato salad, with blanched fine green beans and baby spinach. The dressing is also warm and made from olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, finely grated garlic and honey. (If doing for vegans, I replace honey with a tiny bit of sugar). If it’s being served as a main, I toss some fusilli pasta through it. It’s yum! Sorry I can’t post a recipe, I saw it in a magazine years ago and haven’t seen something similar since. It’s more of a method anyway. You roast butternut cubes with olive oil, salt & pepper. Throw in halved cherry tomatoes 10-15 minutes before the end. While that’s all in the oven, Blanche green beans so they are cooked but still crunchy and set to one side. (If I’m adding pasta, I chuck the beans in with the pasta 4-5 minutes before the pasta is done). To make the dressing add all the ingredients to a tea cup and nuke in 30 second shots until warm. The garlic mellows as it’s not raw. Dump everything in a big bowl & toss to coat with dressing & keep warm until needed. Add the baby spinach just before you serve/plate up as it wilts a bit in the heat. Honestly, it’s delicious.

Beetroot and red onion tarte tatin www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beetroot-red-onion-tarte-tatin
Chickpea tagine
Chickpea stew www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/sicilian-cauliflower-chickpea-stew-with-fluffy-couscous/

Minimalist Baker has tonnes of plant based vegan meal ideas. I also like Bosh, Green Kitchen Stories (veggie), My New Roots (veggie) and Anna Jones.

The latter's tomato cassoulet is a doddle to make and so full of flavour. I serve with hasselback potatoes and lemon and garlic spinach, always goes down well.

Google kale and blackbean enchiladas, loads come up and it’s great
There’s a kale pesto and asparagus tart on holy cow vegan which is good.

I'd probably do a mezze spread with roast vegetables, herby cous cous with chickpeas, falafel, hummus, flatbreads etc.