How to Cook for a Vegan Guest

While I was eating my lunch today, I realized that many people do not know how to feed a vegan guest. The most common items served are either a salad or an opened can of vegetables. Sometimes these salads include anchovies, dairy type dressings, or even cheese. And to be honest, most vegans would prefer not to eat a canned vegetable. Instead, fresh foods are often the choice. Many non vegans are perplexed about what to serve. They wonder How to Cook for a Vegan Guest.

The first step in having a vegan guest for dinner is to ask them, which are the foods they avoid. Most vegans will be happy to enlighten on what they find unacceptable to consume. You may already know that meat is not on the menu. Contrary to popular belief, poultry and fish are not eaten by vegans either.

I have been a vegetarian for as long as I can remember. For some part of my life, I was completely vegan, as well. More often than not, I do eat as a vegan by happenstance. Today, I will help you through the process. Honestly, creating a vegan meal does not have to be a scary process. It is so much easier than you would realize. Once you have the basics to avoid, the rest falls into place.

Vegan Meals

Serving a vegan meal has more to do than what the meal contains. It also has to do with how the meal is prepared. There are three tips I want to give you in this section of the post. The first thing you should consider, if you do serve meat to other guests, is to make sure to keep it away from your vegan guests during the meal. Most vegans would prefer to be as far away from the animal product as possible. Many of us find the smell nauseating and are not comfortable condoning the use of animals for food.

The next thing you should be aware of is not cooking the vegan meal in the same oven simultaneously as a meal with meat. Vegans do not want to eat the food if it is cooked near the meat. Any smoke, or fumes, coming off the meat will fill the oven. Consequently, this will also become part of the vegan food. So, be sure to cook the meals separately. Such as cooking one in the oven and the other on the stovetop.

Mixing spoons are also a problem. Do not use the same spoon to mix a non-vegan meal and the vegan meal. Once a spoon that has touched anything a vegan will not eat and then it if it goes into the vegan food, that meal is now contaminated and will not be eaten by your vegan guest. Consequently, use different utensils to avoid cross-contamination.

Vegans Don’t Eat Dairy

Vegans do not consume dairy. This list includes milk, cheese, eggs, and yogourt. Make sure the recipe you are preparing is lacking dairy. There are some alternatives available to milk. These alternatives include Almond Milk, Soy Milk, Rice Milk, and others. If you plan on using one of these alternatives, for your vegan guest, ask them which of the alternative they prefer. Some vegans choose not to drink one or the other due to their ethical beliefs. It never hurts to ask.

Vegan cheese alternatives are also available to use instead of dairy cheese. Some of these cheeses melt much better than other brands. Once again, your vegan guest is a great resource for a preferred brand. The good news about the milk alternatives and vegan cheese, they are generally available at the local supermarket. Hence, making it easy to accommodate your guest.

Vegan Sugar

Believe it or not, most sugar is processed using bone char. Animal bones are blackened then used for decolorizing the sugar. Now, there are many brands available that do not use bone char. They are much harder to find at the supermarket. To use sugar, you would need a special trip to a health food store, Whole Foods, or Sprouts. Your vegan friend may have a brand they would recommend. However, it might be easier in the long run to use a recipe that is sugar-free to avoid the extra work required to locate the sugar.

Other Foods That are Not Vegan

There will be a lot more items that are not vegan than you may realize. Honey for one, is non vegan. Since honey is made from honey bees themselves, it is not fit for consumption by vegans. Another to avoid is gelatin since it is produced from the skin, bones, and tissue of animals. Unless a wine is vegan, do not expect your guest to drink it since wine is created with the help of isinglass. That’s just a fancy word for the use of fish bladders.

Vegan Recipes

I know, everything you just read above might make you apprehensive about cooking vegan. Honestly, it is not as bad as you may think. As long as your recipes are made from fresh vegetables and nothing processed, your meal will most likely be vegan.

Here are some vegan recipes ideas for your convenience.:

• Vegetable Stew – This recipe is made with Potatoes, Garlic, Tomatoes and more. Click the link for the recipe.
• Potatoes & Carrot One-Pot Meal – This vegan recipe contains Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, and more. Click the link for the recipe.
• Stewed Beets – Some of the ingredients are Raw Beets, Garlic, and Onions. Click the link for the recipe.

If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, here are a few other Vegan Recipes that require a bit more vegan understanding.

1. Vegan Taco – This recipe has fresh Corn, Black Beans, Vegan Cheese, and Beyond Meat Crumbles. Click the link for the recipe.
2. Roasted Vegetable Pasta Recipe – In this recipe, we use Red Bell Pepper, Cauliflower, Vegan Butter, Vegan Cheese. Click the link for the recipe.
3. Dill Pasta Salad – Dill, Onions, Pasta, and Vegenaise are required. Click the link for the recipe.

Know you know How to Cook for a Vegan Guest

Happy Eatin’