I am a very new vegan, and am still figuring out how to adjust my cooking/eating habits. I have a houseguest coming to stay and he is non-veg. There are a lot of restaurants he wants to try out, so I think most meals he plans on eating out, but does anyone have suggestions for snacks or foods they have kept on hand to satisfy non-veg houseguests?
Is there already a thread on here I can refer to?
Thanks for any suggestions you can give!
I think that anything you buy to snack on should satisfy your guest. There are so many snacks out there that are "vegan by accident" that your guest probably already eats.
I believe that since we as vegans are always carting around our own food that when we have people over to eat, and they don't like it, they should cart around their food. Now my view would be different if that person took my eating prefrences into account when I visited them.
I agree with imblissful. When I am a guest at someone's home, I really don't expect them to go out of their way to provide me veggie food - I will often offer to cook a night or two for everyone, and just eat the side dishes or whatever I can when they cook. I think whatever snacks you usually have around are going to be fine, especially since it sounds like he'll be eating out a lot. If you are going to cook for him, I'd suggest staying away from anything too "wierd" (lots of sea vegetables, any stuff like that that may be a little intimidating).
If you want a meal that will be hearty and feel meaty, my go-to is chili. I add two cans of tomatoes with the liquid, fried onions and mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, half a jalapeno, corn, and literally as many beans as I can get into the pot with as much variety. Then just add chili seasoning and adjust as you go to get the flavour you like. Just make it super thick and they wont even miss the meat! My meat loving boyfriend goes nuts for my chili and I think it is because it has so much stuff in it that it doesn't seem bland in flavour and, most importantly, texture.
I also usually have vegan cookies around and sweet chili heat doritos are vegan! I also think having bowls with nuts is a nice treat, cheeseless brushetta or garlic bread, and hearty pasta sauce on hand also doesnt hurt.
Good luck!
How about vegan grilled cheese?
thank you everyone! these have all been excellent suggestions. i'll let you know how it goes!
Ooh bean burritos or bean tostadas are filling, yummy and omni's all seem to enjoy.
I make these stuffed peppers and they are one of my (carnivore) boyfriend's favorite meals!
http://sweetsaltyspicy.net/2010/09/vegan-stuffed-peppers-for-dinner.html
Hi! Charile! Thanks so much for your suggestion! I love you blog! I will be following it for sure! :)
I would definitely recommend cooking some ethnic food. As soon as you take them out of their regular everyday diet they are distracted by the new flavours so barely even notice that they're not eating meat!
Also, so many other ethnicities are so much better at being vegetarian/vegan than the western diet :) because they've been doing it for centuries. Indian food is the best example - as many following Hindusim shun meat, their food is fantastic for providing full-flavoured veggie options. If you're nervous about cooking it grab some takeout from your local Indian place! Great Indian dishes include kofta (dumplings in a tomato sauce), and any paneer dish (that's an Indian cheese). Aloo gobi is a vegan dish, as it's spiced potatoes and cauliflower.
Mexican food is also fantastic because of its frequent use of beans, even if the rest of its cuisine is very un-veggie friendly!
Hope that helps!