Need Vegan Advice (entertaining)

[zoey55]

Hey Guys - was wondering if you could give me your thoughts on holiday party and having relatives stay at our house for 6 days. My husband and I are vegan but our guests both at our holiday party and relatives staying for 6 days are NOT. I have no issue serving/cooking meat, but, also am concerned I'm going to whip myself into a frenzy making 2 complete meals every day.

Of course one solution for PART of the time is going out to eat a couple times at a place we know that will have food for everyone.

An idea I had for our dinner party is doing kabobs and 'customizing' based on people's desire to have beef, chicken or just veg/vegan. Another idea for when the relatives visit is to make 2 casseroles of enchiladas - one chicken, the other bean-no-cheese.

Any other suggestions/ideas you might have to help me get this planned out? I'm NERVOUS about it, it is our 1st year as Vegans and haven't had to worry about house-fulls of people that don't eat the same way!

TIA!

[zwieback]

You could have sandwich fixings -deli meats, cheeses, etc.- and let everyone fix their own sandwiches. Maybe cook some chicken and or hamburger meat ahead of time. You could do tacos, quesadillas or something along those lines where it wouldn't be too difficult to cater to everyone. If you have the freezer space, maybe just make up as much as you can ahead of time so you can just pull it out and bake??

Honestly, if I were staying with someone (especially for a week) who had a certain dietary restriction, I would not expect him/her to cook anything different than they normally would. But, that is just me and I know how it is to entertain and want to make sure everyone is comfortable.

[Robyn1007]

Well, as a guest, I would not expect you to cook meat for me if you are vegan/vegetarian. However, I understand you wanting to please your guests. What I would do is perhaps prepare some meat dishes for the party but continue to cook as you normally would for normal meals. And, yes, having some meat/cheese for sandwiches for a couple of lunches and perhaps some eggs for breakfast would be nice but certainly not required in my eyes.

[BucknellAlum]

I would not be too concerned - if I were staying with you, I would not expect meat, after all, I can eat vegan. It's the other way around that requires the host to accommodate.

The one thing I would consider in lieu of a meal with meat, is maybe have some butter or cheese or eggs or cream (for coffee) in. Those little things outside the meal that the non-vegans might not realize you don't normally serve.

[heavy hedonist]

I don't bother making meat dishes for guests; instead I show them how delicious and satisfying vegetarian home-cooking is... a wonderful soup or chili and homemade bread make most people happy.

but as said above, even if you want to cook meat for them, make it something that can be an addition, like crumbled bacon for a soup, or shredded chicken to add to tacos/salads/stew. Not two whole different versions. you'll drive yourself crazy and not enjoy your guests, so what would be the point?

most people will be happy just to get home-cooked meals they don't have to make!

[1grl1by]

I'll ditto what everyone else is saying, I would not expect meaty meals if I was staying at a vegan's house.

[cherylopal]

i'm vegan and prepare only vegan food but my mil bought milk for my fil oats- i can live with that. i make vegan meals that i think they will like- on wed before thanksgiving i made pasta with marinara- and yes we go out. that way everyone can get what they like-

[erin elizabeth]

Good friends of mine are vegetarian and when I go to their house for dinner, they cook meat for me. Last time we had chicken cacciatore with real chicken for me and soy chicken for them. I find this very strange--I want to eat what they eat and don't want them to cook something they normally wouldn't. I see it as my chance to see what someone else cooks/eats and that's fun!

Of course, a 6-day stay is different, but I agree with other posters. Could you have a conversation with them before they come? I am a coffee with milk gal and a 6-day stay without it would be sad :rolleyes: Not impossible, but I would probably want to hit a coffee place a few times!

[PurplePotato]

Add me to the list of not expecting you to incorporate meat and other animal products into your offerings. I would expect to be given whatever you normally cook. And I'd be very appreciative of you cooking for me for 6 days!

[amarante]

I am basically with the other posters.

I wouldn't expect a vegan household to cook meat for me. On the other hand, if I were staying for a week at someone's home, I would probably appreciate having non-vegan staples like eggs, milk or cheese that might make it easier for me to make my own quick meals or snacks - I am thinking breakfast and lunch particularly since often those tend to be less formal sit down.

I woud then figure out which meals would be eaten out and which at home.

FWIW - I think it depends on who you are cooking for in terms of what you make. Someone who is not adventurous at all is probably not going to have an issue with food that is traditionally vegan - although dairy/cheese might be an issue since a lot of veggie dishes aren't vegan. They might have issues with foods that are *strange* to them. A more cosmopolitan set of taste buds is going to welcome the opportunity to eat outside their usual food - so it depends on the crowd as to what you make for them.

[haley17]

I agree with the above posts but I would take into account my guests. For instance, I have family members who would not be happy (at all) with a week of vegan food as they are very "meat and potatoes" and consider tofu to be a weird and outlandish food. On the other hand I have other friends and family who would be fine with it. Depending on the guests, I would at least have thinks like milk, eggs and butter around for their use. I also think things that are customizable like kabobs, pizza, and sandwiches are a good option.

I'm veg so I have dealt with similar issues before, so when I have others over for meals, I don't whip out a rib roast, but I may do something like veggie lasagna or enchiladas rather than less recognizable options. Again, depending on my guests.

[cherylopal]

just chiming in again- i'm vegan because i have serious issues with milk, meat etc and just can't go there so much any more- dh is not vegan and if wants to cook his own fish etc then he can- i understand that i wasn't vegan 10 years ago and can relate- but i will not cook meat or promote meat or milk- my mil wanted to buy the milk for her coffee and my fil breakfast oats and that was ok because again- i get that- but to expect me to cook or provide meat just because my guest are staying for so long well, just wanted to say that i'm vegan because of a thoughtful decision and that doesnt change because of guests but i do want my guests to feel welcome- there are lots of vegan meals that are well vegan already- ie pasta with marinara sauce- if the guests are so needy of meat then i think you need to go out for more of your dinners

[ljt2r]

When my kids were smaller I would have wanted to be able to have milk at the house for them, but otherwise agree with other posters. Teach them to eat beans! :p

[tovie]

I'm kind of with what most others have said, let them eat vegan. But on the other hand, if you really want to...

I am not vegan but I can't have dairy and most of my holiday dinners and entertaining involve feeding vegans and meat eaters. So Thanksgiving, for example, I did the entire meal and I made everything vegan (had to be dairy free anyway for me, so I just took it one step further to save me time and effort) except the turkey and gravy (and then we had a vegan entree and gravy).

I do the same thing with other meals. Everything vegan except the main dish. Sloppy Joe, have a hamburger version and a vegeburger version. Chili, make chili recipe minus meat, split in half and add cooked hamburger to half and vegeburger to other half. Tacos, seasoned hamburg and vegeburger, real cheese and sour cream, veg cheese and sour cream. Meatloaf, a hamburg version and a veggie version. Grilling, we have one grill for meat and one for vegetables and veggie dogs and burgers (or split the grill in half). Etc., etc... So basically accommodating both but limiting how many dishes you have to have two versions of.

Good luck :)

[Heather C]

It may be too late for this but there are two cookbooks geared for vegan/carnivore meals. I haven't cooked from these cookbooks but I've cooked from other books by the same authors and liked them.

One is Myra Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist Holidays: A Year of Multi-Cultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Hedonist-Holidays-Multi-Cultural-Vegetarian-Friendly/dp/0743287258/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323180659&sr=1-4

The other is Peter Berkley's, Flexible Vegetarian.
http://www.amazon.com/Flexitarian-Table-Inspired-Vegetarians-inBetween/dp/0618658653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323180424&sr=8-1

[zoey55]

Thanks everyone for your insightful comments! Those cookbooks sound particularly interesting ::cool:, of course I'm a sucker for cookbooks :D and excuses to buy them!

I had guests in June who were 100% open-minded and "not afraid" or "suspicious" of whatever I gave them and it was a wonderful vegan-fest and then when we went out they had their eggs, shrimp, meat, etc. The ones coming at Xmas are a bit more 'traditional' meat & potatoes crowd who are suspicious of EVERYTHING. You're right, there are many things that HAPPEN TO BE VEGAN (spaghetti w/ marinara, many side dishes, etc.) that then end up freaking Carnivores out "because they are vegan" :eek:. I ran into that at a family gathering for T-giving! I think I'll end up trying to bridge the gap -- having a few convenience items for them (lunchmeat/cheese) but also doing at least one totally vegan dinner and maybe one "combo" dinner where the base is vegan but the accessories might be meat!

Thanks for all your ideas, my BIL thinks we are Looney Tunes but, hey, HIS brother is the one that started this whole thing for us:rolleyes:, I know I'll get the blame! (i.e. she made him a whacko, otherwise he'd be chowin down on some tasty ribs!!!!)

[cherylopal]

One is Myra Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist Holidays: A Year of Multi-Cultural, Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Hedonist-Holidays-Multi-Cultural-Vegetarian-Friendly/dp/0743287258/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323180659&sr=1-4



She also wrote the Healthy Hedonist- just made her red lentil chick pea burgers with peanut sauce- yum but maybe not so much for your company- my inlaws sound very similar to your guests

and she wrote the Voluptuous Vegan- more complicated recipes but company good- again for your cookbook collections

and i love love The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein- and i've made several of her recipes for meat loving guests with great reviews- esp the pesto linguine dish- can't think of the exact name- i don't say its vegan and everyone loves it!

[bigfoot]

Hey Guys - was wondering if you could give me your thoughts on holiday party and having relatives stay at our house for 6 days. My husband and I are vegan but our guests both at our holiday party and relatives staying for 6 days are NOT. I have no issue serving/cooking meat, but, also am concerned I'm going to whip myself into a frenzy making 2 complete meals every day.

Of course one solution for PART of the time is going out to eat a couple times at a place we know that will have food for everyone.

An idea I had for our dinner party is doing kabobs and 'customizing' based on people's desire to have beef, chicken or just veg/vegan. Another idea for when the relatives visit is to make 2 casseroles of enchiladas - one chicken, the other bean-no-cheese.

Any other suggestions/ideas you might have to help me get this planned out? I'm NERVOUS about it, it is our 1st year as Vegans and haven't had to worry about house-fulls of people that don't eat the same way!

TIA!

You should email the relatives first and let them know.

For example, I'm a meat eater and I have to get my protein. Vegan wouldn't work for me because meat is the best way to get a lot of protein. I'm also a hard gainer. Gaining weight for me is a struggle and even a week not eating what I usually do will throw a wrench in my workout gains.

However if the host lets me know in advance I would be able to make alternate plans to get my own food.