Vegan food for the anti-vegan?!
Vegan food for the anti-vegan?
I'm vegan and I'm dating someone who is basically completely opposite me when it comes to food. He refuses to eat vegetables unless its a potato! I don't mind that he doesn't share the same ethics as me, but I refuse to cook meat. Does anyone have any ideas for some hearty dishes that are vegan or even just vegetarian? I want to show him that vegetables can be his friend too!
Additional Details3 months ago
By the way, I'm not forcing it on him. He doesn't cook and we don't live in the same state so when he visits I just want to be able to feed him without having to compromise my beliefs!
Answers:
3 months ago
By the way, I'm not forcing it on him. He doesn't cook and we don't live in the same state so when he visits I just want to be able to feed him without having to compromise my beliefs!
Ugh! Most men ARE steak-and-potatoes kind of people. Good luck on that front. I'm not vegan, but still fighting for the right to make main dishes that include veggies! It's up to you, whether your love can see past his stomach :)
BTW, most men aren't convinced that a dish WITHOUT meat CAN be hearty. :( good luck!
if he like mushrooms, then a forest mushroom boulliabaise,
or perhaps a vegetarian paella, with potatoes and spanish rice, pimenton, saffron, sneak some roasted onions in, finish with a lovely olive oil,
vegetarian pot au feu, with root vegetables, and caramelized shallots,
think asian noodle dishes, that are spicy and warming,
vegetaran curries with potato and coconut, other assort vegetables over rice
so you want to force vegetable on him? that's nice. just remember that when he tries to force meat on you! i happen to be vegetarian (close to vegan) and i find it annoying that someone who is particular about their own diet wouldn't respect another person's right to the same thing.
does he cook? If he does, have him cook the meat and the you have a fresh salad waiting for his own meat in a plate. Make sure the salad is interesting with lots of flavor and different variety of greens. You want to get his attention with the salad. Then he adds his Steak, medium rare or medium and with what ever spices he likes on it. Then get him bluecheese dressing or ranch dressing and tell him to enjoy. If that's a sucess, then slowly start giving him like brocolli with cheese sauce, etc. You don't want to upset him by forcing your ways on him. He's not a veggie eater, so make if smell good and taste interesting to him. That should help.
personally, im a big fan of tofu...you can make your own stirfries with it and tons of good veggies and rice. its hearty and filling.
My kid is vegan and it is important to him to show me that there are good non-meat dishes.. so it is important to me to try them.. some dishes work for me.. Asian stir fry never fails (without tofu) as does almost any pasta and portobella dish. Perogies , mannacotti with black beans and red sauce, also red (or black)beans and rice with sweet potato fries are all meals that I enjoy. As of yet I don't enjoy tofu and really don't think that I will . Good luck
I'm a vegetarian but even I will say that vegan food tastes HORRIBLE. You need the dairy products to make anything taste good.
Start out with a vegetarian dish. Black bean tacos are great - make exactly like regular tacos only use a can of black beans instead of a pound of ground beef.
I am a veggie and i hate people when they force meat on me\
. make him mash potatoes or something
Well go with the potatoes, make some potato patties, or some potato soup, that's definatly hearty.
or make a vegetarian stir fry or risotto.
Here is a link to a vegan chinese food recipes for stir fry and whatnot:
http://www.ivu.org/recipes/chinese/...
For the potato things I got the recipe from this site:
http://www.vegcooking.com/
Here is the link to the soup:
http://www.vegcooking.com/recipeshow.asp...
(I added some peas and carrots to mine...yummm)
Here are potato puffs:
http://www.vegcooking.com/recipeshow.asp...
Also, Bean soups are really hearty too.
Beet this Burger (grand prize winner)
The burger has the unusual addition of 1 tbs of grated beets -- just enough to give it a pleasant color.
1 Tbs finely grated raw beet
1/2 cup cooked oats (quick or regular rolled oats)
1 cup uncooked oats (quick or regular rolled oats)
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely ground
1/4 cup almonds, coarsely ground
2 Tbs sesame seeds
1 Tbs Vegix seasoning or instant vegetable broth
1/4 cup green pepper, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp mustard powder
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
Mix all ingredients together well. Form into patties and gill until cooked through. Serve on whole wheat rolls with tomato slices and your favorite condiments.
http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/burg...
Judges Choice: Tofu Burger
yield: 6 burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb tofu
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. vegetable bouillon powder
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup (or more) sesame seeds
1 small scrubbed potato
1/4 tsp. (or more) garlic powder
onion powder to taste, or one small onion
Grind the tofu, potato and onion (if using) in a food processor. Don't let it get too fine. Mix in remaining ingredients, shape into burgers and bake at around 350 degrees on a very lightly oiled cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, turning once. They can also be fried.
http://www.johnrussell.name/recipes/burg...
I am a meat and potatoe kind of girl, having said this, I am also a very open eater and I'm willing to try and to try to cook just about anything. (big food fan)
Here's a dish that might get him!
A vegan portabella burger. or you can turn it into a pita fajita!
Grill the portabellas, even marinate them over night before hand!
Find some tasy buns or pita bread (grill or toast inside of buns)
and top with other tastiness like red onion and spinache leaves, put a pickle on the side and make some hearty beans as well!
when grilled, portabella taste can really resemble the taste of meat, steak that is. I got my bf to eat it and he was thouroghly impressed! he asked to have it again recently, stating that it had been too long =)
If he's a decent guy he'll let you serve him some home cooking and be very receptive and appreciating of the new dish. good on you for not being forceful! but he shouldn't reject your cooking.
My daughter and her new BF came for the weekend recently, and he thought I was going to be an "Old Hippie" because we're vegetarian.lol
I made really delicious Soyriso Egg(you could sub Tofu or Tempeh) burritos for breakfast, with a fried potatoes on the side and fresh fruit salad. For lunch we had Veggie fajitas and German chocolate cake for dessert.Dinner was veggie spaghetti, salad and whole wheat french bread.
He left unconvinced about giving up meat but he did say that he was favorably impressed with vegetarianism.
Try to mix up the menu with some things you like and some things he finds familiar.
Good luck
If I know I'm going to have vegan-skeptics over, I make recipes that resemble common/familiar meat ones. Veggie-laden pastas, stir-frys, stews. I've had sucess with chili. It's not my fave, but it's simple and no one notices I'm not serving them meat. I don't have a recipe, I tend to cook without them, but it's good with corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, all non-scary vegetables. Not the healthiest option , but if you make killer vegan cookies, people open up to your cooking quicker. :)
Just vegetarian: My sister fed her husband morningstar farms sausage pattes for months before telling him they were meatless, then he still didn't believe her.
All you need is seitan and barbeque sauce. (and oil). Pan fry the seitan until it's slightly crispy, then add barbeque sauce and fry it just a little longer. Everybody loves it. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Also try making veggie burgers with Light Life's Gimme Lean. Closest thing to meat you can find. Put some potato chips on the side.
But for health reasons, he really should eat veggies too!