Having a vegan in the house can be tough when it’s time to cook dinner. Chef, Sandi Richard shares with us seven ways to manage preparing dinner for everyone all at the same time.
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Be underwhelmed!
Take a good look at the recipe, is it really that hard to replace a component to make it vegan? If it is, glance through the recipes that can easily be adjusted. Try replacing meats with portabella mushrooms or tofu and tempeh, and honey with maple syrup.
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Lift and separate
Often dishes have several components and then we throw it all together. Simply separate out the components that are made for the omnivores. For example, when making buffalo chicken mac and cheese, everything is the same until I add the chicken and cheese. A small individual baking dish gets soy cheese. This is very uplifting for a vegan in the house feeling like the family is trying to support their decision.
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The teacher must be the cook at least once per week
Vegan eating takes a lot of time and preparation when you are making things such as a budha bowl or many other dishes that require many steps. Let the vegan perfect his or her version with meat alternatives that the omnivores can add in. The main reason for this exercise is that the vegan must understand personally the extra work that’s been handed down to the chief cook and bottle washer. The cool result is many people end up liking the vegan version which really opens up new horizons for a family’s eating experiences!
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Alternate pizza and taco nights once per week
By having a base with separate toppings everyone just makes their own the way they want it! And come on…it’s pizza or tacos we know the family is happy!
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Side swipe and let them in the kitchen
When we serve roast chicken we don’t just have roast chicken, we have it with sides. Start adapting your sides to make it easy for the vegan to pop into the kitchen and add things to make it more whole. Try serving quinoa and asparagus or broccoli with your roasted chicken. It makes it very easy for the vegan to easily create an amazing buddha bowl, allowing the vegan to add hummus, nuts, dried fruits and peppers.
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Find a vegan recipe everyone loves
We have an African Thai Stew recipe that everyone I’ve ever served it to loves! Check out Cityline’s vegan recipes here.
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Find a take out restaurant that has delicious vegan selections
Our favorite is Chinese cuisine.