Gingero.us: So You Have to Feed a Vegetarian, Part 2: Home Cookin'

In Part 1, we discussed what to do when you have to find a suitable vegetarian-friendly restaurant. So what do you do if you actually have to feed a vegetarian, like, right there in your own house?

So a vegetarian is coming over for dinner and all you have in the kitchen are some lunchables and the makings of a BLT. Crap. What do we do?

Don?t hyperventilate. It?ll be ok. I promise.

First, ask some questions.

As in Part 1, the first thing we need to know is what kind of vegetarian this person is. Are they a standard Ovo-lacto vegetarian, a vegan or just a Pescatarian/Flexitarian?

The next question is: What sort of dinner are we shooting for? Is this a classy, four-course sit-down thing, a holiday meal or a one-pot dinner and movie night? The degree of fancypantsness is going to factor into your food choices. Jot down a quick list of the types of dishes you need to locate so you have some guidance when you actually start looking for recipes.

A good formula to follow is: one protein + one grain + one green.

It?s worth noting that if this is a big, multi-dish meal like a holiday dinner or a pot-luck, you might not have to change a thing. At those events, I find that there are usually already enough meat-free sides for a veritable vegetarian feast. I am always appreciative when someone thinks to have some veggie burgers on hand at the barbeque, or when a friend?s family bought a Tofurky for me to have alongside the turkey at Thanksgiving. But it's rarely necessary.

Next, look at some recipes.

So let?s talk resources. There are thousands upon thousands of websites dedicated to vegetarian recipes or with large vegetarian sections. Some of the ones I frequent are Allrecipes, Vegetarian Times, VegWeb, Happy Cow, Food Network, VegKitchen, Budget Bytes, The Kitchn, and Oh She Glows (vegan). I could literally spend all day coughing up links to sites with loads of meat-free recipes.

Prepackaged meals are also an option. If you?re not a prolific cook, or if your recipe of choice calls for it, your local grocery store probably has oodles of boxes and frozen mixes for things like stir fry, chili, stews, soups and more that are vegetarian by default or can be made vegetarian. You can substitute vegetarian ?beef? crumbles in a chili recipe that calls for meat, tofu or vegetarian ?chicken? strips in a stir fry, etc.

Finally, let?s check our ingredients.

If your recipe calls for something prepackaged, or you?re buying a prepackaged meal, have a look at the ingredients list and make sure that there aren?t any non-vegetarian things lurking in there.

Protip: Don?t try to pull one over on us and assume that your vegetarian won?t know that there?s an animal product in their food. A) We might. We have lots of practice. B) That?s a dick move and just generally not nice.

If something you?re making contains ingredients that you don?t recognize (Sodium Caseinate, anyone?) a quick google search should tell you if they?re animal-derived. Happycow.net also has a great list of Animal Ingredients.

Make substitutions where necessary. Olive oil or olive oil spread can usually be substituted for butter, Agave can often be substituted for honey and almond, soy or coconut milk can usually be substituted for cow?s milk, etc. Here's a list of some common vegetarian substitutions.

The most important tip: If you're not sure, just ask your vegetarian. You know how people in other cultures are appreciative when you attempt to use their language, no matter how much you suck? Same deal. Most vegetarians will be just tickled that you?re learning to cook vegetarian food. How considerate! And if, for whatever reason, you can?t ask your vegetarian for guidance, feel free to ask me instead. I?d be glad to point you in the right direction.

Meat eaters, have you ever had to cook for a strict vegetarian? Vegetarians, how did they do? Tell me!

Source: http://www.gingero.us/2012/08/so-you-have-to-feed-vegetarian-part-2.html

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