Just kidding.

I recently received an e-mail from a reader asking me the simplest way to graciously host a vegan in her omni household and I wanted to share my response with you guys (should any of you ever be in the same sitch). I’ve also added a few other relevant notes that I will list first:

1. Ask What “Vegan” Means to Your Guest. It’s a misconception that all vegans have the same taboos and food “no-no”s.  Check with your pal just as you would anyone else coming to visit.
2. Ask your guest about his/her favorite meals. No point standing their wringing your hands and chanting “I will not, I repeat, will not eat tofu for breakfast, lunch and dinner!” I think you’ll be surprised to hear some of your pal’s favorite dishes (and don’t worry, we don’t all eat a ton of tofu — though I certainly could, I love the stuff!). It’s always fun to learn what others love to eat and try something new, so do your pal a solid and try recreating one of his or her fave meals!
3. Think of all the things you already eat that are vegan. I don’t know why many people tend to think that eating “vegan” is foreign to them — we’ve all eaten veggies, fruit, rice, bread, pasta, peanut butter, etc., right? Chances are you have tons of vegan things in your pantry already! It will depend on your pal, but you’ll usually want to check the back of pastas to make sure they don’t have eggs; and check bread labels for both eggs and honey (typically, those are two vegan “no-no”s).
4. Think of your day-to-day staples, and plan on having a few alternatives. Drink milk every morning? Use butter or cream cheese on your bagel? Keep a stash of almond, soy, or rice milk; or whole grain “drink.” These are great because you can keep them in your pantry (they don’t need to be refrigerated until opened). For butter, I recommend Earth Balance; for cream cheese, I recommend Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (non-hydrogenated, plain version).
5. Think Beyond the Side Salad. I don’t get why salads have to be so blah. Rinse and drain a can of black or kidney beans, add corn, jicama, cucumber, onion, etc. You can break up some baked tortilla chips for a southwest feel, add bbq tempeh or tempeh bacon. You can add cranberries and cooked quinoa with a spritz or two of lemon. You can use my deconstructed taco salad idea and turn it into a legit salad.
6. Lost in confusion? Think of your favorite meals! It’s seriously a cinch to make anyone’s favorite meals vegan! Even if your fave meal is steak and potatoes — in which case, alright, serve some grilled tempeh, eggplant or mushroom (all three have “meaty” texture) with mashed potatoes (use soy milk or veggie broth instead of milk or cream; use vegan butter). Fave dish enchiladas? Use tofu or sweet potatoes as a filling. Omit cheese or use Daiya-brand shredded “cheese.”
7. When Stumped, Imitation is Flattery. If you’re not feeling the “recreate your fave meal” tip and really want something outside of the norm to wow your vegan pal (you must be crushin’! just sayin’!), then take inspiration from vegan restaurant menus! You don’t have to buy a fancy cookbook or spend hours scouring food blogs (though it is fun, lemmetellya!); all you have to do is search google for vegan restaurants, or even take a look at the menus of my two fave local vegan restaurants: Native Foods and The Veggie Grill, for ideas!

Here was my original response to my reader:

“Ok, here’s a list of options!

1. Grab some whole-wheat spaghetti and tomato sauce. Cook as you normally would. Saute some Tofurkey brand Italian Sausage (sold at Trader Joe’s) to go on top. The sausage is vegan and AMAZING, trust me!
2. Saute diced white onion in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent, add vegetarian refried pinto beans and cook until warm. Put beans in whole-wheat tortillas, topped with guacamole, salsa, more diced onion, cilantro, and soy sour cream if you like.
3. Make either of these two pasta dishes — both are delicious! Here or here.
4. I also love to cut up a pound of sweet potatoes, mix in a bowl with one tbsp. olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt & pepper. Put in a baking dish (sprayed with Pam) and bake at 450 until soft with crisp edges. You can serve these as a side dish.
5. You can make sandwiches with jarred roasted bell pepper, avocado and spinach. Use a pesto spread instead of mayo, or use vegenaise. You could also use tempeh “bacon” slices. I love just plain veggie sandwiches with loads of cucumber, sprouts, spinach, red onion, mustard and avocado.
6. One of my fave dishes my mom makes is cooking brown rice as directed then putting it in a large saute pan and adding tomato sauce (you don’t want to over saturate, you want it to absorb, so it will depend on how many servings of rice you’ve made). Then add a can of garbanzo beans and season with salt and pepper. You can serve with my breaded sesame tofu.

Since I’m sure you don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen, my best bets are always to go with a pasta dish, sandwiches, or even buy the vegetarian chili from Trader Joe’s (canned; it doesn’t say vegan on it, but it is) and serve with tortilla chips or in a burrito.

You can serve a nice green salad with all of these meals, if you like. For breakfast, you can keep it simple by providing fresh fruit and whole wheat bagels. The bagel’s can be topped with Earth Balance vegan butter or vegan cream cheese (I love the Tofutti brand). I also have a recipe for vegan French toast here, if you’re interested. Oh, and toast with pb is always vegan!

Hope that helps! Oh! and I forgot to add that whole-wheat pita bread and hummus dip is always a wonderful addition to any meal.”

When you have friends visiting, how do  you accommodate their eating habits/lifestyle?

Tune in tomorrow for my whimsical brownie bites:

<3,

The Cranky One

Restaurant Guides

Organic

• Eat Well Guide

Vegan

• Happy Cow
• Veg Guide

Vegetarian

• Happy Cow
• Veg Guide
• Veg Dining

Los Angeles/Orange County Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants (These are the ones I know of — but there are *tons*)

• Native Foods (Vegan) – Los Angeles & Orange County
• Real Food Daily (Vegan) – Los Angeles
• Swingers (Has vegan, vegetarian and/or organic options) – Los Angeles
• Veggie Grill (Vegan) – Los Angeles & Orange County
• 118 Degrees (Raw Vegan Organic) – Orange County
• Urth Cafe (Organic with some vegetarian and a couple vegan options)
• Baby Cakes (Vegan Desserts) — Opened yesterday in downtown Los Angeles!!!

Online Vegan Stores

• Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe
• Vegan Essentials

My Fave Vegetarian Recipe Blogs/Websites

• 101 Cookbooks
• Vegetarian Times online (Has option to search only vegan recipes, too)

My Fave Vegan Recipe Blogs/Websites

• Vegan Yum Yum
• Happy Herbivore
• Fat Free Vegan
• Post Punk Kitchen
• Dreena’s Vegan Recipes
• Vegan Lunch Box
• Vegan Feast Kitchen
• What Do Vegans Eat?

Additional Resources

• Check out the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart (backed by doctors and Alicia Silverstone) — A vegan challenge began the first of this year and the site provides recipe plans each day for 21 days.
• List of vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, CA here

Tips for Eating Out at Non-Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants

• Do your research beforehand!  Most large restaurant chains put information online as to what’s in their dishes and even break it down for you in list fashion which dishes are vegetarian and/or vegan.  For instance, check out California Pizza Kitchen’s vegetarian/vegan list here. Check out Subway here
• Google search your fave place to eat and its vegan/vegetarian options. A lot of your co-veggie-peeps have done the research for you and have put their research on the web for your convenience! (Always double-check and use your good judgment though…;)

Any of you have additional resources to add?

<3,

The Cranky One