Vegan entertaining

I don't know about a dinner party...but one of my favorite meals right now is spaghetti squash with veggie marinara. I'm not a vegan but I love this meal I serve it with roasted garlic french bread and a nice big salad. Dessert sorry can't help there I don't really eat desert. What about a sorbet or sherbet? Or maybe a grilled apple or pear dish. (they always look so good when I see them prepared) There's my two cents worth.

Feeding my vegan sister is always a challenge, but i find mexican food works well. I do a quesadilla with the following for the mix inside: i can red kidney beans, mashed with 1 cup salsa, oilves, cilantro, cumin and ancho chilli pepper. You could also add some jalapeños for a bit of a kick. Simple fold in half, and grill lightly then cut in 4 wedges. You can add vegan cheese inside or pass on that all together. Serve with a nice pico de gallo on the side and homemade guacamole. You can pass on the sour cream for her but add a dollop for you if you wish. A nice side salad can complete things. Cheers!

Just a quick mention, I doubt sorbet is vegan. Garlic bread probably has butter also.

Make sure you get vegan alternatives for any of those!

Sorbet is vegan if it uses raw unbleached sugar. Are you making it from scratch? I've got a (ridiculously simple) recipe for basil-lime sorbet. The only "non-vegan" element would be the kind of sugar you use.

I think Mexican would be an easy route. I love black bean & sweet potato enchiladas, bean toastadas with a fresh pico de gallo, or lentil tacos.

Lasagna substituting tofu for ricotta is good. I especially like a tofu-cashew ricotta for extra richness.

The butternut squash macaroni and "cheese" on this site is really good: www.ohsheglows.com (I've made it without nutritional yeast and it was still tasty)

Edit: The blog I mentioned above also has tons of vegan dessert recipes.

veggie potpie Stew
(230 calories per serving, calls from fat: 10, total fat 1.5g, total card 45g)
1 small onion, diced medium
1/2lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c yellow split peas
3 c veggie broth
1.5 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons thyme (fresh)
1 c water
1/4 c flour
3/4 c frozen peas

Preheat a 4 qt pot over med-high heat. Saute onions in oil until translucent, add mushrooms, garlic, sage and salt and pepper and sauté 3 minutes (until mushrooms have released moisture). Add split peas and broth. Cover. Bring to a boil and let it boil for about 5 mins, then add potatoes and carrots. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes until split peas are tender. Stir occasionally. In a measuring cup mix flour and water to dissolve. Add to the pan with the thyme, frozen peas. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes stirring often. Stew should be thick. Taste for salt and seasoning.

Can serve over sweet potato biscuits (recipe follows)-100 calories, 4.5g total fat, 15g carb
1 c mashed sweet potato
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2-3 tbsp cold water

Preheat oven to 400 and cover baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together sweet potato, oil. maple syrup, vinegar, and salt. Sift in flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Fold flour into sweet potato mixture. add to tbsp water and lightly knead until dough holds together (5-6 times). Don't over knead. Group dough in gold sized pieces onto baking sheet. bake for 12-15 minutes.


Also try

Curried Chickpeas & greens- SO GOOD. huge hit with my meat and potatoes husband and 3 year old
2 tsp EVOO
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1 (12oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 pounds kale, stems removed and chopped finely
1 (28oz) canned chickpeas

Coat pan in oil over med-heat, add mustard seeds. Cover the pot and let the seeds pop for about a minute. Add another tsp oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes, mix to deglaze the pot. After 3 minutes add curry, cumin, coriander, gram masala and salt. Add the kale in batches (it will cook down). Cover and let simmer for a minute until all kale is cooked down. Add chickpeas and cook about 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and serve. (can use with tofu instead of chickpeas).

I serve this with quinoa that is seasoned with garlic, onion and cumin.

Feeding my vegan sister is always a challenge, but i find mexican food works well. I do a quesadilla with the following for the mix inside: i can red kidney beans, mashed with 1 cup salsa, oilves, cilantro, cumin and ancho chilli pepper. You could also add some jalapeños for a bit of a kick. Simple fold in half, and grill lightly then cut in 4 wedges. You can add vegan cheese inside or pass on that all together. Serve with a nice pico de gallo on the side and homemade guacamole. You can pass on the sour cream for her but add a dollop for you if you wish. A nice side salad can complete things. Cheers!

I heard vegan cheese melts weird... Is that a myth?

Hmm falafel?

How about 5 bean mexican chilli?

Mexican chilli bean burgers

Roasted red pepper and tomato quinoa

Aubergine parmigiana - use vegan cheese as opposed to parmesan & mozzarella

Tomato, avocado, cucumber, spring onion and basil salad all finely diced, and then served in little gem lettuce cups

Mexican mushroom cups - flat mushrooms grilled, and topped with a mix of fresh tomato, mashed mixed beans and chilli, then placed back under the grill to warm

Baked sweet potato fries with salsa dip

Balsamic broccoli and cauliflower bake - part boil the broccoli and cauliflower and then place on baking sheet and sprinkle balsamic and vegetable oil to crisp up... delicious!

...just a few ideas :-)

Greek/Lebanese!

Fattoush salad. Hummus. Baba ganoush. Mujaddara (lentils and rice with caramelized onions). Falafel. Baklava (made with agave nectar instead of honey) for dessert.

Or Mexican - guacamole, veggie fajitas, black bean soup, Mexican hot chocolate cookies for dessert.

Spot on. My grandparents are from Lebanon and Lebanese cuisine has quite a few options for a vegan. Potato Kibbie is A+, although a bit labor intensive.