Feed a Vegan for Three Days or More

The following series of steps will help you to feed even the pickiest vegan coming your way. Be prepared to visit your nearest natural food store, eat some of this food yourself, and fall in love with the vegan diet.

Steps

 * 1) [[Image:Spaghetti_933.jpg|right|200px]]Prepare the first meal. You'll need to ask the vegan a bunch of questions outlined in the next step, but your guest might get hungry before you get a chance to do so. In that case, a great first meal option is spaghetti. You can get vegan noodles (easy, just check the package to make sure there aren’t egg whites or dairy in them). Check your tomato sauce to make sure that there isn’t Parmesan or other cheese in it. Mushrooms are a great vegan sauce addition; like your meaty meatballs, they can be cooked separately and added to the food at the end. One fun processed food product is vegan Parmesan cheese in a shake can. It is a fun addition to the table as a condiment for vegans. Make your own garlic bread with fresh garlic- instead of butter, use olive oil or vegan margarine (check for whey on the label; there are a lot of vegan-friendly margarine brand names) to mix and spread the garlic and salt. Get a simple sourdough or French bread; check the label for dairy or eggs. Steamed vegetables make a healthy side dish (use olive oil, don't use butter). This is a simple meal, and over dinner you can subtly find out most answers to the questions below.
 * 2) Find out how strict your vegan is. The way to a vegan’s heart is through his or her stomach. There are a few questions that you want to ask a vegan before deciding what food to make them. There are several levels of veganism; vegans may or may not eat honey, yeast, casein or cane sugar.  Just because someone eats any of these products does not mean that he or she is not a 'true' vegan, so be considerate.  Onto the questions!
 * 3) *Do they eat cane sugar? If they do eat cane sugar, you are home free, almost everything you make for them the rest of your omnivorous family will be happy to eat. If they respond that they only use a little agave nectar or stevia, don’t have a sweet tooth, or don’t like sweets, you can still feed them tasty vegan food.
 * 4) *Do they eat casein (milk protein)? Many people eat tofu cheeses with casein in them (sometimes as much as 20% casein). The casein tastes decent (to vegetarians), and melts when heated, separating it from much of the vegan cheese on the market. If they do eat casein,  ask them what brand of “cheese” they eat or if they even like to use cheese imitations in their food. Buy that brand, it will make them very happy. If they are strict vegans, they only have a few options. Your vegan may not want any fake cheese, this is a way to understand if they like processed foods at all. Some don’t. Many people find any soy cheese vile tasting and unsatisfying, while others find it delicious. This might not be a good food to feed your family as an example of “vegan food,” they won't like it (use vegan ice cream instead).
 * 5) *[[Image:1759 1538.jpg|thumb|Vegan "chicken" tikka masala]]Do they like fake meats? Some vegans have strong opinions on this subject. Others were raised on meat and potatoes, and those habits die hard. Tofu, Tempeh, and Seitan are great meat alternatives, but they require knowledge of how to cook them (which isn't too difficult). A good general rule for meat alternatives is to cut them small, marinate in a good sauce, cook thoroughly, and serve hot. Some fake meats are already flavored and can be a great time saver that can make a meal seem heartier.
 * 6) *What kind of milk substitute do they drink? Soy, almond, rice, hemp or none of the above? You can get specific enough to ask about brand if you want. Soymilk is easy to find, you can buy it anywhere now, and most major brands taste amazing. Many contain ample amounts of sugar, keep this in mind and apply the answer to the question about sugar.
 * 7) *Do they have any allergies or strong dislikes to other foods? If you are going through all of the trouble to make them vegan food, make sure that they are going to like it, and be able to eat it. Some vegans don’t like fruits and vegetables, so feed them what they will like, and then they won’t have that starved/pinched expression that will force them to jump ship for the nearest natural food store to eat packaged food in the aisle before they pay for it.
 * 8) Proceed with purchasing and cooking food for your vegan, after answering all of the questions above and below.
 * 9) *Do they eat honey? If you're tired of asking questions, just don’t use it. Maple syrup and agave nectar are fine alternatives when you need a liquid sweet, just remember to check labels: granola, bread, and cereals are three places you often find honey. The vegan won’t care that honey isn’t around, but some will really care if it is in their food.
 * 10) *Do they eat whey? Just don’t buy products with whey in them. Whey is usually one of the last ingredients on many labels. Accidently serving whey (from milk) and gelatin (usually made from pig skin) can unfortunately be ways you feed your vegan friend things they didn't intend to eat.
 * 11) *If a label goes on for a mile, many of the “natural flavors” as well as other ingredients you won’t recognize, can contain animal products and by-products. Stick to simple, less processed foods, your vegan will be happier, and you won’t go blind reading the fine print on those labels. Some packaged foods even have a V on them for vegan.
 * 12) *Do they eat non-organic foods? When cooking for a vegan, organic vegetables, fruits, and oil can be really important ways for them to feel at home in your home.
 * 13) *Do they eat white flour? Your vegan might prefer alternative flours like spelt flour, whole wheat flour or no flour. Again, this goes back to the processed foods issue. Some vegans refer to white flour and sugar as “white death,” needless to say, you might think twice about feeding them these substances.
 * 14) Discover a few different breakfast options. Breakfast can be very easy. Toast with peanut or almond butter or soy cream cheese, berries and tea is an excellent breakfast. Oatmeal with soymilk, raisins, berries and ground flax is also a great breakfast. Muffins can be easily made vegan. Granola or cereal with the milk substitute is a great option. Pancakes and French toast are two easy meals to make vegan..
 * 15) *How to Make Vegan Pancakes
 * 16) *How to Make a Vegan Smoothie
 * 17) Have a few lunch and dinner options on hand.
 * 18) *[[Image:100% vegan raw tacos 6037.jpg|thumb|Vegan raw tacos]]Once you have an answer to the cheese question (casein, vegan, or no processed foods) a great lunch meal is tacos or enchiladas. The excellent thing about this meal is that you can have multiple kinds of shells (corn, spelt, or wheat) and multiple cheeses (dairy, casein, vegan, or none). Refried beans (watch for lard on the ingredient list) are a wonderful high protein food. Mushrooms, olives, tofu, tempeh, and walnuts are other excellent foods to add to this meal.
 * 19) *[[Image:Taro burger 1329.jpg|thumb|Taro burger]]Summer grilling is a great way to feed your vegan. Clean a portion of your grill to be veggies only. Corn grills beautifully if soaked in a water-filled bucket for an hour first. Steamed artichokes are great for grilling. Portobello mushrooms become a burger themselves when grilled. Kabobs with a mix of veggies and meat alternatives marinated in teriyaki or soy sauce mixes are great. Vegan sausages and hotdogs are great, as are vegan veggie burgers (some veggie burgers have egg and dairy products in them). Make sure your burger/dog buns are vegan; check the labels for egg, whey, and milk products.
 * 20) *Soup and sandwiches can be a great lunch. Tomato soup with rice, miso (note that most miso is made with bonito or other fish flakes) soup with green onions and tofu, minestrone with veggies and noodles (make sure the noodles aren’t egg noodles). Veggie sandwiches lightly grilled with olive oil, avocado added after. Crackers to break up in the soup, or French bread with olive oil are a great way to fill out a soup meal. Sprouted grain breads (freezer section of natural foods area) for those with the healthy vegan gene can be used to make quite delicious sandwiches.
 * 21) *Curry is an excellent meal that can easily be made vegan but still really rich. Coconut milk, garbanzo beans, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, and tofu or tempeh work great for this dish. Most recipes are already vegan or can easily be altered to be vegan. Check chili paste ingredients for fish products. Curry powder is vegan. Use white or brown basmati rice to go with this meal.
 * 22) *[[Image:Isa Pizza 9518.jpg|thumb|Vegan pizza]]Pizza is an excellent choice for most vegans. Buy or make pizza dough as usual. Great toppings for vegans include: basil, pine nuts, olives, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, spinach, onions, and peppers. Pesto made with basil, garlic and pine nuts without Parmesan is a great sauce, as is marinara. Even without cheese this meal tastes great, but if you have their fake cheese of choice, this meal becomes even better. Vegan cheese needs to be next to the sauce in order to melt effectively.
 * 23) *How to Make Basic Vegan Nut Roast
 * 24) *How to Make Hazelnut & Split Pea Vegan Roast
 * 25) *How to Make Vegan Vietnamese Summer Rolls
 * 26) [[Image:Vegan Princess Cake 7936.jpg|thumb|Vegan princess cake]]Make dessert. Vegan desserts are an area that has seen vast improvement in the last 10 years. The quality and quantity of available products alone is huge. For dessert, you can easily purchase a vegan version of whatever you would usually eat. If you are having ice cream, get a pint of vegan ice cream. Rice Dream and So Delicious are a few brands. There are also rich coconut based ice creams that are decadent. Vegan cookies are also widely available, both locally made, and commercial varieties. It is a great idea to have a pint or two of in season organic berries or fruit to offer in case they don’t eat processed foods or sweets. Those berries can easily be incorporated into breakfast if they do eat the ice cream and cookies. There are also some great cookie recipes online, just check the sources and citations below. Dark chocolate is often vegan (check labels for milk products and butter). Vegan chocolate chips are available in the bulk and baking sections of most natural foods stores. Vegan cupcakes are also very easy to make and extremely gratifying; the whole family will enjoy them.
 * 27) *How to Make Vegan Cupcakes
 * 28) *How to Make Princess Cake (Vegan)
 * 29) *How to Make Cookies and Cream Vegan Ice Cream
 * 30) *How to Make Vegan Cheesecake with Tofutti
 * 31) Remember that few vegans are alike in their food tastes. Do not expect that the next vegan you run into will have the same food tastes as your current vegan. A person may be vegan for nutritional reasons, for ethical/religious reasons, and/or for environmental reasons. Some have no reason other than that's how they've been all their life. In addition, they may be “freegans” (people who will only buy vegan, but if something is about to be thrown away, or is offered for free, they will eat it, even meat). They may be “raw foodists” this means they will only eat foods that are cooked below 110 degrees F, or are raw. Vegans may be really strict or not true vegans at all, they just use the label to simplify down to food choices that they prefer to eat as mentioned above. All self-described vegans are trying to do something that is very difficult, and it can seem like they are thwarted at every turn and treated like a second-class citizen at many restaurants. Imagine not being able to order 85% of the menu, or being told something is vegetarian or vegan only to discover it isn’t. It would be like if you were on a diet, and someone offered you a piece of cheesecake and promised you it was diet cheesecake with only 50 calories, and then after you ate it, they said it wasn’t diet and it had 500 calories, and they laughed. So if your vegan is a bit gun-shy about trusting others with food, it is usually with good reason.

Tips

 * Avoid mixing their food with meat residue. Some foods are processed on the same machinery as dairy foods, meaning they may contain trace amounts of dairy foods in them. If your vegan is willing to eat off of your pots and pans they will probably have trace amounts of dairy/meat products in their food anyway, so take this one whatever way you want, unless they said “no” to the first three questions above, in which case you will need to avoid most packaged foods anyway, and you may want to purchase a pot strictly for their food to be cooked in. If you never clean your cast iron pan, assume that your vegan will be able to taste some of the meat that you have cooked on there over the years. Try to use predominately one pan for your vegan during the duration of their stay, and make a point of keeping it somewhat separate from the meaty pans. If you hand wash dishes, clean their pan first before you clean the meaty dishes; the vegan will be so overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness he/she will not hesitate to return to your home again.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Accommodate Vegan and Vegetarian Guests
 * How to Veganize Recipes
 * How to Be a Polite Vegan/Vegetarian in Social Situations
 * How to Become a Vegan

Sources and Citations

 * The Post Punk Kitchen - http://theppk.com/recipes/ - The people that created Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
 * Vegweb - http://vegweb.com/ - A large on-line community of vegans sharing recipes.
 * Everyday Dish - http://www.everydaydish.tv/vegan_cooking_show.html - A cooking show including the recipes to help you make astonishingly good vegan food. Also Bryanna Grogan does cooking shows on Everyday Dish and she authored Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen listed above.