What to cook when one family member is vegan? Also, vegan bag lunches?

[Anonymous]

My teen son watched a movie on the PETA website and now wants to eat only vegan. I am a vegetarian and serve my family a lot of pasta and grain dishes with cheese and eggs, but I don't mind eating vegan. DH and my other DS, on the other hand, will be loathe to give up dairy and also like to eat meat and seafood. What to do? If you are in a "mixed" family, do you have go-to recipes that are vegan friendly but can be supplemented with meat or dairy for those who choose it? I don't want to prepare two meals every night. The vegan will take some interest in preparing meals over the summer but doesn't have time during the school year. Also, if you have a vegan teen, what does he/she take to school for lunch? Our school has a catered lunch that is not vegan friendly. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Tell him to cook for himself. See how long he stays vegan.

[Anonymous]

Why not give him a book?-The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Now before y'all flame me ( I think chewing your kid's food is a little weird but that's just me), it has a lot of very interesting food for thought about meat and processed foods and some great vegan recipes. Encourage your child to learn all he can about the choices he makes.

[Anonymous]

How about Soo Foo?

[Anonymous]

Soo Who?

[Anonymous]

Ha ha! I know. It's this weird stuff I found last weekend and I am hooked.

Look at the food/cooking DCUM forum and you will find my OP about Soo Foo!

[Anonymous]

I just read a great cookbook called The Flexitarian Table. It addresses just the kind of situation you're in. Check it out!

[Anonymous]

I would try to adapt your vegetarian meals when possible (for example, make some pasta without cheese), and when you can't adapt (say, an egg dish), make sure you have things on hand that he can easily make himself-- salad fixings, sandwich fixings (nut butters, vegetables, avocado, whatever he likes), or even cereal with almond milk. I would not try to make three meals every night because that's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

How about doing stir frys with choice of add in's -- say chicken or tofu? Everyone gets the same veggies and brown rice; you do a separate bowl of stirfriend firm tofu cubes in garlic/soy ginger sauce, and a bowl of chicken breast strips stirfriend. Voila! instant customizable meal. Try throwing in some nuts -- almonds or walnuts are healthy and delicious!

[Anonymous]

My go-tos are hummus and nut butters, and then a variety of fruits and vegetables. For lunch I usually bring (to work) two slices of whole grain bread and keep hummus in the fridge. He could also make a sandwich with hummus, vegetables (like sliced tomatos and sprouts) and avocado. Nuts and nut butters have healthy fats (help you feel full) and also protein. Also cereal with non-dairy milks and fresh fruit is an easy thing to keep on hand. As far as meal ideas go, try cheeseless pizza (make yourself or try Amy's from the store), pasta without cheese (red sauce, oilve oil, etc.) or grill food (portabello mushrooms for vegan son). I do think a vegan lifestyle is very healthy if you do it right. He will need to take B-vitamin supplements. If you believe he is capable of doing so, you should have him do some research about what nutrients he will need to get from plants and which plants he needs to eat (ie iron from leafy greens).

Oh, and beans and quinoa are big staples! And try Daiya from Whole Foods.

[Anonymous]

Bag Lunch:

EGG-LESS SALAD SANDWICHES:

- Chopped firm tofu (not too small)
- Nayonaise (veggie mayo)
- Dash of mustard
- Optional: diced onion; dill

[Anonymous]

When I've had to provide vegan/non-vegan meals I've done:

- As another PP, I've made stir-fry with the meat on the side. Some options for the vegan "meat" of the stir-fry. Roasted portobello mushrooms, pan fried eggplant or tofu. Then I've done a meat for the omnivores.

- I've made a homemade tomato sauce, that was thick with roasted red peppers and tomatoes. Then I saute some ground beef with onions, garlic, basil and oregano. split the tomato sauce in half and add the beef mixture to half. Serve with pasta of choice

- I've made chicken and/or veal and eggplant parmesan and then serve with a side of pasta with a vegetarian tomato sauce

[Anonymous]

I would suggest you encourage your son to do more reading and research before making that big of a decision. If it is going to impact your family as a whole he should have a full understanding of his choice rather than it being an impulsive decision made after watching shock TV. PETA is not reliable or truthful in many of their claims.

If he researches it and still decides he wants to be vegan and can give you the pros/cons then I think you work with him but don't do all the work for him. Cooking should become part of his responsibility. Taking a stand is good but it comes with responsibility and isn't always easy.

I also don't think that means you cut your DH and other DS off of meat/dairy/eggs etc. They may not share your sons convictions. There are many meals where you can make one meal (e.g. pasta) but add or remove ingredients (e.g.meat) to suit different diets.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- thanks for the suggestions! 00:36, I know PETA's reputation, but what else should he be reading/watching? I did a 5 minute Google search on "factory farming" looking for some article explaining that the PETA video is nonrepresentative but didn't find anything. DS insists animal cruelty is involved even in dairy products that are certified as organic, cage-free, etc. I personally don't want to believe that, because I don't really want to give up dairy, either!

[Anonymous]

Check out some local vegan or vegetarian groups in DC (if you live here) to see if there are any vegan cooking classes being offered. SEND YOUR SON!

A teenaged vegan boy should definitely be packing his own lunches and figuring out what he likes. I recommend buying some of those metal Bento Boxes for him to put dips and spreads in.

Here's a link to one class that was going on this May in Bethesda -- scroll down to the 6th page I think

http://www.vsdc.org/downloads/VSDCNews/2012/VSDCNews2012Spring.pdf