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[quote=Anonymous]OP I understand how you feel. I am vegetarian and love cheese, dairy and eggs. My daughter was born with a dairy intolerance and it really threw me for a loop because so many things have dairy as an ingredient. But once I started cooking I found alot of substitutes and recipes that we still use even though she outgrew her intolerance. There are so many more plant-based options than there were even 5 years ago.

First of all I recommend you involving your DD as much as possible. Figure out what she exactly means by vegan (aka is honey ok? if theres a minor amount of dairy as an ingredient? etc). Make sure she's reading the ingredients for things.

There are huge sections of vegan items in grocery stores now. The challenge is that there's so many options and it can get expensive as vegan products tend to be at a premium. Allow her to pick 2-3 new items a week. Eventually she'll figure out a cheese, a yogurt, a milk, etc that she really likes and they can be a part of your regular grocery list.

Fake meat products are great in a pinch but just like you wouldn't want your kids to eat chicken nuggets and hot dogs everyday you don't want her to have processed fake meats all the time. They can be high in sodium and have things like added sugars. Make a large batch of veggie burgers and freeze them. Same things with veggie meatballs that she can add to pasta for a quick meal. Maybe try a vegan meal delivery service. There are so many new customer deals being offered right now you could probably get 2-3 months of meals for an affordable price. You can keep them in the freezer for when you need an option and it can inspire new meals that you can make at home. This way you can also keep some of the meals you really enjoy in rotation while ensuring she is eating as well.

Falafel, Thai curries, stir-frys, noodles, grain bowls are easy to adapt vegan meals. Learn how to use tahini and nut butters in sauces and dressings. Tofu, tempeh, jack fruit make great meat substitutes.

Maybe you'll do this for 2 months and she'll give up or maybe not. Either way treat it like an adventure for the family and you'll end up with a few meals that you'll laugh about and few meals that you'll end up loving. She'll also remember that you supported her choices and hopefully feel more comfortable sharing other choices in the future.

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