Vegan bridesmaid??!!!

There are lots of options! Things that people can add their own toppings to are a good idea - salad, baked potatoes, pasta... If most people eat meat you can design the dinner however you would like and just make sure that at least two sides can work for vegans ( or be modified for them). A side that is somewhat substantial (like baked potatoes, or rice/beans) is also a good idea so that vegans can treat it as their entree and not leave feeling hungry. It's always nice to offer plenty of fruits and vegetables at any party and that will easily accommodate everyone (swap olive oil for butter in vegetables).

If you wind up buying from a restaurant Thai and Indian cuisine have lots of vegan options. Whether you cook or buy Mexican cuisine also easily accommodates vegans with modifications to some items.

Both mediteranean and indian have lots of great options that are vegan. One thing to remember is that things like pasta are made with egg, not vegan. I just googled mediteranean vegan recipe and there are tons of tasty dishes that come up. So if you are making it at home, that might be a quick fix. If you are ordering, I would personally stick with either indian or mediteranean because they usually have the most options

If it’s more casual, you could always do a bbq. I know there are some good vegan replacement options and you can do sides that work for both. I love the Dr Praegger patties. I have heard the Beyond Burger is good too! You could also come up with a menu and ask your cousin how you can accommodate her. 😊

Tacos! They are so so easy to vegan-ize. There's a great recipe from cookieandkate that uses roasted cauliflower and lentils in place of meat; but you can also just use vegan meat crumbles. Just check your frozen section. Pasta is another easy option. Honestly it's easier than you'd think to make vegan food, the simpler the better.

I have a peanut butter Pad Thai sauce recipe that is vegan and gluten free (and delicious):
In a bowl, combine:
-1 Tbsp rice vinegar
-1 Tbsp sesame oil
-2 garlic cloves, chopped finely or pressed
-1” of freshly grated ginger
-1/4 cup soy sauce (I use GF soy sauce)
-1/2 cup peanut butter
Blend together with a fork, or if you have a smoothie blender you can use that.
Add warm water slowly, mixing in between, until it has the consistency of ranch dressing (~1/4 cup).
Add Cayenne Pepper to taste. This is super spicy so use a small amount at first and add more as needed.

You can serve this over vegan pasta or spaghetti squash. I usually top mine with sautéed mushrooms, cooked bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts. Delicious and filling. Also meat eaters can top theirs with chicken/shrimp.

Hope this helps!

Friendly neighborhood vegan here! Almost everything can be made vegan, and most things can be made vegan pretty easily. Pasta with red sauce (the dried pasta you buy at the store is almost always vegan, just read the labels of the sauce because some have milk/cheese), grilled veggies, french fries, baked potatoes, pizza (pick up a bag of non-dairy cheese, most stores sell them), burgers (gardein makes good vegan patties, and they're at almost every store). A lot of snack foods are vegan by default as well (potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips and salsa, bread, popcorn, dark chocolate, skittles, etc.), and you can never go wrong with a fruit/veggie platter. If you want to get fancy sites like the minimalist baker have a lot of recipes that vegans and non vegans find tasty.

Pasta is a good idea. And you can either put an option of meat on the side, or set aside some pasta sauce for your vegan friend.

Hi Alyssa!! How did everything turn out with your dinner? Did you use any of the suggestions others posted, or did you find something on your own?