What to do when the meat-eating family comes to town
What is a vegan to do when the meat-eating family comes to town? Every time I get together with my family, my mom gives me the hardest time about not eating meat. Despite the fact that I have been vegetarian for over 5 years, I think she believes I’m going to die or something if I don’t ingest animal products. Obviously I’m still kicking. I’ve only been vegan for about 8 months now so I guess it remains to be seen as to whether or not I’ll kick the bucket without cheese but I’m feeling pretty positive 🙂
That still leaves us with the discussion about what to feed the family. Of course I don’t want to cook meat. In fact I just won’t do it. But I do enjoy cooking and would love to impress my family with some vegan delights that even they can’t resist. My step dad is an open-minded guy. He’s always interested in what I’m eating and even has taken a liking to Silk soy milk! I think he’ll be ok with a night of vegan cooking.
I’m going to try appealing to my guests with butternut squash and chickpea stew with couscous. It is SOOOOO yummy, fairly easy to make and full of protein. I’m not sure if my mom will see it that way. If she feels like she’s going to die without eating meat for one meal, then I’ll have to ask my hubby to cook up some chicken. That would mean ending the day in vegan defeat but hopefully with some positive conversation about the benefits of chickpeas an couscous!
After what will hopefully remain a vegan dinner, I’ll wow them with some cookies and cream vegan cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! Now surely they won’t be able to resist those.
Boy can I relate to that. I’m lucky in that my parents will eat the veg stuff when they visit, but my mom worries about the nutrition too. PS: I love squash!
Annie … I posted the recipe for you since you like squash! You’ll love this stew. It’s yummy and filling.