Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 My niece, age 17, has just moved in to live with us (she was kicked out of home..long story, but not her fault!) I had not seen her for 8 years. She is now a vegan, and I don't know what to do - I want to make her feel welcome, but I know nothing of the vegan diet. I need all the help I can get...and can I cook ahead and freeze vegan dishes to make things easier, bearing in mind I already cook for hubby and me who are meat eaters (sorry!), 2 teenagers who are fussy eaters, and now a vegan!!! Thanks, Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 >My niece, age 17, has just moved in to live with us (she was kicked >out of home..long story, but not her fault!) I had not seen her for >8 years. >She is now a vegan, and I don't know what to do - I want to make her >feel welcome, but I know nothing of the vegan diet. >I need all the help I can get...and can I cook ahead and freeze >vegan dishes to make things easier, bearing in mind I already cook >for hubby and me who are meat eaters (sorry!), 2 teenagers who are >fussy eaters, and now a vegan!!! Hi Sue - I think the two things you're going to need right away are a good vegan cookbook and access to a decent health food store. There are lots of vegan substitutes for traditional foods which you can buy at a health food store (and sometimes even in supermarkets too). Veggie burers, sausages, pies, etc. NB: some of these will be vegetarian but not vegan, as they may contain egg white, milk byproducts, or other animal ingredients, so you'll need to take your reading glasses with you when you go shopping. ;-) If you can tell us roughly where you live then there might be some local shops that people can point you at. At a minimum most towns in the UK have a Holland and Barrett, which will have some vegan stuff, but a good health food store will have a lot more options. Supermarkets have improved a lot in recent years and most have soya milk, vegan margarines, etc. Some supermarkets have a folder which contains information as to which of their products are vegan - you may have to ask the manager to see this. Good luck to both you and your niece. Paul -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2003 Report Share Posted November 19, 2003 , " Sue Turner-Smith " <sue@t...> wrote: Hi Sue! Well, sounds like you've got your hands full!!=) Hope I can think of something that will help you. I think your idea of cooking ahead is an excellent one. It saves time and energy that you'll probably be needing in quality time with her! Why not invest in a good vegan cookbook? That way you'll get all sorts of ideas. Take her with you to choose it and ask her what she likes to eat. It seems obvious, but many people don't do this. I've experienced so many hostesses panicking about what to feed me when, if they'd only ask me, I could give them loads of suggestions.=) I'm sure your niece would be only too happy to have sizeable input there. Most vegans are pretty realistic and know that most non- vegans are thrown by our way of eating. Hope that helps! hugs, Elisabeth=) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hi Paul and Elisabeth, Thanks for getting back to me... I bought a book about vegan cooking for one today, and am reading my way through it...I live on the Surrey/Hampshire borders, not far from Guildford. My niece arrived last night. Her parents are 'parents from hell' and she certainly needs lots of TLC and careful treatment! I gave her a jacket potato with baked beans and a side salad tonight, but need to read the cookery book and get more ideas...in particular I really need to freeze or cook ahead to fit in .. I work 2 days a week, and have to also feed the rest of the family! Sue , Paul Russell <prussell@s...> wrote: > >My niece, age 17, has just moved in to live with us (she was kicked > >out of home..long story, but not her fault!) I had not seen her for > >8 years. > >She is now a vegan, and I don't know what to do - I want to make her > >feel welcome, but I know nothing of the vegan diet. > >I need all the help I can get...and can I cook ahead and freeze > >vegan dishes to make things easier, bearing in mind I already cook > >for hubby and me who are meat eaters (sorry!), 2 teenagers who are > >fussy eaters, and now a vegan!!! > > Hi Sue - > > I think the two things you're going to need right away are a good > vegan cookbook and access to a decent health food store. > > There are lots of vegan substitutes for traditional foods which you > can buy at a health food store (and sometimes even in supermarkets > too). Veggie burers, sausages, pies, etc. NB: some of these will be > vegetarian but not vegan, as they may contain egg white, milk > byproducts, or other animal ingredients, so you'll need to take your > reading glasses with you when you go shopping. ;-) > > If you can tell us roughly where you live then there might be some > local shops that people can point you at. At a minimum most towns in > the UK have a Holland and Barrett, which will have some vegan stuff, > but a good health food store will have a lot more options. > > Supermarkets have improved a lot in recent years and most have soya > milk, vegan margarines, etc. Some supermarkets have a folder which > contains information as to which of their products are vegan - you > may have to ask the manager to see this. > > Good luck to both you and your niece. > > Paul > > -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hi again Sue - Probably the best idea would be to find ways of making as much of the meal common to both your vegan niece and the rest of the family as possible. For traditional " meat and two veg " type meals this is pretty easy - just get a vegan pie or other high protein type convenience food from the health food store. Everyone can have the same potatoes and vegetables etc. Another idea might be pasta with a marinara sauce - if you make the sauce vegan then you can split it and add something like veggie mince to some of the sauce for the vegan and whatever the rest of the family likes to the remainder. An optional side salad and maybe garlic bread (made with olive oil rather than butter of course) would make this a more substantial meal. Vegetable stews and curries might also be good starting points. It will probably seem like hard work at first, but like everything it gets easier with practice. Good luck, Paul -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 20, 2003 Report Share Posted November 20, 2003 I think Holland & Barrett does the vegan fish fingers ... which are good for all the family ... (would they notice?) ... and if she is a vegan is it very likely that she will have a fair idea already of what she can and can't eat ... so taking her out shopping with you is a good idea ... different sauces can be made with sunflower seeds... almonds ... coconut .. rather than milk ... and butter... and they taste just as creamy... soups are often generally easy to make ... lentils boiled with Swiss Veg Bouillon ... and onions ... and tofu added at the end ... to make it creamy (and fat free... ) ... i would suggest ordering Leah Leneman's Vegan Cooking or another of her books ... it has a lot of variety ... and quite tasty dishes... i'd be happy with a jacket potato and beans tho ... with a dash of houmous on the side ... and some rocket... beans on toast ... peanut butter... mushrooms .. and chips... Sue Turner-Smith [sue] <snip> I gave her a jacket potato with baked beans and a side salad tonight, but need to read the cookery book and get more ideas...in particular I really need to freeze or cook ahead to fit in .. I work 2 days a week, and have to also feed the rest of the family!Sue ** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2003 Report Share Posted November 25, 2003 I don`t know if you are in the UK, or what your views are on using large supermarkets, but the Asda web site has a complete list of all products that they stock which is printable.I have been advised that it is regularly updated. But be warned it is 18 pages!. http://193.201.200.191/?r_link_ext=d_health All The Best, The Valley Vegan.... > Peter H -------------------- talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at http://www.talk21.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2003 Report Share Posted November 25, 2003 I don`t know if you are in the UK, or what your views are on using large supermarkets, but the Asda web site has a complete list of all vegan products that they stock which is printable.I have been advised that it is regularly updated. But be warned it is 18 pages!. http://193.201.200.191/?r_link_ext=d_health All The Best, The Valley Vegan.... > Peter H -------------------- talk21 your FREE portable and private address on the net at http://www.talk21.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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