Vegan menu ideas for skeptical non-vegans?

[corporatepiracy]

Hi everyone. I did look over the memories, but I'm really not even sure where to start. I have no idea what I'd like to use as a base or what I'd like to incorporate. I guess I'm looking for things that you all have made in the past that have wowed your guests/family/whatever

Comments

[rebirthoxide]

I don't know if you'll be winning any hears/minds with brussels sprouts, but then again, you know your family better than I.

Mashed potatos, grilled corn on the cob(I rub em with spicy stuff, and put diced onions in the foil before wrapping and grilling), chili+cornbread, gazpacho, black beans(from scratch) with salsa and guac...etc

Grilled portobello burgers with lits of fixins usually works. Bursh with lots of fresh crushed garlic+olive oil before and during grilling.

[rebirthoxide]

sorry about the spelling, doing ten things at once here at work...

[orphe_]

iawtc. you don't win friends with brussels sprouts.

[corporatepiracy]

You do if your roommates and relatives enjoy brussel sprouts and if you know how to prepare them, which we do.

I never understood the hate for brussel sprouts. Ridiculous.

[greenmandarin]

indian food! i make curries and they are AWESOME! everyone loves them..that i feed them to anyways...
good luck!

[xsaltyx]

Yep. In my head I went "spicy = Indian food"! Plus, then you can have a few different dishes and bread! Mmm, bread!

[corporatepiracy]

Curry is, of course, the fall-back option. I've made curries for them two or three times now and it's kind of.. predictable. I guess I was hoping for something else.

I may try to replicate a dinner my friends made for me a long time ago -- tiny towers of polenta and grilled mushrooms with a homemade pesto sauce.

[bentbacktulips]

Perhaps an Indian dish other than a curry (which is more British than Indian, as an aside) -- Basmati rice with turmeric and Cumin and a red lentil or yellow split pea dal maybe?

[prettyhowtown_]

i've given vegan tacos made with smart ground and taco seasoning to a non-vegan and he said they were fabulous. ...it sounds to me like you're looking for something more elaborate, though.

[prettyhowtown_]

and you don't want meat analogs. oops! ...sorry. somewhat non-helpful suggestion...

[prettyhowtown_]

then again, i find that including meat analogs ends up being more satisfying than meals that don't include meat analogs.

[fenris_lorsrai]

How about Moroccan Eggplant and chickpeas?

http://www.recipesource.com/fgv/vegetables/02/rec0275.html

Just use soygurt instead of the usual diary yogurt. Don't skip on garnish. It really makes the dish!

[sugar_lumps]

this isn't the most original idea since people have been mentioning this dish a lot online, but maybe something like the eggplant-potato moussaka with pine nut cream from veganomicon? or more generally, a fragrant layered vegetable baked dish?

i like your idea of using polenta, too. if you've never tried it, sliced caramelized leeks are lovely either mixed in or as a topping for polenta (something i learned from a veganyumyum recipe.)

and if you get stuck for ideas, i'm a big fan of covering vegetables and sides with the piccata sauce from this recipe. it's extremely quick to make and hugely upgrades a meal :)

[corporatepiracy]

Caramalized leeks! What an excellent idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you, I think you just cemented in my head what I'd like to make.

[sugar_lumps]

yey! glad to have been of help :)