What do you do if someone in your family turns vegetarian and there is a big family holiday coming soon? Do not fret too much because it is easy to cook vegetarian food on a holiday.
Firstly, you should know what type of vegetarian the individual has chosen to become. Strict vegetarians (or vegans) will not eat food that contains honey, yeast, or other foods that come from animal sources. Semi-vegans can make exceptions more readily and might readily enjoy a dish of meat that you have prepared.
Lacto or ovo vegans will eat anything that contains eggs or milk and dairy products but will not consume meat. So talk and discover the particular type of vegetarian of your family member. Some of the questions that you can ask to make things easier are as follows:
Are certain types of meat ok or is meat strictly avoided?
Some vegetarians will only eat certain types of meats (fish and chicken turkey) that fall under the fish-and-fowl category. They will not eat any land-animal meat.
Will common serving dishes be all right? Or should the meat and vegetarian serving dishes be separate?
Apart from their beliefs, long-term vegetarians (and those with sensitive stomachs) can experience gastrointestinal problems even if they are served a thoroughly vegetarian dish that happens to contain a few dabs of grease from a meat dish. This can be a sensitive question so just ask about serving dishes instead of going into their medical history.
Are foods containing eggs or milk and dairy products acceptable?
Some vegetarians are lacto-vegans who eat milk and dairy products. Others are ovo-vegans who have no problems with eggs. It will make things easier for you to know such an in-depth preference of the vegetarian. When you are preparing a dish that requires eggs then it will help you to decide and use an egg replacement in the recipe. You can also find milk replacements in products like soymilk that are 100% vegan.
What about honey and yeast?
Animals do not have to die to create honey but some vegans think that it is a bit unethical to consume animal products like these two. Use alternative ingredients wherever possible.
Would they like to bring their own main dish?
This option is best used with people who are close to your family because you do not want to offend recent acquaintances by asking them if they want to bring their own main dish because of their eating preferences that are so different from your own. People who understand the nuances of being vegetarian are not likely to be offended and will gladly offer to bring their own main dish.
There are plenty of options available to you to have a successful family dinner even with vegetarian members present. It just needs a little bit of planning and mild modifications to your cooking plans and recipes.
