Hi Lucy,
Vegan on Female First
There are five of in the family- I am the only vegan and it's really hard to shop and cook the right things to keep everyone happy- do you have any advice?
Hi Lottie,
I would suggest making a few meals during the month for the whole family that are plant based if you're the one who does the cooking. Just because your family members aren't veggie doesn't mean they can't enjoy the odd meal without meat. Curries, soups, stews and stir-fries can all be made vegan- you never know they might be open to a change to their meal routine.
If they are adamant about eating meat- why not divide the base sauce into two pans and then add veggies to one and meat to the other? Spaghetti bolognaise, curries, stir fries and chillies work well for this. When making your sauce you could use vegan margarine to fry your onions in instead of their usual and chances are they won't taste the difference!
If you're feeling left out- there are plenty of vegan alternatives out there so you could add in Quorn vegan pieces to your stir-fry I they are having chicken, Quorn vegan burgers if they are having burgers and fries, veggie sausages with mash, Linda McCartney pies with chips.
Another thing you could do is plan out your weekly meals with your family so when you come to make it- you know exactly what everyone is having. Perhaps a part of the problem is that when you come to make your evening meal it can seem overwhelming to please everyone. You might be spending all your energies on their food and not a lot on yours as a result.
Similarly, make a list before you go shopping once you have decide don your meals to make the experience a bit easier and more decisive.
Could you ask one of your family members to help with the cooking? Maybe they could make the dish for the rest of the family a couple of nights a week so you can experiment with making more veggie dishes. You never know- if your veggie dishes become legendary- they might lean more towards your way of eating.