Food | What to cook for a vegan

As more people embrace a vegan diet, you may have to cook up one of their favourite plant-based dishes when hosting a dinner party or other event. But what should you create?

Model and health-guru Rosanna Davidson is one of the most famous Irish poster girls for vegan living.

Considering her physique and natural glow, it is no surprise that more people are following this strict diet or flirting with the idea of turning vegan.

There are a lot of misconceptions about vegan diets. In general, someone who follows a vegan or plant-based diet simply does not eat any animal products. Vegans also don’t eat foods that are made with animal-based products including gelatin, chicken and beef broth and many products that are listed as vegetarian.

Restricted by what ingredients to use, cooking for a vegan can be perceived as an impossible task.

Surprisingly, it’s not. And it’s quite a good challenge to cook something new and tasty.

For starters, the easiest options could be Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta or Tomato soup in winter. There are no special ingredients that need to be added, and any simple recipe will suffice.

The choice for mains is also endless. Curries are an easy and popular choice, such as Pumpkin and Chickpea or Squash and Coconut. Pasta dishes are also the best to accommodate all guests, with such varieties as Courgette and Lemon linguine.

For summer offerings, there is Squash and Barley salad with balsamic vinaigrette or Grilled Mediterranean Veg with Bean Mash.

Vegans may be all about healthy and clean living, but that does not mean they cannot indulge in lovely desserts. Poached pears in a spiced red wine is a simple dessert to cook up, while Cherry and Almond brownies or Banana and Peanut Butter Cupcakes are nice people-pleasers.

If you want more information on Vegan life and a selection of other recipes,check out the The Vegan Society of Ireland’s website.