Here’s a plate of raw veggies. Photo by: THOR – CC BY 2.0My sister-in-law is a raw vegan and I’m stumped when it comes to including her in holiday meals.
This year, my husband and I are hosting Christmas dinner and we want to make his sister feel included, and not just give her a plate of raw veggies. Any suggestions on holiday, raw vegan food? -Christina
Ask them to spell out exactly what they eat. My vegan Buddhist nun doesn’t eat meat or animal products like honey, obviously, but I had no idea she doesn’t eat onions or garlic either; according to her beliefs they overstimulate the blood and are considered a no-go for some strict Buddhists.
One of the best ways to make an offbeat eater-friendly meal is to ask them for a recipe you can make, to which you can add few side dishes of your food — a vegan rice salad and a green salad with a few chicken nibbles or a wedge of brie on the side.
Speaking of recipes… we KNOW a lot of our readers are both vegan AND full of great holiday meal ideas. Let’s combine the two!
Leave your favorite raw vegan recipes in the comments.
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Comments on What do you serve a raw vegan for the holidays?
I’m not a vegan, but my partner is, and I’ve lived in vegan households.
One thing that we find when we are visiting family or going to restaurants is that sometimes people forget or don’t know that a complete vegan meal requires protein. Like, its great if there is a salad or something, but (vegan) bread and lettuce alone doesn’t cut it for someone like my partner who is a big man and works at a physical job. Good,healthy veggie sources of protein are beans, chick peas, lentils- and including the delicious snack hummus. (also tofu and soy beans but a lot of people tend to be too reliant on them: but they are still good. Just to know that there are lots of options besides tofu and fake meat made from tofu) So something like a bean salad would be great for a raw vegan. (probably! i second the idea of asking. like my partner hates cheese so much he even hates vegan cheese that tastes too much like cheese). Also, we are way happier to bring a dish for him than have him sit down to an entire meal that includes no protein sources he can eat.
I totally second the protein! I love beans, but they may not count as raw as they have to be soaked and boiled to make them soft and edible (though sprouted beans and lentils would count as raw and go great in a salad), but nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc) are great. Peas are also a surprisingly good source of protein. Oils are also important, not least because of helping the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A and E. Something like avocado (a good source of healthy fats and vitamin E) is a good addition to a salad. Raw vegans (or any vegans!) don’t just subsist on salads with a few leaves of lettuce and some slices of cucumber. Protein, fats and complex carbohydrates are all necessary.
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I’m not a vegan, but my partner is, and I’ve lived in vegan households.
One thing that we find when we are visiting family or going to restaurants is that sometimes people forget or don’t know that a complete vegan meal requires protein. Like, its great if there is a salad or something, but (vegan) bread and lettuce alone doesn’t cut it for someone like my partner who is a big man and works at a physical job. Good,healthy veggie sources of protein are beans, chick peas, lentils- and including the delicious snack hummus. (also tofu and soy beans but a lot of people tend to be too reliant on them: but they are still good. Just to know that there are lots of options besides tofu and fake meat made from tofu) So something like a bean salad would be great for a raw vegan. (probably! i second the idea of asking. like my partner hates cheese so much he even hates vegan cheese that tastes too much like cheese). Also, we are way happier to bring a dish for him than have him sit down to an entire meal that includes no protein sources he can eat.
I totally second the protein! I love beans, but they may not count as raw as they have to be soaked and boiled to make them soft and edible (though sprouted beans and lentils would count as raw and go great in a salad), but nuts and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc) are great. Peas are also a surprisingly good source of protein. Oils are also important, not least because of helping the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A and E. Something like avocado (a good source of healthy fats and vitamin E) is a good addition to a salad. Raw vegans (or any vegans!) don’t just subsist on salads with a few leaves of lettuce and some slices of cucumber. Protein, fats and complex carbohydrates are all necessary.