How to Feed a Vegetarian in a Family of Meat Eaters

Ask what type of diet your guest follows. You will be able to plan your menu accordingly. Lacto-ovo vegetarians may eat dairy and egg. There are vegetarians that do not eat either and still eat honey, so they are not vegans.

Step 2:

Respect all of your guests' choice to eat or not select certain foods you prepare for a meal. Vegetarians have a right to turn down a dish too, and just because you prepared it does not mean he'll eat it just like a meat eater may not take everything from the counter. Consider food allergies too, such as peanuts.

Step 3:

Try to find items outside of the usual dishes, such as salad. A vegetarian can find salad at any restaurant. Just as your meat-eating guests are presented with a treat of varied items, a vegetarian guest should get those perks as well. If the cook can find neutral items that will please both the meat eater and the vegetarian, this makes dinner much easier. Everyone should have vegetables and fruit in their diets, so items like fruit salad, string beans and potatoes, rolls, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes and vegetable platters work well.

Step 4:

Prepare the food dishes, but have a small portion of each item without meat. Just because a vegetarian won't eat the sausage and ground beef in the lasagna doesn't mean that the vegetarian doesn't like lasagna. Section off a small area of the dish without the meat so the vegetarian has a choice. If she decides she doesn't want that item, a meat eater can always add it to his plate.

Step 5:

Try not to bring up the vegetarian lifestyle to other guests unless the vegetarian guest brings it up first. Meat eaters have a habit of trying to prove a point about how much they love meat around a vegetarian or grilling a vegetarian with questions about how he can stand up straight without eating a burger. Although there are shamelessly proud vegetarians, there are also vegetarians who may not want to discuss their lifestyle at every single dinner party. Bringing up being a vegetarian every time one is seen at the table is like asking a single lady at a party why she's not married yet. She may not mind the question, but asking her every weekend can get old.

Step 6:

Test out cooking with tofu. Made from soybeans, tofu is sold in blocks in soft, firm, extra firm textures. Ask your vegetarian guest what type of tofu she prefers. The firmer the tofu is, the tougher the texture. For example, firm tofu takes on the texture of slightly tougher meats, such as chicken. Tofu can be used as a main dish, like "meat" with vegetable sides or mixed in with vegetables or casserole. However you choose to use them, realize they simply absorb the flavors of the items you cook with them.