6 Friday, April 28, 2023brooklintowncrier.com Spring means events, barbeques and weddings. While most venues now have vegan options, hosting at home means you may wonder what your vegan family members or friends can eat. We often plan our meals around meat. Are we having chicken for dinner tonight, and then what pairs well with chicken? If you're serving chicken, what will your non-meat-eating guest eat? One piece of advice to people who invite vegans for dinner: Don't worry too much. I happen to love people, so just being invited to dinner makes me grateful. The last thing I want is for someone to over-worry about it. I'm there to spend time with people, and food is the side dish to an event. Of course, you do want your plant-based guests to eat. I've gone to events where I could only eat from the veggie tray - sans the dairy dip. These days I'll sometimes bring hummus to an event for the veggie dip or offer to make a vegan dish to share with everyone. Here are a few tips to make things less stressful for your plant-based dinner guests: • Honey is not vegan, which seems silly to many people. But hardcore vegans won't eat it. If your recipe calls for honey, it can be replaced with Agave nectar or Maple Syrup. • Dairy isn't vegan either, though vegetarians do eat dairy. If in doubt as to whether or not your guest will eat it, place the cheese on the side, and people can add it to their salad or meal should they wish to. • Fish and seafood are not vegan. • Most breads are vegan, but some aren't. Check the label as occasionally eggs are used as a binder in buns and bread, especially ones that are gluten-free. • Vegan does not mean gluten-free. Some people think they are synonymous. They aren't. Gluten is the protein in wheat and is, therefore, plant-based. While there are those with Celiac disease or who avoid gluten, the two (vegan and gluten-free) are not synonymous. • Store-bought salad dressings can be tricky as some contain honey as a sweetener. Farm Boy has a great line of dressings that aren't full of preservatives, and a few don't include honey. • There are many types of premade burgers. Serving one of these will make life easier for you when you are hosting. • You may hate tofu, but many people love it. Season extra firm tofu as you would your meat and grill it on the BBQ. I've marinated tofu in souvlaki seasonings and the result was terrific. The recipe below is from the "Oh She Glows" blog and is easy to make. It`s both vegan and gluten free and is a yummy salad dressing that will be a hit at your next event. Hemp Seed Salad Dressing • 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds • 1/2 cup water • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 1 clove garlic, peeled • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste (http:// o h s h e g l o w s . com/2013/09/23/ u l t r a - c reamy- h e m p - s a l a d - d r e s s i n g - n u t - free-oil-free-del- i ca ta -squash- salad/#ixzz2tX- 1oOwds) Sheree's hack: Make the dressing the day before your event. It will thicken overnight and the flavours will blend. How To Be A Great Host For Vegans Plant-Based Eating by Sheree Nicholson Please contact Liz Riley at lizr@mmfoodmarket.com or 905-814-2420 to inquire further about the opportunity to own an M&M Food Market store in Brooklin.