The most challenging issue when buying groceries for different people is how to balance. You have to buy groceries that factor in everyone’s diet in the family.
I have had that issue more than once, with some family members being vegetarian, some gluten-intolerant, and some with allergies. With Thanksgiving around the corner, how can you make an all-inclusive-family roast dinner?
Some people get confused about the difference between vegetarian and vegan. A vegan does not eat all meat or animal products such as fish, poultry, meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. A vegetarian does not eat meat, fish, poultry, seafood, and fish.
Making A Roast Dairy-Free…
First of all, it’s important to sort out how to get those crispy roasties and cauliflower cheese without butter or cheese! I tried out a different variation of my favourite recipes, such as eating new roasted potatoes with lemon instead of the usual butter or using Vitalite dairy-free spread. It was delicious! A 56% spread is made from sunflower oil and some added vitamin B. You will have to try and remember this is a plant-based butter! The butter is fantastic for baking, cooking, and spreading, and the health benefits are tremendous. It has 75% less saturated fat compared to dairy butter!
Next up, the cheese. Being allergic does not mean you have to eat bland food. You can still enjoy foods with no dairy, such as the Sainsbury’s Free from grated cheddar-style coconut-based alternative, an alternative for cheddar cheese made from coconut oil, and all the health benefits of calcium added.
Vegan cheese is yummy and healthy, with zero cholesterol and low fat compared to dairy cheese. Follow your Heart has some amazingly delicious dairy-free shredded mozzarella, Cheddar, Italian Blend, Fiesta Blend cheese, cheese slices, blocks, and specialty cheese that you can use for those Sundays roast dinners.
The Sheese range of cheese is another vegan and dairy-free, non-GMO, and gluten-free cheese block and spreads you can try. They have a healthy and flavourful range of garlic and herbs, sweet chili, chive spread, etc. and best of all, they melt!
Now For The Meat Alternative…
Meat-free roast dinners do not have to be boring! If you have to buy vegetarian and non-vegetarian meat and vegetarian dishes, stay separate to avoid cross-food or pollution. It’s hard to believe that plant-based meat is not the real deal. Vegan roast dinners follow similar advice to vegetarian dinners. The vegan diet has more available foods, and especially with the popularity of events like Veganuary. It becomes easier to know what to shop for as many supermarkets stock vegan-friendly foods.
The meatless turkey vegetarian roast from Quorn is a great option, especially if you or a family member is also gluten-free. It is also soy-free and non- GMO so is really great for a household with multiple dietary needs.
This next one is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving, the Plant-based Chef Roasted Vegetable Puff Pastry Crown with Cranberry Dip from Tesco’s, which serves ten. The delicious roast dinner includes sweet potatoes, butternut squash, parsnip, and the coconut oil-based cheese alternative wrapped in puff pastry and a cranberry dip to go with it. Better yet, Tesco have just reduced the price of their plant-based range, making it even easier to have a tasty alternative to roast meat.
Lastly, we have Tofurkey, an increasingly popular option amongst vegetarians and vegans alike. Not gluten-free but very tasty, Tofurkey is make of wheat protein and tofu. This makes it a great source of protein and the various stuffings available ensure that it is packed full of flavour.
Order Your Roast Dinners
The first thing you can do to order roast dinners is to add the extension foodlama to your browser. The extension saves you a lot of time and energy spent reading food labels and lets you know the items you should pick. Foodlama is fast and, best of all, free. Please inform us of your family’s preferences, requirements, or restrictions, and we will pick it up from there. We let you know what you can and can’t buy when you go shopping. We also suggest alternatives to what you can’t find. Visit foodlama to learn more.
