I am having a vegan dinner guest.

[malta blue]

Being omnivorous myself, I am preparing a vegan meal for a guest.

I have heard that charcoal (which may contain bone) may be an issue - I was going to grill vegetables.

Also, I have heard that sugar is an issue (due to potentially being filtered through charcoal).

What are your stances on these two things.

I was going to make a "vegan" dessert but was told to check about the sugar part - which then led me into the grilling question.

Any and all advice, recipes, opinions are welcome.

Thanks
:hi:

[LeftyMom]

1. okay, here goes

Charcoal: The compressed briquettes could contain ANYTHING. Best bet (flavor and health-wise too) is to get a pure lump charcoal made from hardwood of some kind.

Sugar: Regular white sugar is often filtered with bone char. An unfiltered sugar such as turbinado or sucanat is a better bet, if you're not doing something that needs uniformly white sugar. Wholesome Sweetners and Florida's Crystals are two brands of sugar that are reliably vegan. C&H is bone char processed, as is Domino. If you need another band's info, let us know and we'll figure it out for you.

[malta blue]

4. Got it....

So I was thinking of making rum soaked bananas for dessert:
**********************************************************************************************************
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas (sliced into rounds)
1/4 cup rum (spiced or banana flavored)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Fruit slices or wedges for garnishing
Preparation:
1. Place the bananas into a plastic mixing bowl.
2. Stir in the rum, sugar, and spices.

3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

4. Serve in individual dessert glasses garnished with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a fruit slice or wedge.

***************************************************************************************************************
Is this going to be okay? What kind of sugar should I use?

I do have a "health food" store (I hate that term) nearby so I can probably find what I need....

[flvegan]

7. I'd actually go with stevia as opposed to sugar

If you do, please read the label as to how much to use.

[LeftyMom]

8. Those would probably come out great with some agave nectar, too.

[LeftyMom]

10. That should be fine with turbinado, which you can find at most regular grocers.

Usually it's in with the regular sugar (generally regular grocers have a plastic thing of Florida's Crystals,) but it's often cheaper in with the mexican specialty foods, just look for the bags of really light brown sugar. I think the most common brand there starts with a Z but I forget the whole name of it.

[flvegan]

2. How "rabid" a vegan is your guest?

I've had friends go so far out of their way when grilling for me (scrubbing the grill, using another utensil to turn/flip, etc) that I never said anything about the charcoal. It's *impossible* to be perfect. Do your best, and I'm sure your guest will more than appreciate it.

LeftyMom answered the refined sugar part pretty well, so I have nothing to add to that.

[LeftyMom]

3. Oh yeah- use some foil or something on your grill.

Baked on meat touching my food :whole body shudder:

[malta blue]

5. check -

clean grill thoroughly AND add foil.
:hi:

[malta blue]

6. not sure how "rabid" he is

but I would really like to make his visit completely stress free for him....

[yewberry]

9. It's great that you're making such an effort.

Really, really neat that you're looking into the 'deeper' vegan issues!

I think LM and flvegan have addressed your questions pretty well. In general, it sounds like you have things pretty well in hand. If you're looking for any kind of recipe suggestions, though, don't hesitate to ask.

I've been on a little bit of a dessert-making kick, so I've got some of those up my sleeve if you're looking for a schmancy vegan dessert. (Poached pears in puff pastry is my recent smash hit.)

[ThomCat]

11. I was that vegan guest.

Malta Blue was a wonderful host. All of the food for the dinner party was vegan, not just for me but for everyone, and everyone enjoyed it. Tabouli, Hummus, Falafel, Fava bean salad... Great stuff!
:loveya:

We didn't end up grilling anything because we had thunderstorms both days I was there. So we stayed indoors and had a wonderful time anyway. :)

:hi:

[Ignis]

12. Mmm, sounds lovely.

Friends feed you.
Real friends feed you real good food. :)