A neighbor of mine has done me many favors, and I want to show my appreciation by making her a vegan dish; shes a vegan.
Any ideas?
Here are some ideas from TasteSpotting.
I’ve never ever had a bad dish from Vegan Yum Yum. My favorites are Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta and the blueberry grunt (the baked version because I’m not a fan of steamed dough) which I’ve made with mixed berries, also with peaches and nectarines. The bubble and squeak cakes could be very cute on a nice plate with pretty wrappings, and they’re very good if recrisped in the oven.
Vogon recipes?
Oh wait, nevermind.
I just made a Dutch oven full of this:
Four or five zucchini cut into 1’ cubes
1 large onion chopped
Four or five ripe tomatos, chopped
Sprinkle with 1/4 C. brown sugar and salt.
Add 1/2 lb. cheddar cheese cubed
Five slices of bread, cubed and drizzled with 1/4 C. melted butter.
Mix half the bread in with the veggies. Top casserole with a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and remaining bread cubes.
Roast, covered, for about an hour @ 350 degrees. Remove cover and roast another thirty minutes.
Admittedly, I haven’t actually tried this recipe yet.
Mayan Harvest Bake
1 c. prepared quinoa
1 15 oz. can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 plantain, sliced into long planks
4 c. kale, chopped
1/4 c. pepitas (or substitute sliced almonds)
ancho chili sauce:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 c. tomato puree
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
1 tbsp. sugar in the raw
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/4-1/2 c. vegetable stock
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Puree onions and garlic in a blender with stock.
Add tomato puree, tomato paste, onion puree, sugar and spices to a small soup pot.
Heat over medium for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
Scatter sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment, roast for 15 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium, add chopped kale, a few tbsp. of water and a sprinkle of salt.
Wilt down and toss for 5-10 minutes.
Spread prepared quinoa in a baking dish, top evenly with black beans.
Top with cooked kale and sliced plantains.
Take potatoes out of the oven, scatter around baking dish.
Top entire casserole with sauce.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
Sprinkle with pepitas.
Just so no embarrassing mishaps occur, this recipe isn’t vegan unless vegan cheese and bread is used.
The melted butter would be a problem as well.
My boyfriend is a vegan, so between the two of us we’ve tried quite a few vegan recipes. We both agree that the best dish I’ve made for him is tsimis. Recipe to follow.
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes or yams
3 carrots
10 or 12 prunes, pitted
Large handful of raisins
3-4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Salt to taste
Directions
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Soak the prunes in water overnight so that they expand.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Slice the carrots and sweet potatoes into small slices.
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Boil the carrots and sweet potatoes on a medium flame until they are tender. Stir frequently, add more water if necessary.
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When the carrots and yams are tender, put them in a baking dish.
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Stir in the other ingredients plus some of the liquid.
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Bake uncovered. When the mixture begins to look thick, but not dry, take it out.
ETA: Also keep in mind that a lot of standard recipes can be made vegan with some simple substitutions. For instance, seitan is a wheat gluten that can often be used in place of meat. Almond milk can be used in place of regular milk. Bananas can be used in place of eggs in baking … There are loads of examples.
Here’s a recent thread I started on a similar topic:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=557489&highlight=vegan
And another started by someone else:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=552528&highlight=vegan
I would like to repeat what Hello Again said - the recipe posted by Tethered Kate is NOT vegan.
When you’re choosing what to make, please choose carefully - for instance, margarine is NOT a vegan butter substitute as it typically contains whey - a milk product. You can get vegan choices such as earth balance. Also, depending on your neighbour, she may not eat certain types of sugar, some vegans avoid yeast, etc.
I would choose something with as few substitutions required as possible, just to avoid problems.
Depending on how strict she is, some sugars are processed with animal bones and may not be considered truly vegan. Sugar in the Raw is safe, as far as I know. Also be careful with Worcestershire sauce because it usually contains anchovies unless you buy one that is specifically made for vegans.
Oh - here’s my yummy recipe, BTW. Fully, fully vegan too. 
Yummy (spicy!) green curry
1 tbsp green curry paste (you can make your own but it’s a bit involved)
1 can coconut milk
1 carrot sliced
1/4 eggplant sliced
1 portobello mushroom sliced
5 broccoli florettes
6 asparagus
5 button mushrooms
1/4 cup purple onion diced
1/4 package extra firm tofu.
1/2 fresh lime
saute green curry paste with olive oil. Add coconut milk and heat to boiling. Add broccoli, onions, carrots, asparagus, cook for a few minutes. Add remaining veg & tofu and simmer until done to your liking.
Serve over quinoa, couscous or brown rice. Garish with fresh lime and salt and pepper to taste.
thank you guys, good ideas!
(I knew right away cheese wasn’t vegan)
Some kind of TP and edamame made Italian Sausage- spicy, anisey, ground and pumped into vegan sausage skins with a grinder.
Fried brown in OO with peppers onions and mushrooms.
Tomato Ragout to spread over on a crusty baguette.
I meant TVP, not TP.
… and skin on Kiwanis fries (Whole Potato Fries done in Peanut oil.)
Since the vegan sausage casings are only available commercially, might I suggest… Making a loose meat, deconstructed TVP and Edamame Italian Sausage force with the Fennel Seed, Garlic, Salt, Pepper, and Hot Red Peppers, prepare and reduce the “sausage” in the oil, add Green and Ripe Red Bell Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms… Fry/Sautee till tender-crisp, add some Ragu’ and simmer at the last minute, Pile on a Split French. You could use some vegan cheese to top as well…altered rennet. But the Cheese is just Fat of the Lamb.
… or I suppose you could just take a shortcut and make my recipe with VATMEAT.
http://www.vegan-food.net/recipe/635/Spicy-Hoppin-John/
DON’T skip the liquid smoke, it makes the dish, oddly enough.
Cheese and butter are not vegan.
Now I’ll have some research to do. My son-in-law called himself vegan and this recipe was one I used when he was dining with us. Either he was confused about his dietary preferences or he was being polite. Must have been the latter.
Off to get some education about vegans. . .