vegan meal for a 2 1/2 year old boy?

[gaugings]

my aunt and uncle are in the hospital with their son and will be back tomorrow. i want to prepare a surprise meal for when they come home but i can't really think of what to make for the little one. he eats everything, but especially likes his meat.

suggestions?

[hoodedclawjen]

if you do a one pot meal, they can freeze leftovers and its not so weird for it to not be meaty. something filling like a lasagne or bake.

or just skip the meal and do cookies or cupcakes. there is no meat in them and everyone loves chocolatey things.

[zoebird]

if he eats just about anything, then make him something that you like, that everyone will like, and i'm sure he'll eat it.

as it is summer, fresh produce of all kinds is great. for my son's first birthday, i'm making this: (not all vegan; tapas-like)

orange and coriander olives (kalamata and green)

bruschetta (tomato, peppers, basil, olive oil, garlic)

cucumber salad (cucumbers, red onion, dill, garlic, yogurt)

watermelon-lime-mint salad

vanilla and chocolate cup cakes with chai icing.


you might consider another of hawk's favorites--corn chowder. i posted it in the scrawny toddler post. it's very good.

[Cornflower]

How about a vegan lasagna (using tofu "ricotta" and maybe some melted Vegan Gourmet mozzarella on top)? A big pan of lasagna is such a great meal to give to someone because there are usually leftovers. Or you could do bean burritos or enchiladas. You can supplement the main dish with a green salad and bowl of fruit (fresh cherries, apricots, blueberries, whatever is in season where you live). Oh and baking cookies or something for the dessert would be a nice touch.

With kids, often if it LOOKS like something they are familiar with, they might not even notice the difference. When we went from lacto-ovo to vegan, I was shocked that my kids gobbled up vegan macaroni and "cheese" with as much vigor as they had gobbled the dairy version!