Vegan Venture

Going All-Veggie in the Company of Carnivores

When your usual kitchen repertoire includes cheese and cream and bacon, cooking vegan feels a bit like trying to chop vegetables with one hand tied behind your back. It might be possible, but it requires concentration.

Deciding to become a culinary contortionist, I enlisted five friends -- one vegan, one vegetarian and three meat eaters -- to become taste-testers for a night. I wanted to see if a vegan could dine with carnivores, and all be satiated.

Planning what to make was no easy feat. I knew vegans didn't eat any animal products, including meat, seafood, dairy and honey. But while eggs and butter were clear-cut vegan no-nos, I found myself scratching my head over things like bittersweet chocolate and peanut butter (both vegan). My biggest surprise was learning that not all wine and beer are vegan -- though no animal products are in alcohol, the filtering process can include the use of gelatin or egg whites.

I settled on four dishes with a mix of tastes and textures. First up: a butternut squash soup that I've been making for years without realizing it was vegan. A seitan satay let me test out a dish made with mock meat, while an old-school nut loaf (think meat loaf, but with nuts) was a nod toward traditional vegan fare. A chocolate cake adapted from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home" made the cut partially because of the Moosewood Restaurant's reputation for great vegetarian cooking, but also because of its six-minute, one-pan promise.

The results? Two dishes were clear winners, two others a little less so. And one of my meat-loving friends ate two Best's Kosher hot dogs when he got home. So much for my culinary contortions!

OUR PANEL

Reporter Bridget Bentz Sizer asked this panel of eaters -- including a vegan and a diehard carnivore -- to taste these four animal-free dishes and dish on each with a rating of one to 10 forks (one fork = I wouldn't give this to my dog; 10 forks = I'd order this in a restaurant).

EMMA CRASWELL , 36, computer programmer
Food philosophy: Vegetarian for 15 years. Really it's a combination of taste, health and ethics. Initially, it started out more because I didn't like the taste of nearly all meat (chicken breast being the exception). I then lived with my brother who was a hard-core ethical vegan, and his nagging about the chicken rubbed off on me. At this point, after so long, the thought of me eating meat turns my stomach.Death-row cuisine: Stir-fried tofu and vegetables in peanut sauce.

GEJAA GOBENA , 31, lawyer 
Food philosophy: We are omnivores (look at our teeth), so my eating habits are driven more by flavor than the nature of food.Death-row cuisine: Grilled calamari with a side of white truffle risotto. (You know, a manly meal.)

JENNIFER SCOPE , 33, graphic designer 
Food philosophy: I had already cut out red meat for health reasons, but in 1991, I became a vegetarian for environmental and ethical reasons. Ten years later, I progressed to veganism for a combination of health, ethical and ecological reasons. People often think of veganism as a "radical" diet, but I say what's radical is having to get your ribs sawed open for heart surgery or a triple bypass.Death-row cuisine: Vegetarian sushi and seaweed salad.

ERIC SOKOL , 41, health care lobbyist
Food philosophy: I'm a trickle-down vegetarian. The cow eats the grass, and I eat the cow.Death-row cuisine: White pizza, cold sesame noodles, clam chowder, steak, corn on the cob, baked potato and hazelnut chocolate pyramid cake.

VIKKI VALENTINE , 32, Web producer
Food philosophy: I don't like to eat meat that isn't free range. If it had to die for me, by God, I want it to have spent a few years happy on earth.Death-row cuisine: Since I wouldn't have to worry about the upset tummy, I'd want something totally decadent, like deep-fried chicken and mashed potatoes.