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advice for cooking for visiting carnivore?

Hello all!  I am new here, but not new to vegetarianism!  I have read some really good advice on some other posts, so I am hoping for some more pearls of wisdom  :)

The love of my life who I only see every few months is coming to stay with me for 4 days, 5 nights, and while he is a meat eater, he is really excited about and supportive of my vegetarianism and all of my cooking experiments.  My goals for the weekend, regarding food, are three-fold:

1. to satisfy him enough so that he will not need meat the entire time he is here
2. to really show him how incredible and comprehensive and revolutionary meat-free cooking can be
3. to make him love me even more on account of how amazing the food I prepare him is  ;D

Sooooooo, I would love any advice, whether it be about a crazy new dish or a tried-and-true romantic favorite.  I have to plan out quite a few meals, so please don't be shy!!

Thank you all so much in advance

Here's what I think.

goal #1: he will be so thrilled to spend time with you that he won't worry about meat.  Honest! 

goal #2: woohoo!  Fun time!

goal #3: honestly, I knock myself out in the kitchen sometimes and my partner goes "this is great."  But then another time I'll just drift through, throw together some spaghetti noodles and bottled sauce and garlic bread, or mac & cheese (I'm lacto-ovo-waffle-a-lot), or ramen, for pete's sake... and he's over the moon.  It exasperates me to no end that creative effort isn't always commensurate with appreciation!  His childhood comfort foods are all the basic stuff.

That said... let's play.

In my experience, most omnivores don't care if there's no meat in a given meal.  But they do like familiar, comforting dishes.  If they're too frou-frou, they'll seem too dainty, too much like rabbit food, which isn't what you want-- you want SOUL!

In that vein, I recommend a really knockout hero sandwich for one of your meals.  A sturdy loaf of hero-able bread.  A good spread: hummus, pesto, vegan cream cheese, whatever-- or two, one for top and one for bottom!  Roasted vegetables.  If you like, some kind of tasty patty (like the "garbo burgers" on this site!), but only if you like.  Fresh basil leaves.  A good shake of pepper.  A side of something munchable, like pretzels or chips. 

It's fall, so how about pea soup and bread for dipping?  Or even garlic bread?  It goes great with chunky pea soup made with a little onion, garlic, carrot, potato, and --the secret ingredient-- a little pureed or chopped chipotle pepper in adobo.

Veggie burgers (any kind!) with all the fixins.  Here's the twist: top them with a canned green chile and whip up some vegan mayo with a whisper of hot sauce.  Or top them with vegan chili!  On that note, chili on fries is pretty satisfying.

A make-your-own burrito night.  Heat up refritos or whole beans.  Have rice handy, tossed with cilantro if you like.  Cooked sweet potatoes or potatoes.  Hot sauce.  Shredded lettuce.  Tomatoes.  Olives, if you want.  Onions.  Mock sour cream or cheese if you like.  Salsa.  Tortillas.  And just put them together at table-- he'll love having the choice of what goes into them, and it's kind of earthy and sensuous to construct and hold your meal with your hands.

Pancakes.  Vegan pancakes are great, and who can say no to pancakes?  Salty fake meat product optional.

Fried green tomatoes and gravy on rice, with cornbread and a salad.  It doesn't get more soul food than that.

Buffalo tofu (on this site) and celery sticks.  A creamy dressing to dip them in.  Rice is nice on the side, and so is salad.

A pasta salad with lots of veggies, herbs, and sass!

Make a dessert or two during this visit, or have 'em around (so you can spend more time together instead of fussing in the kitchen).  Cookies (sooo many good ones on here), plain dumplings in caramel sauce, rice pudding, a cake.  And have snackable things on hand: raw veggies and hummus, pretzels, crackers. 

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In fall weather, you can't beat hearty, beany-and-veggy soups and chillis, or casseroles hot from the oven or crockpot. In my experience of many brothers and BIL, men loooove "spoon food" (stuff you eat with a big ol' spoon) and will seldom notice the lack of meat if it's flavourful. (Add some TVP if you have to, and ramp up the seasoning and herbs.) If you can get fresh basil in your area, try the "Dressed-Up Eggplant" I posted on this site; it takes a few minutes to dredge and fry the eggplant but makes a hearty, satisfying comfort-type dish. If you can find a nice red to go with it, so much the better!
Another nice thing about "spoon food" dishes is you can throw them in the oven or crockpot and get on with enjoying your loved one's company.

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Thank you both so much for your great ideas!  I love this site!!  ;D

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