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Often a server can help you by asking the chef to make something vegan (and therefore more familiar) out of ingredients he has on hand in the kitchen. You’ll probably be more successful with this tactic if you visit a restaurant during a less-busy time. However, if you do end up at a restaurant during a rush, rather than descending on the already-stressed-out waiter with a list of special requests, try making a meal out of some of these common dishes:

Bean and rice burritos with salsa and avocado

Chips, salsa, guacamole, and lard-free beans

Edamame with vegetable or avocado sushi

Home-fried or baked potatoes topped with steamed broccoli and a little olive oil

Hummus with pita bread or vegetables for dipping

Lentil soup (without chicken or beef stock)

Minestrone soup without cheese or chicken or beef stock

Noodles with Thai peanut sauce

Peanut butter and granola wrap: whole-grain tortilla spread with peanut butter and banana slices and then sprinkled with vegan granola or raisins and crushed nuts

Pizza toast: whole-grain toast spread with tomato sauce and topped with veggies and legumes, such as mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, white beans, and so on

Pureed vegetable soups (without dairy or beef or chicken stock)

Roasted beets, carrots, or sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil

Steamed artichoke leaves dipped in olive oil that’s been mixed with minced garlic and a little bit of salt

Steamed corn sprinkled with a little olive oil and salt

Three bean salad

Tomato-based pasta sauce with zucchini and mushrooms mixed in

Tomato soup with a side of rice and peas

Vegetable pizza without cheese

Cafeteria conundrums: School and work lunches

Let’s face it. Unless we’re independently wealthy and home-school our kids, we all have to go to school and work. And when we’re away from home for that long, we have to eat lunch somewhere. Finding a healthy (and tasty) meal in a school or work cafeteria can be less than fun, and vegans face even bigger challenges. But don’t worry; in this section I give you some tips on how to get by without starving.

Navigating the school cafeteria

Eating at school can present a unique set of obstacles for the busy young vegan. Some high schools allow off-campus eating during lunch, but how likely is it that a vegan cafe sits within walking distance of your kid’s school? And should they spend that much money on eating out anyway? Even more difficult to maneuver are the elementary and middle school cafeterias. The kids that attend these schools probably aren’t making many of their own food choices yet, so they eat whatever is given to them.

Vegan kids can feel pressured by their peers when it comes to eating differently, too. Adolescence is all about acceptance, so some kids may get some teasing for their brown bag option. Help your child feel more comfortable by asking them which vegan options they’re most comfortable with for lunch. Leftover tofu stir-fry may draw unwanted attention, but a bean burrito with brown rice and avocado can pass under the ridicule-radar. Lifelong vegan kids feel stronger dedication in their cruelty-free choices, but newer converts may need support from home to make the transition. Help your kid come up with witty jokes about how their food is cool, and remind them of the long list of famous vegans in Chapter 25 to throw out at the lunch table.

When all is said and done, many school cafeteria lunch programs offer a dismal array of menus. So, sending your children to school with homemade lunches is really the best option — unless, of course, your school cafeteria has been made over to provide plant-based options.

Sometimes, you run out of time to put together a vegan lunch for your child. And sometimes your kid may want to fit in every now and then and join the lunch line. Cafeteria settings usually offer a wide variety of a la carte offerings and side dishes. Vegan kids can make a meal out of the salad bar and