An appetizer is the part of a meal that is served before the main course. It is something to “whet” the appetite. It is easy to make a meal out of appetizers. Many times in a restaurant the appetizers are more intriguing and interesting then the main course. And with the Super Bowl and Academy Awards approaching, now is the perfect time to try some great new vegan appetizer recipes!
Buffalo Quinoa Balls with Ranch Dipping Sauce (vegan) (nutritionandwellness.com)
Ingredients - Quinoa Balls
Ingredients - Buffalo Sauce
Ingredients - Ranch Dipping Sauce
Directions:
Ranch dipping sauce will be good in the fridge for up to 5 days. Makes 20 balls.
Ingredients - Quinoa Balls
- 1 ½ cup cooked quinoa, cooled
- 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax meal and 3 Tbsp water - let sit 10 minutes before using)
- 4 Tbsp buffalo sauce (see below)
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Olive or coconut oil for frying
Ingredients - Buffalo Sauce
- 3 Tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
- ½ cup hot sauce
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Ingredients - Ranch Dipping Sauce
- 1 ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or in hot water for 10 minutes
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 12 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ Tbsp fresh chives chopped
- ½ Tbsp fresh dill
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp celery salt ( or regular salt)
- ½ tsp pepper
Directions:
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Heat until butter is melted and set aside.
- Add beans to food processor and mix until smooth (you may need to add a tablespoon of water to get it smooth). If you do not have a food processor, you can mash them with your hands but the texture will be a little less smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the bean mixture, flax egg and 3 Tbsp of sauce. Then add cooked quinoa, bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and salt
- Take quinoa mixture and form into about 1” balls or larger
- Put balls in freezer for 10 minutes (optional but makes them stay together better)
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat 2-3 Tbsp of oil and fry quinoa balls for about 5 minutes flipping so that all sides get cooked.
- Place balls on cookie pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- While balls are baking, make the ranch dipping sauce by adding all the ingredients to a high speed blender and mix until smooth.
- When balls are done baking, you can coat them in the rest of buffalo sauce.
- Serve with the dipping sauce on the side.
Ranch dipping sauce will be good in the fridge for up to 5 days. Makes 20 balls.
Warm Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip (native foods celebration cookbook)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups canned artichoke hearts, water-packed
- 1 lb bag frozen spinach
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
- ½ cup vegan mayo
- ½ cup vegan cream cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
- Drain water from artichoke hearts
- Place all ingredients in a bowl or mixing container
- Using a hand blender, mix until incorporated and a smooth and creamy texture is achieved, scraping sides as needed.
- Place the dip in oven-safe serving bowl and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden and bubbly on top.
- Serve with veggies, crostini, baguette or tortilla chips.
Olive Hummus (contentednesscooking.com)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Transfer all ingredients to a blender and process until creamy. Enjoy!
Edamame Hummus (The Vegan Bible)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
- 15oz olives, pitted (plus more for garnish)
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
- ⅔ Tbsp tahini
- 3 Tbsp olive oil plus more for garnish
- ½ cup water
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 garlic cloves (optional)
Directions:
Transfer all ingredients to a blender and process until creamy. Enjoy!
Edamame Hummus (The Vegan Bible)
Ingredients:
- 1 package (16oz) frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
- ½ cup green onions, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 3-4 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp canola oil (or olive oil)
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp agave nectar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Combine edamame, green onions, cilantro, 3 Tbsp water, oil, lime juice, agave, garlic, salt and pepper in food processor: process until smooth. Add additional water to thin dip, if necessary.
- Serve with crackers or vegetables for dipping. Store in refrigerator up to 4 days. Makes 2 cups.
Vegan French Onion Dip With Dill (veggieinspired.com)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
- 2 large sweet onions (sliced thin or diced)
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews (soaked several hours)
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup silk unsweetened soy milk (divided: ¼ cup and ½ cup)
Directions:
- Heat the vegetable broth in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and stir to coat for a few minutes. Turn down the heat and add the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Let the onions cook about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Add 1-2 Tbsp of water as necessary if the onions start to stick.
- Rinse and drain the soaked cashews
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the cashews, vinegar, lemon juice, dill and salt. Process until it starts to come together. Scrape down sides, add ¼ cup soy milk and process again until smooth. If necessary add more milk 1 Tbsp at a time. It should be the consistency of loose cream cheese when it is done.
- When the onions are done, turn off the heat and add the cashew mixture to the pan. Pour in the other ½ cup soy milk and stir until smooth and creamy. If you like a dip a thinner consistency, add a little more soy milk.
- Let cool, then refrigerate until cold.
- Serve cold with chips, raw veggies or crackers.
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread (adapted from treehugger.com)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ingredients:
- 1 8oz package low fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup pumpkin puree’
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp allspice or ground cloves
- Sprinkle of nutmeg
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Mix the softened cream cheese, pumpkin and sugar until smooth. Add the spices and vanilla and mix well.
- Cover and refrigerate for about an hour to let it firm up and let the spices take hold for a nice flavor.
Guacamole Hummus (adapted from Marthastewart.com)
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, and avocado. Process until finely chopped. With machine running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, then add lemon juice, and then add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges and tortilla chips.
Ingredients:
- 1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- Lemon wedges
- Tortilla chips
Directions:
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, and avocado. Process until finely chopped. With machine running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, then add lemon juice, and then add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges and tortilla chips.
Cranberry Feta Pinwheels (adapted from tasteofhome.com)
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, feta cheese and onions. Stir in cranberries. Spread about 12 cup mixture over each tortilla and roll up tightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut each roll-up into 10 slices. Yield: 40 appetizers.
Ingredients:
- 1 carton (8oz) whipped cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (8oz) crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped green onions
- 1 package (5oz) dried cranberries
- 4 flour tortillas (10 inches)
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, feta cheese and onions. Stir in cranberries. Spread about 12 cup mixture over each tortilla and roll up tightly. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut each roll-up into 10 slices. Yield: 40 appetizers.
Spicy Toasted Garbanzo Beans and Pistachios (from Bon Appetit)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss garbanzo beans with next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until garbanzos are golden and crisp, stirring occasionally with metal spatula, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature.)
Stir pistachios and thyme into garbanzo mixture.
Bake until beans and pistachios are crunchy, about 12 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl and serve warm.
Ingredients:
- 2 15.5 oz cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
- ¼ cup corn oil
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 cup shelled raw pistachios
- 2 tsps fresh thyme leaves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss garbanzo beans with next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until garbanzos are golden and crisp, stirring occasionally with metal spatula, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature.)
Stir pistachios and thyme into garbanzo mixture.
Bake until beans and pistachios are crunchy, about 12 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl and serve warm.
Baked Green Pea Fritters (wallflowerkitchen.com)
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 Tbsp olive oil plus extra for baking
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cup flour (or chickpea flour)
- 1 tsp soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp mixed fresh or dried herbs finely chopped (mixed dried Italian herbs work well)
- 1 cup Soy yoghurt
- Mixed fresh or dried herbs, finely chopped (I used fresh rosemary, parsley and mint)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- A pinch of salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Add the peas to a medium saucepan, cover with water and boil, according to packet's instructions and drain well.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes, until softened.
- Add the peas, onions and garlic to a food processor and pulse until it becaomes a thick paste. Alternatively, you can use a masher to mix it by hand.
- Stir in the chickpea flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and herbs.
- The mixture is quite sticky so you will need to wet your hands to shape them into patties. Scoop 1 tbsp of the mixture, roll into a ball and press down slightly to create a patty shape on the baking sheet.
- Brush with fritters with olive oil.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown, flipping them over half way.
- Eat right away or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them and reheat from frozen.
- Simply mix all the ingredients together and serve in a small dish, along with the fritters.