ISO: Help with veggie appetizers...

[lindrusso]

I absolutely love to make appetizers. I'd almost rather have people over for hors d'oeuvres than dinner - I just love having an assortment of yummy treats to sample.

However, in reviewing my recipes, it seems that I always tend toward the pastry-type recipes or appetizers that are in other way heavy. These are great, but I'd like to pair them with some lighter fare - veggies, dips, whatever. The problem is I'm so sick of crudite trays with the typical ranch or spinach dip.

Anyone have a different dip ideas to jazz up the typical veggie tray or ideas on how to bring veggies into my appetizer repetoire? I already do things like quesadillas, spinach balls, etc. Oh, and the dips themselves do not have to be low-cal, just something exciting and different.

TIA for any help!! I'll be perusing the Epicurious site as well, but I always like to hear the tried and true as well.

[Beth]

We're in between thunderstorms here, so I'll have to go find and come back, but I have a blue cheese dip that is made with lowfat or nonfat cottage cheese, is very lowfat and is very good with veggies. I'll take a look for some others while I'm there. If we don't float away......

[sneezles]

I know this may sound off the wall but they really are good. Canned jalapenos, sliced length wise and filled with crunchy peanut butter. Or fresh jalapenos sliced length wise (and seeded and deveined), fill with cream cheese, wrap with bacon and grill until bacon is cooked. Also I served your dip that you posted on the MSN page for Jiago(I can't remember exactly the spelling) but the one with cottage cheese, jalapenos and cilantro-yummy! Deep fried broccoli and mushrooms-not lo cal but very tasty!

[mandarin2j]

I made these for pretty much every gathering we hosted last summer after the recipe ran in the local paper. Raves from guests everytime! The recipe is from a local gourmet grocery that charges 9 bucks a pound for these bad boys...

Also, from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything," he has a really tasty veggie dip in the appetizer section that involves diced veggies in the dip itself. Let me know if you want that one, too. Another favorite (you can see how I feel about mushrooms here!) is mushrooms stuffed with spinach souffle. Yum! Oh, and I tried the tomato tapenade from the December (?) CL, and that was great, too.

Marinated Grilled Mushrooms

Makes 4 servings

1 pound crimini mushrooms (large enough so they won't fall through the grate of your grill)
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 green onions, cut small on the bias

Brush the mushrooms clean with a dry brush or cloth and put into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper and pour over the mushrooms. Marinate the mushrooms 2 to 4 hours at room temperature. Stir occasionally.
Drain the mushrooms, but reserve the marinade. On a medium-hot grill, over indirect heat, grill the mushrooms until they all take on some color. If you try to grill these over a hot, direct flame, they will burn.
Transfer to a sheet pan and place in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and place in a bowl. Pour the marinade over the mushrooms, add the green onions and adjust for salt and pepper.
These will last refrigerated for 5 to 6 days and actually get better as they sit. To enjoy them to their fullest, eat at room temperature.

From Joy Graham, Pastaworks

[Laura]

I made the vegetarian steamed dumplings from the Jan/Feb issue and they were very good and relatively easy.

[laughsandlaughs]

How about stuffed cherry tomatoes with a cream cheese/blue cheese or goat cheese mixture piped/spooned in? Or the same filling piped onto strips of red bell pepper and endive leaves? These are both easy to eat...just pick up, no dipping required, are very impressive to look at and aren't the same old, same old. There's also stuffed mushrooms too! I'll keep thinking....

[LGBurns]

I am making a white bean and roasted red pepper dip for a dinner I'm having on Friday. It's from Moosewood Low-fat Favorites. I don't have the recipe with me, but let me know if you want me to post it for you.

[laughsandlaughs]

What about hummus? Serve them with pita chips and other veggies for a delicious and little bit different take on the traditional. My favorite with hummus is slices of cucumber...yum!!!

[Luiza]

The CL Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip is a huge favourite at my dinner parties. Other hits include eggplant salad (usually Baba Ghannouj for an Italian friend who's allergic to olive oil -- how about that?), a simple Romania bean dip (beans, carrot, parsnip) for which I get requests all the time, home-made salsa, Greek mezze like baby zucchinis in vinaigrette and okra with tomato sauce (and octopus salad, which is a vegetable dish in our house http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ), deep fried zucchini and eggplant "chips"... Even salted raw cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. I make a lot of veggie appetizers because veggies are the one sure thing all my friend like/can eat.

I'm also searching for new veggie appetizer recipes. The possibilites are endless... Probably those marinated mushrooms will be next http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Luiza

[Emdg]

I love appetizers! And have had whole parties where that was all I served all night.

Oriental Salsa with baked wonton chips.
Eggplant "Caviar"
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes. With herbs and cottage cheese.
Chickpea Crunchies-you bake them.
Vegetarian Dolmas.

And another thing I like to serve, although,not veggie. Is cold shrimp with 3 or 4 different dipping sauces.

I could go on and on....!

[schuh]

If you'd include fruits in your request, the Toffee Dip with Apples (I believe it's in the recipe finder) is awesome. I make it all the time!

[Grace]

Here are two that I love - one is CL, and the other is one I got off this BB (forgive me for not knowing who the original poster was, but I LOVE it!!)

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Rosamaria's Stuffed Zucchini

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: Sept 1996 PAGE: 75

INGREDIENTS FOR 16 SERVINGS:
4 medium zucchini (about 1-1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
10 spinach leaves
8 basil leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and quartered
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 large egg white

INSTRUCTIONS:
John Villani talked his cousin, Rosamaria Restiani, into sharing her recipe
for this appetizer that uses fresh Parmesan.

1. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-
inch-thick shell. Set pulp aside. Cut each zucchini shell in half crosswise.

2. Steam zucchini shells, covered, 3 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain;
set aside.

3. Place zucchini pulp in a food processor; process until finely chopped.
Spoon into a bowl; set aside.

4. Place rosemary and next 5 ingredients (rosemary through carrot) in a food
processor, and process until finely chopped.

5. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add rosemary mixture; cover and
cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini pulp, tomatoes, and salt;
saute over medium heat 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in breadcrumbs. Let
mixture cool. Add cheese and egg white; stir well.

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Divide mixture evenly among zucchini shells. Place stuffed shells on a
baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield:
16 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed zucchini piece).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 70 (30% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 1g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN
3.9g; CARB 9.1g; FIBER 1.4g; CHOL 4mg; IRON 0.9mg; SODIUM 298mg; CALC 93mg

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Muhammara

SOURCE: CL Bulletin Board YEAR: October 2000 PAGE:

INGREDIENTS FOR 1 SERVINGS:
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tblsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. pomegranate molasses
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
toasted pita triangles as an accompaniment

INSTRUCTIONS:
In a food processor, blend together the peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts,
garlic, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, and red pepper flakes until
the mixture is smooth.

With the motor running, add the oil gradually. Transfer the muhammara to a
bowl and serve it at room temperature with the pita triangles.

Makes about 1-3/4 cups.

[stacylyn777]

This isn't a veggie appetizer, but it has been very popular at parties I have had.

Fruit skewers and Honey Yogurt Dip

For the Fruit Skewers
Take different kinds of fruit, cut them up, and put them on wooden kabob skewers. I usually buy an assortment of melon, strawberries, grapes, and kiwi, but any kind of fruit will work.

For the Dip
Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey into your favorite flavor of yogurt. I normally use lemon and strawberry, so my guests have a choice, but again any flavor will work.

[Beth]

So far, I can't put my hands on that blue cheese dip (it was something along the lines of 1 cup nonfat cottage cheese, 2 oz, maybe 4, blue cheese, a little celery seed, maybe some garlic or salt whirred in a processor or blender in case you want to try winging it).

Here's another one I did find:

1/2 cup soft tofu
2 T rice vinegar
1/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup lowfat sour cream
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Process in a blender until smooth. STore covered in refrigerator. This can be used with veggies or buffalo wings.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 03-15-2001).]

[Beth]

These are both from the California Culinary Academy's Healthy Gourmet book:

Stuffed artichocke bottoms

2 oz reduced fat cream cheese
2 T. blue cheese crumbled (or try Asiago, Parmesan, etc if you don't like blue)
1 T low fat mayo
12 marinated artichoke bottoms

Blend the cheeses and mayo and spoon into artichoke bottoms. Sprinkle tops with paprika.


Stuffed Snow Peas

30 large snow peas, blanch in boiling water about 30 seconds (until they turn bright green)
1 cup low fat ricotta
1 T dried dill
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 T grated Parmesan cheese
30 cooked bay shrimp
30 1-inch sprigs dill for garnish

Cut end off snow peas and cut oopen along one side.


In small bowl, combine ricotta, dill, garlic and Parmesan. Fill cavity of each snow pea with ricotta mixture. Garnish each with sprig of dill and cooked shrimp. Serve chilled or at room temp.

[This message has been edited by Beth (edited 03-15-2001).]

[lindrusso]

Wow - I haven't been on all morning (a rarity for me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif ), so I'm just now seeing these. I don't have time to look through them yet, but I wanted to thank you all for the responses! Can't wait to check it all out.

[Leanne]

Olive dip on slices of cucumber or endive.
I can post the olive dip recipe. I serve it on pita chips.

red peppers dipped in hummus is good.

tips of asparagus wrapped in puff pastry with Bousin cheese.

Someone mentioned stuffed cherry tomatoes - that's a good one. So are stuffed baby potatoes.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

Not a veggie - but dates wrapped in bacon - mmm.... You can also do water chesnuts wrapped in bacon. And I've seen melon balls wrapped in proscuitto. (sp?)

[lindrusso]

Okay, now that I've read through them, I'm getting really hungry! Lots of great ideas!

LGBurns - I'd love the bean dip recipe.

Mandarin2j - Those mushrooms sound great and if you get the chance to post the veggie dip recipe, that would be great - I'm really stumped on dips.

emdg - I'm very intrigued - what are chickpea crunchies and do you have a recipe???

Grace - those recipes sound wonderful. Thanks!

I'd better get these recipes into my files before any more threads disappear.

[Kerri]

I tried something new for a shower recently might be too carb heavy for what you are looking for, but it was the first food item gone! I bought those mini-bagels at the grocery store, slice, spread on cream cheese, and put a piece of roasted red pepper from a jar between the 2 slices of bagel, then cut the mini bagel sandwich in half. It was a really easy, non messy, finger food.

[AGC]

Jeff Smith has a recipe for Baba Ghanoush with acorn squash from his "Our Immigrant Ancestors" book (I think thats the title).

1 to 1 1/2 lb. acorn squash
2 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T. tahini
salt to taste
garnish: olive oil, parsley

-cut squash in half & remove seeds. Brush w/ olive oil & bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, or until very tender. Pulp needs to brown a bit. Allow to cool, dig out pulp w/ a metal spoon. Mash it with other ingred.s with a fork and serve on plate w/ garnishes. Serve with pita bread or french or italian bread.

He also tells how to do it with eggplant.

One other idea is lightly steamed asparagus spears wrapped in a flavorful soft cheese-spread proscuitto (cream cheese, goat cheese).

This is making me hungry!!!

[BeckyM]

mandarin2j -- do you have a recipe for the Spinach Souffle Stuffed Mushrooms? I have feelings about mushrooms that must be similar to yours, and I've been looking for a good recipe for stuffed mushrooms. I'd love it if you could post it. Thanks!

Becky

[mandarin2j]

BeckyM and lindrusso:

Here are the recipes you asked for. On the dip, I did find that it's a bit runny. You'll want to be pretty thorough draining the veggies, especially if you substitute fat-free yogurt for the sour cream. You might even want to add a little lowfat cream cheese as a thickener to the sour cream before you add the veggies.

With the mushrooms, it calls for Stouffer's Spinach Souffle. No local stores carry that anymore http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif so I just make spinach souffle from scratch using the recipe from my "Better Homes and Gardens" cookbook.

Minced Vegetable Dip

From "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman

1 cucumber
1 red bell pepper
1 scallion
1 tbs. freshly minced dill leaves or 1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste (optional)

1. Peel the cucumber, then cut it in half the long way and scoop out the seeds. Stem and seed the pepper (you can peel this, too, if you like). Trim the scallion
2. Mince all the vegetables fine, or put them in the container of a food processor and pulse a few times; do not overprocess. You want to mince the vegetables, not puree them.
3. Mix the vegetables with the dill, sour cream, salt, and pepper; taste and adjust seasoning, adding a little lemon juice if necessary. Cover and refridgerate until ready to use. (You may prepare this recipe in advance; refridgerate, well wrapped or in a covered container, for up to a day before serving.) Serve with vegetables or crackers.

Variations:
Horseradish dip: Omit the dill; omit or include the vegetables as you like. Add 1 tbs. or more prepared horseradish. Add Dijon mustard to taste to give this dip even more kick.
Real onion dip: Omit the vegetables and dill. Add 1/2 cup very finely minced or pureed onion and 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves.
Smoked salmon or trout dip: Omit the dill; omit or include the vegetables as you like. Add 1/2 cup flaked smoked trout or minced smoked salmon and 2 tbs. minced fresh parsley leaves and lemon juice.

Speedy Spinach Mushroom Caps

From "A Taste of Oregon," by the Junior League of Eugene

1 pound fresh mushrooms (note: I use large ones--not portabello, but good sized criminis--and usually have enough filling for 2 pounds with this recipe), with dirt brushed off
1 12-oz. package Stouffer's Spinach Souffle, thawed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut stems off mushrooms and chop, reserving mushroom caps; mix chopped stems into thawed spinach souffle (note: I prefer to add the Parmesan at this point, too, though the original recipe does not call for this). Dip whole mushroom caps into melted butter; shake off excess. Place 1 tbs. of spinach mixture into each cap. Sprinkle each mushroom with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes, until puffy and lightly browned.

This is probably pretty obvious since these involve souffle, but I just wanted to add that these are not good reheated. I usually bring them to potlucks, etc. in one of those glass casseroles that come with the plastic lid and carry bag, so I can bring 'em fresh from the oven. They're a little messy looking, but I never end up with leftovers.

-Amanda

[LGBurns]

Here's the bean dip recipe but I have a caveat. We just had this at my birthday dinner last night and I thought it lacked flavor. I tried it right after I made it and thought it was a little bland but I figured that was because it suggests letting it sit for 30 minutes or more, but when I took it out 7 hours later it still was bland. I think it needs more roasted red peppers--next time I am going to use twice as much. I don't think it was the garlic because I could definitely taste that. It might also be because I used jarred peppers instead of freshly roasted. I do think this could be delicious with more red peppers and will definitely try it again. With that said:

White Bean and Red Pepper Spread

This simply prepared, rosy-colored spread has no added fat and plenty of zip. In fact, the garlic will become more pronounced as the spread sits. Use it to top crostini, fill a sandwich, or accompany chips, crackers, or a vegetable platter. The basic recipe can be multiplied without revision to feed a crowd. It you want to cook your own white beans, use about 2/3 cup of dried beans, soak and drain them, and then cook them in plenty of fresh water for about an hour, until tender.

Makes 2 cups
Prep time: 15 minutes, with already cooked beans and roasted red peppers
Chilling time: 30 minutes

1½ cups cooked white beans (16-ounce can, drained)
1/3 cup roasted red peppers (If you prefer to roast a fresh bell pepper, 1 medium red pepper will work fine)
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine the beans, roasted peppers, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Add more lemon juice, if you like, and whirl for a few moments until just combined. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Variations: Replace the fresh garlic with a tablespoon of Roasted Garlic. Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill or basil to the finished spread.

Per 2-oz serving: 65 calories, 4g protein, 0.3g fat, 12.1g carb, 0mg chol, 23mg sodium, 0.1g total dietary fiber

Linda

[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 03-17-2001).]

[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 03-17-2001).]

[ReneeV]

Hi,

I have a recipe for olive tapanade served in Belgian Endive leaves. It's really delicious, and unusual. You can use any tapanade recipe and then just spoon a tablespoon of the mixture into clean Belgian endive leaves.

I have put other "stuffings" into endive leaves. They are a nice, refeshing dipper and not the usual crudites.

Hope this helps,
Renée

[Emdg]

lindrusso

I didn't see your request for the Chickpea Crunchies 'till just now....They are a great snack, and you can spice them any way you want. Cajun, Southwestern, etc. If you use canned chickpeas, reduce or omit the salt.

Chickpea Crunchies:
2 cups cooked chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans),drained well and blotted dry
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2teaspoon each: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400
2.Toss the chickpeas with the oil, and all spices
3.Spread them on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes,or until golden brown and crisp.

Enjoy!

[ebobbitt]

Leanne, will you please post the olive dip recipe when you get a chance. Thanks.

Elizabeth

[lindrusso]

Thanks again for the suggestions everyone.

And thanks emdg for your chickpea crunchies - I was very intrigued and was hoping you'd see my post! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I'm going to give those a try!

[fob323]

I also love appetizers..but get tired of the same old ones. A few weeks ago I had a get together for approx 15 people. I decided to use the Fondue pot that someone gave me for Xmas for the first time...WHAT FUN WE HAD! I arranged it with veggies and some cubed french bread. We had grape tomatoes, mushrooms, baby carrotts, grapes, apple slices, it was delicious and a lot of laughs.

[Leanne]

Sooooo Sorry it's taken me so long to post this. Every once in a while I search for my name to make sure I haven't missed something.

Here's the olive dip - it makes alot, so you may want to cut it in half.

Olive Dip

16 oz Jar Pitted Kalamata Olives
7 oz Jar Green Olives Stuffed With Pimentos
1/4 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Minced Roasted Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes
Pepper

In a food processor (or the equivalent), blend the olives, garlic, cheese & olive oil together. Add a dash of red pepper flakes (about a tsp) & pepper to taste. Blend again. Serve with bagel chips, pita bread, etc.

[Terrytx]

I made the Marinated Mushrooms from the 4-01 CL issue yesterday and they are very good.

[KellyD]

Here's a different veggie dip that is always a huge hit at parties - because I make it light and it's a really different flavor:

Asian-style Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise (use light or non-fat)
1/4 cup sour cream (use light or non-fat)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Assorted cut-up vegetables (such as carrots, red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, broccoli, steamed chilled asparagus)

Combine first 11 ingredients in small bowl; whisk to blend. Season dip with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Place bowl with dip in center of platter. Surround with assorted vegetables and serve.

Makes 1 cup dip.

Bon Appétit
December 1998
Sally Gilmour; Iwankuni, Japan
Too Busy To Cook?

[Luv to Cook]

I just bought a cookbook entitle canapes this weekend...it seems to have a lot of great recipes. I would be more than happy to post some. The headings are:
Nibbles, Dips and Dippers
Tops & Bottoms
Sticks & Skewers
Wraps & Rolls
Stacks & Cases
If any of the headings sound good to you I will post a few recipes.

Anita