Vegan Entertaining -- Made Easy!
Melissa writes:
I really enjoy reading your blog, and I've tried making some of the recipes that you share (most recently, the vegan oat pancakes, which were tasty!). I was wondering if I could ask for your advice on a vegan recipe matter -- I'm having some friends over for an after-work get-together, and I'm hoping to make it vegan friendly. Do you have any suggestions about good vegan appetizers that are pretty low maintenance? I'll have about an hour-ish after work to make stuff. Usually I'd go for cheese and baguette in this situation, and for some reason I'm stuck in thinking of something equivalent that's vegan, aside from a hummus and veggie tray.
What a great question, Melissa! Entertaining can be stressful -- am I right? You want to please everyone -- fill their stomachs with the foods they like to eat -- but you also want to keep it budget-friendly and fast. You're in luck -- vegan appetizers and finger foods are not only easy on the wallet . . . they can also be super simple to make -- AND more impressive than veggies and hummus.
Here are some ideas that we can offer from our recipe archives:
- Easy Guacamole is a sure crowd favorite. It's hard to resist the stuff when you pair it with some chips (our favorite are blue corn tortilla chips) or pita bread. The trick is in the mix of seasonings, so be sure to test yours before serving!
- Portabellas with Peanut Sauce are just about as easy to make as it gets. Plus, they're something unexpected.
- Pumpkin Garlic Knots can be made vegan by substituting nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese. If you don't have time to make your own dough, go store-bought.
- Veggie Summer Rolls seem difficult at first, but once you get a hang of the rice paper -- you're golden. Serve with different sauces -- our favorite is hoisen sauce.
- Coconut-Garbanzo Bean Salad has a unique mix of flavors and is incredibly healthy. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day, too!
- Frozen Banana Bites are a great dessert-y thing to try. Even if you make them five minutes before company arrives, by the end of the night, they'll be done . . . a sweet treat to enjoy.
- Red Zinger Lemonade is a fun drink choice that will work for kids and adults alike. If you can, make the tea in the morning -- it will be all the faster to mix together in the afternoon.
Those are just a few of our favorites. But there are a ton of other vegan appetizers on the web:
- Easy Bruschetta (About.com)
- Seven Layer Dip (About.com)
- Kale Chips (by Ashley)
- Easy Garlic Scape Pesto (by Angela)
- Sweet Potato Fries (by Kath)
- "Anytime is Good" Sangria (by Jessica)
- Tahini-Free Hummus (by Abby)
- Sugar-and-Spiced Candied Nuts (by Shannalee)
Do you have a burning question you'd like to see us answer on the site? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com. And while you're at it, tell us what YOUR favorite fast and tasty vegan appetizer is. The more the merrier!
Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!
16 comments:
Guacamole and nachos is seriously some of the best party food--no animal products required!
Here's a little tip: If you leave the avocado pits in the guacamole, it won't turn brown!
You have one of the most visually-appealing blogs ever. I think you'll go far with Project Foodbuzz (if you plan to participate). You have such an eye for design... food in particular. Inspiration, you are!
I always like to whip up a batch of roasted chick peas. All they need is a little salt, pepper, olive oil and half and hour or so in the oven. (I like to add nutritional yeast as well for a 'cheesy' flavor). These disappear fast!
Hillary -- I don't know much about Project Foodbuzz. I'll have to look that up. But thank you :) I really appreciate your kind words.
Liz -- Excellent suggestion! I never knew that about avocados!
ahealthyendeavor -- roasted chickpeas sound amazing. thanks for the tip.
Love this list and good timing too as I'm having a gathering this weekend!
Great ideas! I've had success with putting out a variety of dips and dippers - any kind of bean dip (white beans, black beans, hummus, refried beans), sweet potato or curried carrot dip, vegan ranch or tahini dressing, salsa. Some crackers are "accidentally vegan", like triscuits and ritz, and there's always pita and tortilla chips, and veggies. Stuffed mushrooms are also a great idea. You can do an antipasto platter with marinated or grilled veggies and olives. Having a sweet treat or two is also great.
Thank you for this timely post. I have read your blog for a while and love to cook and play in the kitchen and outside. You have inspired me to share my adventures too, so I recently started a blog and included your blog on my "I like" section. http://marisa-makes.blogspot.com/
VEGAN appetizer: curry honey hummus from edible perspective is so easy and sooooo yummy.
http://edibleperspective.com/2010/02/recipe-time-2/
Marisa - Thanks for the shout out!!!! :)
Ash - Ahhh just think of the parties we could throw if we lived nearby. You're such a wealth of knowledge and have SO many fabulous ideas!!
Ashley -- I KNOW! Booo. Stop reminding me about the 1,700 miles between us!!!
How's this for good timing? Tonight, I wanted those same vegan oatmeal pancakes (yes, for dinner) that I mentioned in the question email. So I stopped over here before my usual blog reading time to find the recipe, and was met with my email question and some very fabulous answers!!! Thanks for all the great ideas, and for the guest cameo.
You can never go wrong with some good guacamole ;) Love that coconut garbanzo bean salad, love the combo!
I love entertaining with real vegan foods....no one ever thinks of them as vegan of course which is the whole point! I make hummus with pita and veggies, veggies with dip, pickle/olive trays, chips and salsa, fruit chunks, and spring rolls. All loved foods that contain no meat or dairy. It's perfect.
I really cannot wait to try your pumpkin garlic knots! They make my mouth water!!
ANd thanks for the shout-out!!
Great post! I will be trying some of the guacamole and bruchetta to take to a picnic tomorrow (and sneak some vegan eats into my friends' diets...)!
This is awesome blossom stuff! We haven't entertained in a while and now that we have a new focus on healthy eating, I've been wondering what we would serve.
@ Diana - so right! Most of those are also raw (not that it's important to me); isn't it amazing that a lot of the stuff we eat is vegan and raw!
Post a Comment