Vegan Cooking Tips
Quick and Easy Party Ideas
by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD
Planning a party? We have one word... appetizers! They are easy to serve and are portion-perfect. Party participants can eat as few or as many as they like... Not very hungry? Use appetizers as a nibble. Very hungry? Fill your plate for a meal!
As you plan your preparation, remember that many appetizers can be made far in advance and frozen for several days ahead and refrigerated. Here are some suggestions for cold and hot appetizers:
Cold Snacks
Hummus: Purchase "traditional flavor" hummus or make your own and create flavors with the addition of puréed spinach, tomato paste, finely minced carrots, celery and onions, puréed pickled or roasted chilies, or puréed black beans. Serve with crunchy vegetables, crackers, pretzels, small pieces of toast or toasted bagels, pitas, or matzah. You can top the veggies or bread and create a platter, or put out large bowls of hummus with individual bowls and spoons so participants can create their own mini-platters. Hummus can be refrigerated for two days prior to use.
Pinwheels: Buy tortillas, wraps, cracker bread, or any type of thin bread that can be rolled. Layer at least three fillings so that when the pinwheels are cut, they show different colors. For example, combinations—such as spinach, sundried tomatoes, and shredded vegan cheese; mashed red beans, chopped black olives, and shredded Romaine; or guacamole, corn cut from the cob, and shredded red cabbage—offer different colors, textures, and flavors.
Spring rolls: Practice rice-paper rolling and fill spring rolls with an assortment of shredded Romaine or spinach, shredded carrots, slivered almonds, pine nuts or soy nuts, edamame, diced vegan sausage, chopped mushrooms, or shredded nori. Serve with dipping sauces, such as teriyaki, hot sauce, and soy sauce. Spring rolls can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.
Sushi: Get out your bamboo mats, cheesecloth, or plastic wrap and get ready to create interesting sushi. Sushi rice can be mixed with a very small amount of light-flavored vinegar, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a sprinkle of vegan sweetener. Roll cooled, prepared sushi rice with diced smoked tofu, tempeh, or seitan; chopped mushrooms; diced avocado; shredded carrots; shredded celery; scrambled, cooled seasoned tofu; or shredded nori. Serve with dipping sauces, a wasabi-vegan mayonnaise sauce, or thickened, cooled miso.
Hot Snacks
Avocado quesadillas: Cut small or larger tortillas into triangles and load them up with mashed avocado or guacamole and a sprinkle of chopped olives, chilies, tomatoes, or onions. Spray with vegetable oil and roast them in a dry frying pan or air fryer.
Bruschetta: If you have crusty bread, top with avocado and toppings then broil quickly.
Meatless balls: Purchase your favorite frozen vegan meatballs or refrigerated veggie burgers, or make a batch of your favorite veggie burger or loaf mix to create meatballs. These can be frozen until ready to use. Bake in the oven or air fryer until heated through. Serve with mushroom gravy, pesto, or a mushroom sauce (use stems from the stuffed mushrooms, below).
Stuffed mushrooms or potato skins: Save some of the meatball mix from the recipe above, and stem, wash, and pat dry fresh mushroom caps. Fill with meatball mix and bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. These can be cooled and frozen until ready to reheat. Baked potatoes can be scooped out, and the cooked potato saved for mashed potatoes, potato soup, or part of your meatball mix. Fill the saved potato skins with some of the meatball mix, bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, and cool before serving.
