Calling All Fruit/Vegetable Appetizers...

I made these for visiting family last weekend and they were gobbled up before everything else~

Mozzarella, Cherry Tomato and Basil Skewers

1 clove garlic, smashed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), about 8 ounces
1 pint mixed red and yellow cherry or pear tomatoes
12 basil leaves, preferably large
12 (6-inch) wooden skewers

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper flakes, and olive oil in a medium glass bowl. Cover and microwave on high until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Cool. Add the bocconcini and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 24 hours.
Thread a yellow cherry tomato onto a skewer, wrap a bocconcini in a basil leaf and add to the skewer, then finish with a red tomato. For a dramatic presentation, use both pear and cherry tomatoes. Halve the top cherry tomato and use it as a stand for the skewer.
Repeat with the remaining cheese and tomatoes. Save the oil for a dipping sauce and serve with a small bowl of kosher salt.

Veggies and dip are always good.

Skewers are a great idea - I've done cubed fruit skewers - looks beautiful, easy to serve.

A very good spread dish for veges can be made in layers and it will look beautiful - now I make this vegan by substituting the cream cheese with tofutti cream cheese and the butter for earth balance -- comes out just as good... this goes a LONG way....

VEGAN TORTA

mix one package of tofutti cream cheese (yes you could use regular cream cheese)
add an equal part of earth balance margarine (yes you could use butter - or another margarine)
mix completely

place cheese cloth in bottom of bowl to create a basket for this

spread 1/3 of the tofutti-earth balance mix
spread a layer of diced sun-dried tomatoes
spread 1/3 of the tofutti-earth balance mix
spread a thick layer of vegan pesto (if you need a recipe for this let me know)
add the last 1/3 layer of tofutti
wrap the cheese cloth tightly -
keep in fridge a couple of hours

when ready to serve with sliced veges and toasted baggetts - turn over, remove cheese cloth - add some of the pesto to the top, garnish with some whole basil.

An Italian bruschetta is flavorful, simple and refreshing: tomatoes, garlic, basil and some balsamic vinegar/olive oil. Serve on baguette slices or crackers.

If you can take something hot, try stuffed mushrooms. A Spanish classic uses garlic and parsley. Clean and trim mushrooms. Mince trimed stems finely. Make another pile of finely minced garlic to make half the volume of the stems, and another of finely minced flat-leaf parsley to the same bolume a the garlic. Your garlic and parsley together should be the same size as the minced sems. Scoop all into a bowl and mix well with salt and pepper and enough extra virgin olive oil to cause to slightly adhere.

Lay mushroom caps upside down on an ovenproof tray and fill with stem mixture. Broil a few minutes until tender and trnsfer to a serving tray. Serve hot. You could carry and reheat under the broier there.


Greek Toasts
Wash thoroughly a bunch of spinach; remove tough stems and chop. Saute in extra virgin olive oil. Remove from heat and stir in 4 oz. feta, crumbled, so it starts to melt slightly. Add salt, pepper, a tiny amount of cinnamon and a tiny amount of nutmeg to taste. (A mere hint, not an actual recobnizable taste of the latter 2!!) Slice a baguette into 1/2" thick slices and toast. Cool to allow to become crisp. Spread with spinach mixtureTop with a few more cumbles of feta and broil slightly. Serve hot. You coud finish these there if the hostells doesn't mind.

Take some whole wheat or multigrain tortillas and spread them with a thin layer of low-fat cream cheese. Then layer on some very thinly sliced or diced veggies, whatever you find--such as bell pepper, onion, broccoli, anything really. You can add bean sprouts, too, or various types of lettuce leaves. Then, roll up the tortillas and slice into pinwheel shapes (you may need toothpicks to hold the pinwheels together). This is a really versatile appetizer--you could add all kinds of things to make them different, such as low-fat shredded cheese, red pepper flakes, garlic powder (mix this into the cream cheese), and more. Or, you can saute the veggies instead of leaving them raw if you don't want so much crunch--just be sure to drain them well and let them cool before making the pinwheels if you do this.

Oh man, you guys are the best! I want to make the skewers (tomato/mozzarella/basil, AND fruit), and dip for veggies and the torta and the Greek toasts and the mushrooms and the bruschetta... I'll see what looks particularly good at the farmers' market and go from there. Thanks so much for the ideas!

Try wither a fruit pizza or a cold veggie pizza...roll out 2 tubes of refrigerator crescent rolls on a cookie sheet, press to seal all edges and form a large uniform rectangle..bake 15 minutes @ 400 or till golden...cool thoroughly.

Fruit: mix 8 oz cream cheese with 4 TBS. sugar till fluffy...top "crust" with mixture...add fresh fruit slices...kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple etc...chill and cut into small squares

veggie: mix 8 oz cream cheese with 1/2 package DRY ranch or Italian dressing mix . top with chopped veggies...brocollli, peppers, tomato, onion, shrooms..etc.. chill

I like Janene C.'s idea, sounds great!

This is great, for the low carbers and anyone else who loves pepperoni. I've also used other salamis with good luck.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Pepperoni Cups

Recipe By : source: forum at Suzannesomers.com
Serving Size : 24 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
24 slices pepperoni
4 oz cream cheese -- softened
4 oz mozzarella cheese -- in tiny cubes
4 oz parmesan cheese -- freshly grated (no
green box)
5 oz frozen thawed spinach -- squeezed dry

Spray 2 mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Place a slice of pepperoni in each cup.

In a small bowl, combine the three cheeses and mix well. Mix in the spinach.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a bit of the cheese mixture on top of each piece of pepperoni (I find it easiest to wet my hands a bit, take a spoon and put some in my hands and roll it into a ball and then put it on top of the pepperoni and then flatten it with either damp fingertips or the bottom of a tiny glass). Flatten the cheese mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and starts to brown.

Remove from oven. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes, then remove (I find a thin spatula works well) to a wire rack and let cool until easily handled.

Makes 24



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NOTES : Risa's notes:

These are magnificent as they are but they are terrific on top of a huge salad with italian dressing. They make a great snack just as they are and they refrigerate well. Just remove from refrigerator, place back in muffin tin and re-heat for a few minutes at 350 until the cheese gets bubbly again.

Also, other salamis and dried sausages work well. I've used sausage made from game and also thicker salamis and they all work well. If you like things spicy, use a spicy dry sausage instead of pepperoni or a spicier pepperoni.

Doubles easily.

the basil/tomato/mozerella combo is a hit to be sure. if I can get the photos to work at some point today, I'll be posting my version of that along with an arugala salad with fig dressing that was quite good.

Bruchetta! mmm.

What did you end up doing?

Donna - I am going to make these veggie pizzas tomorrow - I'll use tofutti cream cheese as a substitute to make it vegan - but these sound fantastic!

Hi All,

Thanks again so much for the suggestions. I ended up making bruschetta and also skewering halved yellow pear and red cherry
tomatoes, basil and mozzarella balls on toothpicks. Apparently the tomato/basil/cheese combination was very popular because when I got to the party there were both tomato/mozzarella/basil skewers and bruschetta on the table. That's the way it goes sometimes I suppose. But people seemed to like it, and I just had some of the leftovers over pasta, so I'm happy with it too. Thanks again for all of your suggestions!

wow! This all sounds fantastic! Wish I could have crashed the party!

I love appetizers, these all sounds great.

2 years later and this is still a great post.

I found it in Cook's Illustrated!


Grilled Vegetable Salad
This grilled vegetable salad balances the smoky flavor of charred eggplant, zucchini, red pepper, and onion with a sharp but balanced vinaigrette and rich pine nuts. This summery salad was delicious enough to make it a runner-up in our Creative Salads contest. When we made Kristi’s salad, here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

Slice the zucchini and eggplant into thin planks so that they are easy to grill; they can be chopped into smaller pieces once cooked. Prepare a medium-hot grill; a very hot fire will scorch the vegetables and leave the interior raw.
Make sure to use fresh chopped thyme; dried thyme tastes dusty and bland unless it is fully hydrated.
Pay close attention when toasting the pine nuts. They have a high fat content and burn quite easily.
Grilled Vegetable Salad
Serves 6



Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper

Salad

1 zucchini , sliced into 1/4-inch planks
1 eggplant , sliced into 1-inch rounds
2 red bell peppers , halved, seeded, and pressed flat
1/2 cup olive oil
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 red onion , cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 baguette , sliced into 1-inch rounds
1/3 cup pine nuts , toasted
1 (7-ounce) bag mixed salad greens (about 12 cups)
Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. For the dressing: Whisk oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste in bowl.

2. For the salad: Toss zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers with 3 tablespoons oil in bowl and season with salt and pepper. Brush onion and baguette with remaining 5 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables and bread until charred on both sides, just 1 or 2 minutes for bread and up to 12 minutes for onions.

3. Chop vegetables roughly and toss with pine nuts and 2 tablespoons dressing in bowl. Toss salad greens with 2 tablespoons dressing in second bowl.

4. Place 3 bread slices on each large plate. Top bread with salad, then vegetables. Drizzle with remaining dressing; garnish with Parmesan. Serve.