Vegan tapas/apéro snacks--recipes, ideas pls

October 8, 2014 12:54 PM

I volunteered to bring some vegan snacks to an afterwork get together; could be anything from hummus and carrots to something more substantial. I need to be able to assemble or make it/them the day before. Thank you!
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

Vegan dolmas? I have never made them but I've had them before and they're delicious.
posted by radioamy at 12:58 PM on October 8, 2014

Roasted peppers? My aunt used to make this dish with slow roasted eggplant, red peppers, and onions, with tons of olive oil. To die for!
posted by Neekee at 1:02 PM on October 8, 2014

Jicama-wrapped guacamole. Shave the jicama super thin, then wrap around the guac sort of like a wonton.
posted by vignettist at 1:07 PM on October 8, 2014

You can make great spring rolls with veggies and a walnut-paste filling (search "vegan walnut ground beef").
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:20 PM on October 8, 2014

fresh spring rolls with peanut sauce or red curry peanut sauce

devilish potatoes or patatas bravas

cowboy caviar with tortilla chips

kalamata olive tapenade or porcini-pecan pâté with pita chips or melba toast

crispy oven-roasted chickpeas

puff pastry pizza pinwheels

if you're feeling adventurous enough to get out the tofu: vegan quiche (puff pastry) or vegan spanakopita (phyllo dough)

if you wanna get fancy: cucumber-avocado tea sandwiches with fresh herbs or walnut pâté tea sandwiches with pears and arugula

Sekrit vegan aside: Hummus is totally inescapable for us, so it feels like nothing short of a miracle whenever we go to a gathering where there's something, ANYTHING we can eat that has nothing to do with hummus. You've gotta do what you gotta do, of course, but in my dream world, hummus has been permanently relegated to the position of a would-be vegan cook's measure of last resort. Thank you for making vegan food!
posted by divined by radio at 1:26 PM on October 8, 2014 [8 favorites]

If you want to do a Middle Eastern spread sort of thing, you could make it more exciting than just hummus by adding some other vegan dips...baba ghanoush and muhammara come to mind. Add a bunch of cut up veggies and some pita chips, and I think that would make an awesome treat!

Also, depending on the classiness level of this event, I will note that Oreos are vegan and...everyone likes Oreos. :) Obviously not ideal if this is a fancier setting, but it's a nice way to add something sweet to whatever else you are offering that will have wide appeal.
posted by rainbowbrite at 1:45 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: This is all helpful so far! Thank you.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 1:49 PM on October 8, 2014

I love hummus, but I can see how it'd get old, fast for vegans, so if you're going to settle on hummus, you could try and do something a little unusual, like a black bean dip, peanut butter hummus, miso hummus, or other easy dips that are not hummus.
posted by PearlRose at 1:50 PM on October 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Chick peas roasted with spices can be deliciously snacky like popcorn, only higher protein and kind of creamy in the middle. Something like this recipe is cheap and delicious (and easy to make ahead).
posted by ldthomps at 1:56 PM on October 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

Roasted spiced nuts are a good choice.
posted by mmascolino at 2:43 PM on October 8, 2014

I've had really good responses to both of these appetizers (as in, none left over at the end of the potluck and requests for the recipes):

If you want tasty and dead simple, go with zucchini butter/zucchini marmalade. I don't put shallots in mine, so the way I do it is

1) grate 3 zucchinis
2) drain in colander for about 5 minutes
3) heat some olive oil in a heavy pan, then cook the drained zucchini in it until it is cooked down (about 20 minutes) to half its original volume. Season to taste with salt and pepper while cooking.

If you want to put in more effort and there's no one with nut allergies, go with this mushroom walnut pate.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:07 PM on October 8, 2014

Bruschetta (that's just one example -- plenty of others) means people there need to "assemble" it themselves, but no different than hummus and veggies.

If you can possibly reheat them beforehand, polenta fries are amazing (serve with your favorite vegan marinara sauce).

White bean dips (lots of recipes out there!) always feel a bit more elegant than just hummus (but also super easy to make!).

I had some delicious roasted edamame pods at a restaurant and that's also something that may depend on if you can heat something up while you're there, but there are a lot of variations on edamame you can find.

Samosas are complicated but you can use a lot of those flavors (potatoes, peas, curry powder) in other applications.

If it's not a fully vegan crowd, I'd avoid tofu-ish stuff (I love tofu, but ...).

Good luck!
posted by darksong at 6:33 PM on October 8, 2014

Corn cakes/fritters are a nice simple snack that taste great fresh and go with just about any dip you can imagine.
posted by Ted Maul at 2:22 AM on October 9, 2014

Seconding muhammara. This recipe is similar to the one I use and I can't get enough of it. It's tangy and spicy and delicious. Add some smoked paprika for added flavor. (One note - when it says "fresh bread crumbs" it's not kidding about the "fresh" part. Store bought crumbs make it too dense and throw the texture off. Give some stale bread or bread that has been dried out in a low temperature oven a whirl in the food processor before you throw everything else in.)

Pomegranate molasses can be a little tricky to find, but it's worth it and one bottle will last forever.
posted by marshmallow peep at 6:07 AM on October 9, 2014