ISO Appetizer Ideas

[CharlieD]

My wife and bunch of ladies are going to have a get together with a guest speaker. The place they are going to though is very nice, but doesn’t have a kitchen or a restaurant. So, they need to bring stuff with them. They could bring a sterno (not sure about spelling), but would prefer cold appetizers. The rule is simple no dairy/seafood.
It can be vegetarian or meat, but absolutely no dairy or fish, well any seafood for that matter. Dips, sandwiches, whatever else you can come up with. I need ideas. Because some how I got stock with preparing stuff for them. Please help me out.

 

[Alix]

Charlie, my suggestion would be to do pinwheels. You just put your filling in a layer on a tortilla and roll it up. Refrigerate for a bit then slice them about 1/2 inch thick and place on a plate. You can put whatever you want in them. I do egg salad, greek ones (but they have feta cheese), turkey slices, roast beef slices, pretty much anything you can put in a sandwich you can do in these and it looks pretty too! Good luck!

 

[pdswife]

Cinnamon sugared nuts


2 egg whites
1 c Sugar
8 cups unblanched almonds or pecans, or walnuts
1/4 C Cinnamon

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°. Stir whites and nuts in bowl until nuts are well coated and sticky. Mix sugar
and cinnamon; sprinkle over nuts, stir until nuts are completly coated. Spread in a single layer on
2 ungeased cookie shets. Bake about 30 minutes or until nuts are toasted and dry. Store in an
airtight container

Spiced and Salted Pecans

1 c Sugar
1/2 c Water
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 cups pecans

Directions:
Combine in pan and cook over medium heat to thread stage the following. Sugar, water, cinnamom and
slat. Remove from heat, add vanill and pecans. Stir until pecans are coated and mix is creamy. Put
onto greased plate and speprate pecans as they cool.

I've had both of these for years and have no idea where the recipes came from. The second one is the best.
sorry I can't be of more help but it seems like all my appy's have cheese in them.

 

[CharlieD]

"pinwheels" could be nice, I was thinking about them too. Anymore?

 

[Vegas Girl]

Trouble is, lots of appetizers have sour cream or cream cheese.

 

[cara]

do something with puff pastry.. fill it with ground meat, sausages etc... whatever you like...

what about eggs? cook them, cut into halfs and put some mayonaise or likely on it... would say caviar, but thats seafood...

 

[cara]

225g potatoes
225g ground beef or lamb
1 onion, chopped
1 T fresh coriander
1 celery, fine chopped
1 clove of garlic, smashed
Salt/pepper
Oil

Sauce:
1T Oil
1 chopped onion
2t brown sugar
400g tomatoes, canned
1t paprika powder
150ml vegetable brooth
starch

cut potatoes in cubes, cook and mash.
add meat, onions, coriander, celery and garlic and mix well. spice with pepper and salt.
knead and form balls, around 20.

for the sauce heat oil in a pot and stew the onions about 5min, add the other ingridients and cook with low heat for 20min.

heat oil in a pan and fry the meat rolls for about 10-15min.
serve on a plate and top with the sauce

 

[abjcooking]

Not sure if you can do cream cheese or not, but here are some ideas off the top of my head

little smokies (using a crockpot)
fruit pizza
Mini BBQ meatballs
Homemade pico or bruscetta

This is a recipe that I have set aside, but haven't tried it yet.

Ruby-Red Pretzel Dip

1 can (16oz.) jellied cranberry sauce
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground mustard
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. pepper
1 T. all purpose flour
1 T. cold water
Red food coloring, optional
Pretzels

In a saucepan combine cranberry sauce, sugar, vinegar, ginger, mustard, cinnamon and pepper; whisk over medium.

Heat until smooth. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; add to cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes while stirring.

Transfer to a bowl; stir in food coloring if desired. Cover and chill overnight. Serve with pretzels. Yields 2 cups.

 

[marmalady]

How about a white bean dip, served with pita chips?

WHITE BEAN DIP

​

makes 2 cups

¼ cup soft bread crumbs
2T dry white wine
1 15 oz. can white beans(I like Navy, but cannellini are fine, too)
¼ cup toasted almonds
3 cloves garlic minced
2T lemon juice
2T olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne
2tsp. fresh oregano

Combine bread crumbs and wine and let sit for 10 minutes. Place beans, almonds, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and cayenne in food processor; process til almost smooth. Add bread crumb mixture and blend til smooth. Stir in herbs. Cover and chill 4 to 14 hours.

You could also use this as a filling for the 'pinwheels', with maybe some chopped cucumber, tomato and lettuce.

If you'd like to make something 'dippy' that usually has sour cream or cream cheese in it, try the 'Tofutti' brand nondairy cream cheese or sour cream; I've used them both and can vouch for them.

Other ideas -

A roasted veggie platter with assorted breads

Oh, and here's a chicken platter we used to serve at room temp for parties - I can't give you quantities - you'll have to put it together with how much you want to make.

Marinate boneless, skinless chicken breasts in:

Lemon juice
lots of chopped garlic
chopped parsley
minced fresh rosemary
salt and pepper

Then, either saute or grill them off. When they're cool, line a platter with pretty lettuce or kale leaves. Then slice the chicken breasts crosswise on a diagonal, fan them out a little, and arrange them prettily on the platter. The 'sauce' we made was with mayo, but you can find non-dairy mayo - was just made with the mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and salt/pepper.

 

[mish]

If you can find the ready made phillo mini shells at the market, here are several filling ideas below. If they are not available, spray a muffin tin and won ton wrappers with cooking spray, push the wrappers into the cups, bake, let them cool, and fill. You can make the cups ahead & put them in a zip lock bag.

http://www.athens.com/consumers/archive.aspx

MiniShells
Banana Sunshine Cups
Café Mocha
Cajun Scallops with Mango Salsa
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Deviled Eggs in an Athens Mini Shell
Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Key Lime Tarts
Leprechaun Pies
Light Fruited Pudding Cups
Lite Bites
Luscious Blueberry Cream Swirls
Maryland crab shells
Mozzarella, Cucumber, Tomato and Basil
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Kiss
Petite Cheesecake Cups
Portabella & Button Mushrooms In Mini Fillo Shells
Pumpkin mousse
Quick Mini Quiche
Salsa & Black Bean Mini Fillo Shells
Smoked Turkey with Cranberry Salsa
Spiced Apricot Tart
Spinach Tarts
Sweet Potato Tart with Caramelized Onions
Tantalizing Salmon Appetizers
Tex-Mex Tarts

 

[Andy M.]

Mish:

Great post. Thanks for these links I'll be using some of them later for our Christmas gatherings.

 

[Schadenfreude]

Big bag of frozen meatballs from Costco.
Big jug of Koyasha's sweet and savory marinade.

Dump 1 layer meatballs in a pan. Fill with water halfway up the meatballs. Heat until bubbling and add the marinade. Simmer, turning the meatballs. The longer they simmer, the more "glazed" they get. Serve hot with toothpicks. My guests went nuts for this on Saturday!

 

[QSis]

Cold ones preferred, huh?

Well, you could make cantalope wrapped in prosciutto. And/or steamed asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto which has been smeared with a mixture of mayo and dijon mustard. Both are delicious and big hits.

Maybe a divided relish tray of jardinere, good mixed olives and marinated mushrooms. I have a wonderful recipe for the latter that my mother makes - they taste like steak!

I will post it when I find it.

Lee

 

[JMediger]

I would go with a nice antipasto platter (sans the cheese) ... add a bowl of hummus to the mix with pita chips.

I'm not sure if you consider butter in the no dairy part but like Mish, I would suggest puff pastry or phillo dough creations except that both either contain butter or need butter to work well... By the way Mish - those fillings look great!

 

[CharlieD]

Thanks everybody, I'm sure I should be able to come up with something now.

 

[mish]

Mish:

Great post. Thanks for these links I'll be using some of them later for our Christmas gatherings.

You are very welcome, Andy. There are several I would like to try - appys, desserts, and entrees, as well.

 

[mish]

I would go with a nice antipasto platter (sans the cheese) ... By the way Mish - those fillings look great!

Thank you, Mediger. You read my mind, re antipasti. Wanted to mention a deli platter as well.

Charlie, if you're still open to some ideas, I'll try to get back. Hope you have a great time at your party.

 

[SierraCook]

How about a fruit platter with melons, strawberries, grapes, orange sections, etc? The only draw back is that the fruit maybe expensive due to being out of season. Here are a couple of dips that are my favorites and can be served with crackers, pita chips, tortilla chips, etc.

Mexican Black Bean Dip


1-15.5 oz. can black beans
1/3 cup salsa
¼ cup cilantro leaves
4 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Tortilla chips


Drain and rinse black beans. Combine beans, cilantro, lemon juice, and garlic in food processor. Blend until smooth. Garnish with leaflets of cilantro. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips. Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.





Roasted Garlic Hummus

1 bulb garlic, unpeeled
2 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil
1 can (15.5 ounces) great northern beans, drained and 2 tablespoons liquid reserved
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh parsley
Pita bread wedges, crackers or raw vegetables, if desired

Heat oven to 350ºF. Cut 1/2-inch slice off top of garlic bulb. Drizzle oil over garlic bulb. Wrap garlic in foil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until garlic is soft when pierced with a knife; cool slightly. Squeeze garlic into food processor. Add beans, reserved bean liquid, lemon juice and salt. Cover and process until uniform consistency. Spoon dip into serving dish. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with pita bread wedges.

This recipe was originally posted by norgeskog.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO DIP

1/4 cup drained oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 Tbs chopped drained bottled roasted red peppers (1 oz)
1/2 cup walnuts roasted (about 1-3/4 oz)
1 tsp finely shopped shallot
1-1/2 tsp red-wine vinegar
2 Tbs water
1/4 cup evoo

Puree all ingredients except oil in a food processor. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream blending until incorporated. Season to taste with salt.

You may also get some ideas from the appetizer thread below.

Your favorite appetizers to make