Oooh, it's a bit cold....

[dira]

Eddie Izzard describes my life. I mean, sure, he says "Napoleon" and "Hitler" and "invading Russia" instead of "Dira at age 26/27/30" and "attempting to quit being a nerd-hermit and spring into the dating world in one flying blind-date/speed-date/internet-matching leap". But other than that, spot on.

Which is to say, I have an "It's not you, it's me. Really, really me." Email to write. Again. /o\



And in slightly less doomed adventures in having a social life, I'm going to a potluck dinner party thing next weekend, and I'm supposed to bring an appetizer for eight. And the hosts are vegetarians. And the main course is very cheese-oriented, so I feel like I should do something that is not, you know, also cheese. I keep forlornly googling vegetarian appetizers and halfway convincing myself I could totally make a couple dozen tiny empanadas and then wondering if I can't just, like... bring a veggie tray. HELP ME, INTERNETS. YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE.



On the bright side, it is actually not a bit cold in my apartment, because yesterday iulia and helaaspindakaas came up to help me plastic-seal my windows. I think last year at this time I had not yet reminded my landlord to please take the window A/C units out so ... it was a lot colder in my apartment, this time last year. I've spent the last 24 hours not constantly huddling under blankets and marveling at the wonders of technology.

Iulia also wound up hanging some art for me--I bought a level and some frames, but I'm hopeless at hammering and ... perfectionism ... so she just kind of took over after I took out a lamp trying to hang a picture. So now the art is very, very level and it becomes apparent that everything else in the room is crooked. This is what happens when you disassemble and reassemble bottom-of-the-line IKEA bookcases a couple of times. They get... wobbly. But I have art and heat AND managed to cook beef stroganoff correctly for guests, so what more can I ask?

Except some manner of appetizer recipe. Seriously. I have no idea. O.O

Comments

[iulia]

You had a level! It seemed a shame not to make the utmost use of it. *g*

[dira]

I bought it for this very purpose! ...Possibly including handing it to you and standing back. *g*

[were_duck]

I find hummus is a good appetizer recipe for vegetarian potluck things! You can just buy some hummus and pita chips, too, if you don't want to go through the mess of making it, though it is a very easy thing to make if you have a food processor or sturdy blender. I like it because you actually get some protein in there, as opposed to the straight-up carbs and sugar of most potluck offerings.

And <333 good luck with the letter...

[riverlight]

I was just going to suggest hummus or baba ghanoush! Hummus, if I recall correctly, is something like chickpeas plus tahini (comes in jars, often in the same section you buy peanut butter, at least at my hippie Berkeley store) plus lemon juice plus olive oil plus salt. Wicked easy, and delicious!

[dira]

Hummus it is! Even in the tragic midwest we have hummus in grocery stores, though I think it is not sold next to the peanut butter. :)

[moss]

I third the hummus. It's pretty simple to make, really tasty, and if you can't find tahini, you can always buy sesame seeds to toast & make your own.

[dira]

Oooh, okay. Hummus and pita chips it is. Maybe some veggies as well, if I am feeling, uh, like cutting up veggies.

And I wrote that email, then got back an email from the first guy I sent an "it's not you it's me" email to this week, asking if we couldn't be friends. I thought that was my line? But okay?

[nestra]

I have been loving this Roasted Eggplant and Feta Dip. Eatable with tortilla chips or crudites or pita slices. I also think you could leave out some of the olive oil, or add it slowly to taste.

[adina]

If you have a food processor or blender, I have a recipe for Armenian bean and walnut pate that is quite, quite good. As in good enough that you may have to assure your hosts that it is really vegetarian, because most people I've served it to have assumed it's meat. It's pretty much this recipe, except that we use salted preserved lemons, chopped, as the garnish instead of pomegranate seeds. You can also substitute dried herbs and skip the parsley if you want.

Do yourself and the other guests a favor and don't soak the beans overnight before cooking them. It takes time, it doesn't make them cook any faster, and (I'm told) soaking beans causes more gas.

[flamebyrd]

Hmmm, I've heard the opposite for soaking beans! Clearly research is required on this (since I cook beans semi-regularly).

[feochadn]

The reason for soaking beans is to reduce the phytic acid that chelates minerals and prevents their absorption by the human body - it is for NUTRITIONAL reasons. Wisdom from the ages...
"Phytic acid had been considered an antinutritional factor because of its ability of chelate minerals and impede their absorption and because of the limited capacity of monogastric species to hydrolyze and utilize phosphorus from this molecule. This is of particular significance in legumes, where a large portion of phosphorus is in the form of phytic acid. Heating and soaking in acid solution followed by cooking led to large decreases in phytic acid. Soaking reduced phosphorus content (15.4%)." Copyright © 1997 American Chemical Society

[molly_o]

Doesn't the soaking also get rid of something toxic in kidney beans?

(On reflection, I'm pretty sure I read that in a Dick Francis novel, so it could be complete fiction.)

[renenet]

I second the hummus suggestion above. Or I'll go you one notch easier still (for homemade, that is to say) and suggest this white-bean puree that I keep meaning to try.

[dira]

Hummus seems to be the clear winner. Store-bought, as I do not own a food processor or blender. :)

[renenet]

\o/ Easy and manageable option FTW!

[flamebyrd]

Ooh, veggie appetiser suggestions! I can help! Some of these are classier than others.

Cold:
- Bruschetta made with chopped tomato, basil, garlic and onion, on toasted french bread (or mini toasts, or whatever)
- Mini skewers with any of the following: cherry tomato, pineapple, cucumber, feta cheese (or any cheese that would stand up to being skewered... I like Havarti.)

Hot:
- Chopped mushrooms and brown onion sauteed with black pepper, and either enclosed in puff pastry triangles or placed on top of mini toasts
- Mini skewers with cherry tomato, haloumi cheese and mushroom, broiled or bbqed until the cheese has browned

Also, miniature spring rolls (...egg rolls? is that what they call them here?). And miniature quiches.

[pharis]

My go-to hot appetizer -- oh, wait, there's cheese. But it's not cheesy, not melty and gooey -- anyway, it's dead easy and always popular:

Clean and separate the caps from button mushrooms. (Save stems for omelettes or something.) Mix equal amounts of dry bread crumbs (seasoned or not) and dry grated Parmesan cheese. Mix in some Italian dressing -- not too much, you want a consistency like you're building a sand castle. Mix well, stuff the caps (very messy), and bake at ... I guess 350 for ... I don't know, until they look done. Maybe 10 minutes, maybe 15? This is not an exact science.

[songfire]

If you're still looking, there's some tasty Crepes recipes. And of course there's always button mushrooms filled with diced garlic, parsley and a flake of butter (cut of the stem, fill the head with the finely diced garlic/parsley, place a generous slice of butter on top and wrap every mushroom in tinfoil. Pre-heat the oven to 320°F, put the wrapped mushrooms on a tray and let them bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with garlic bread/ toasted bread. Awesome! *g* If you don't like mushrooms, try the same recipe with zucchini or aubergine!)

[spatz]

The first thing I thought of was cucumbers with lime juice on them, which is just about the easiest thing on the planet and therefore not a great bringing-to-parties dish, but along those lines:

CREAMY CUCUMBERS

½ c. mayonnaise
½ c. sour cream
½ tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried dill
1/8 tsp pepper
2 med cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 sm. white onion, thinly sliced

Mix and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Or, another recipe from my granny:

SPICY OLIVES

9-10 oz green olives (with pimentos)
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/4 c salad oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
lemon juice (couple squirts)

Place olives plus juice in a jar, add ingredients, and shake well. Refrigerate - the longer it sits, the better it tastes.

[dira]

Oh, man, creamy cucumbers sounds AWESOME. I think I am going with hummus for the party, but I may need to make some cucumbers just for me. Om nom nom.

[spatz]

My granny came through the fifties appetizer craze with thankfully awesome taste. :) (Protip: careful not to overdue it on the dill - haven't had them in awhile, but I remember the taste came through quite strongly for such a small amount)

[foursweatervests]

You could make:

tiny veggie burger sliders

A combo fruit/veggie platter

Kale chips

tiny samoas with mashed-pea filling (my faaaavorite)

actually quite a lot of Indian food is vegetarian, now that I think about it

naan - mmmm

a couple fresh baguettes and different dipping sauces (cheese, hummus, artichoke, yogurt, etc)

cooked artichokes, now that I'm thinking about it

tiny (or, okay, sliced into strips) quesadillas with rice, black/red beans and salsa inside (proteiny and delicious and absolutely sans cheese)

Falafel

lentil soup and tiny bowls

vietnamese vegetarian spring rolls (cabbage, vermicelli, mint, grated carrot and whatever else you like, just be sure to dip the rice paper in water first, and whatever you do, do not fry anything. They are so, incredibly, amazingly delicious) with peanut sauce

fruit salad

I can keep going. But I won't. Unless you want me to...

[fox]

It looks like you are all set for appetizer suggestions, so I will [patpat] about Napoleon's march into Russia instead. [patpat]

[dira]

*wry grin*

Yeah, well. At least I finally realized it's the same idea?

[giglet]

Hummus, marinated strips of red pepper and artichoke hearts. Chop into appropriate sizes. Assemble on crackers.