Mouthwatering Vegan Appetizer
Recipes Your Guests Will Love

Cheesy Mustard Bites

Little morsels of cheesy mustardy heaven. The perfect finger food.

• 1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal into 24 pieces
• 1 large tomato, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon organic Tamari (healthy soy sauce)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush bread with a little extra-virgin olive oil and lightly toast in oven, about 10 minutes.

2. In the meantime, whisk the nutritional yeast, flour, and salt in a small saucepan. Add the water, oil and Tamari and stir over medium heat until sauce starts to thicken. Stir in mustard and simmer on low heat until warmed throughout.

3. When the bread is toasted, spoon sauce onto each slice. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper. Arrange slices on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes until the sauce is warmed and has a few brown spots and the tomatoes are slightly roasted.

Yield: 2 dozen

Creamy CocoNut Spread

This appetizer recipe contains three little ingredients that amount to one humongo taste. It's incredibly simple to make.

• 1 part coconut oil
• 2 parts organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)
• 2 parts coconut nectar

Stir ingredients together in a bowl, and then slather it on toast, crackers, your favorite bars -- basically anything you spread peanut butter on.

Now, you can certainly make a batch ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until ready to use. However, you may have to let it sit out on your countertop for a few minutes to soften.

Creamy CocoNut Spread completely satisfies your sweet tooth. But what I love most is since the spread is stuffed to the gills with healthy fats, it helps to quench your appetite.

Delicious, filling, healthy, and sweet. You really can't beat the combo.

Mini Cheese 'n Chive Muffins

These are beloved by all who feast upon them. Seriously. They're fabulous.

• 3/4 cup organic Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter)
• 2 cups Follow Your Heart Cheddar Cheese (or other non-dairy cheese), shredded*
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 cup dairy-free sour cream*
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons chives (can use the kind in a spice jar, or use chop fresh chives)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cheese and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in flour, sour cream, baking powder and chives. Mixture will be very thick.

3. Spoon batter into ungreased mini muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Remove muffins from pans immediately. Serve warm, gently reheating if necessary.

Yield: 4 dozen mini muffins

Pesto Pepperoni Roll-Ups

These roll-ups make for a fantastically flavorful appetizer. Although they can be served uncooked, I highly recommend you allow the roll-ups to go through the cooking process so the cheese melts. Then refrigerate overnight and slice.

• 1/2 cup basil pesto (recipe below)
• 4 flour tortillas, 8-10 inches (I like Spelt tortillas)
• 40 slices veggie pepperoni*
• 2 large plum tomatoes, or 1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, drained and chopped
• 1 cup Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Cheese (or other non-dairy cheese), shredded*

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Place tortilla on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Spread 2 Tablespoons of pesto on a tortilla. Arrange 10 pepperoni slices on one half of the tortilla, followed by tomatoes, bell pepper, and olives. Sprinkle the entire tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese.

3. Begin rolling the tortilla from the pepperoni side -- it's much easier to roll when everything is on one side of the tortilla. Roll tightly. Wrap in aluminum foil and set aside.

4. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

5. Place roll-ups in the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Cheese will be melted. Remove from oven. Carefully open foil to cool completely, then re-wrap and place in refrigerator overnight to firm up.

6. Unwrap roll-ups, and cut into 8 slices with a sharp knife. Insert one toothpick into each slice.

Yield: 36 appetizers

Variations:

• Add chopped spinach;
• Substitute kalamatas for plain black pitted olives;
• Substitute Cheddar for the Mozzarella.

Sassy's Yummy Basil Pesto

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 2-3 (or more!) cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 bunch basil (1/4 - 1/2 cup (loosely packed) leaves before chopping, depending on your tastes)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine in a food processor or blender until desired consistency is reached. Tweak the ingredients to your liking, if desired. Set aside. (You may or may not use this entire pesto recipe. If not, refrigerate leftovers.)

Spicy Herb Roasted Nuts

These make an outstanding appetizer for a cocktail party and are always embraced by all. Serve warm!

• 1 1/2 cups almonds
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Marash pepper, or use 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/2 teaspoons each oregano, thyme, rosemary, savory and marjoram, chopped fresh -- or use 1/2 teaspoon of each, dried
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil, or use extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher flake salt (or use sea salt

1. Mix nuts with herbs, syrup and oil. Spread in a large baking pan, and sprinkle with the salt.

2. Bake in a 300F oven, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, and nuts are golden under the skin (break some open to test), about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Let cool; taste and add a little more salt if desired.

4. Store cool nuts airtight up to 3 days at room temperature or 1 month in the freezer.

Yield: 5 cups

Variations:

• Experiment with different nuts;
• Try changing the herbs.

Squash Crostini

This rich and creamy dip sits atop crispy crostini. This appetizer makes a beautiful presentation in the cooler months.

• 1 small winter squash (i.e., butternut, kabocha), halved and seeded
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups shallot, chopped (about 3 shallots)
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 Tablespoon almond butter
• 1 baguette, sliced on the diagonal into 24 pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing bread

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place squash on greased baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until tender. Remove and let cool.

2. Place a large skillet over medium heat with 1/4 cup veggie broth. When the broth is hot, sauté shallot with salt until golden, about 5 to 8 minutes. Feel free to add more veggie broth (or water) to the pan as needed to fully cook these ingredients. While shallot cooks, brush bread with oil and lightly toast in oven, about 10 minutes.

3. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of squash for recipe and add to food processor. Add shallot and almond butter and blend until smooth. Spread squash purée over warm bread and serve.

Yield: 2 dozen

Variations:

• Try sweet potatoes instead;
• Substitute peanut or cashew butter for the almond butter.

Vegetable Quesadillas

You can make many different variations of this appetizer recipe by changing the veggies tucked away inside, the cheese you use, the spices, you name it!

• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach leaves
• 4 (10") whole wheat tortillas
• 1 cup Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Cheese (or other non-dairy cheese), shredded*
• 1/2 cup salsa, for topping
• Easy Cashew Sour Cream, for topping (recipe below)

1. Place a skillet over medium-high heat with 1/4 cup veggie broth. When the broth is hot, add mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until onions and peppers have slightly softened, covering the pan to hasten the process. Feel free to add more veggie broth (or water) to the pan as needed to fully cook these ingredients. Reduce heat to low, add spinach leaves. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat.

2. Place 1/4 veggie mixture on half of each tortilla. Spread cheese on the other half and fold over. Place onto ungreased cookie sheet and broil until browned. Alternatively you can heat each side of the quesadilla in a pan until browned and cheese melts.

3. Serve whole, or slice into 4 equal pieces. Plate with a small bowl for salsa and another for Cashew Sour Cream, for topping.

Yield: 4 quesadillas

Variations:

• Use dairy-free cheddar or Monterey jack cheese instead of mozzarella;
• Vary the veggies each time;
• Serve with guacamole (see next recipe);
• Use 8 tortillas, with one tortilla on top and one on the bottom. After heating, slice as you would a pizza.

Easy Cashew Sour Cream

Combine in a strong blender and process until smooth:

• 1 cup cashews
• 1 Tbsp. miso
• 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
• 1-2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoons sea salt
• Fresh water, to desired consistency (add slowly!!)