Guest Post: Jasmine & Vegan Appetizers

Vegan Appetizer Recipes for the Holidays

Holiday parties and get-togethers are the perfect opportunity to try out a few new recipes (and possibly convert some of your meat-eating friends and loved ones). Here are a few easy vegan appetizer ideas to serve up this December.

Frosty’s Falafels

Though most people eat falafels as part of a main course, I think they make great appetizers. To get really creative, stick a large toothpick through three falafel balls stacked on top of each other, add humus eyes and a smile, and call it a falafel snowman.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cumin

Directions:

• Add chickpeas, onion, garlic, and cumin into a food processor or blender.
• Blend until relatively smooth and freeze the night before or in the morning.
• The next day, add plenty of oil to a hot frying pan.
• Add flour to the mixture and mix in with spoon.
• Roll the mixture into small balls.
• Fry on all sides until dark brown.
• Serve with humus and/or tahini.

Blitzer’s Bruschetta

Another crowd pleaser, bruschetta is easy to make and goes great with practically every meal. Italian food naturally incorporates Christmas colors (and, coincidentally, the colors of the Italian flag), so you don’t have to try too hard to call this holiday food.

The toppings should be added to the bread just before serving, or else the bread will be soggy. For a more tangy flavor, vinegar can be used as a substitute for or paired with the olive oil.

Ingredients:

• Lightly toasted bread of your favorite variety
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Oregano

Directions:

• Slice bread in pieces one inch thick.
• Place a spoonful of tomatoes on top of each slice.
• Next, drizzle a bit of olive oil on the tomatoes.
• Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of oregano.

Festive Fruit

If you’re running short on time, you can whip up this Christmas-colored fruit dish in a few minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of strawberries
• 6 kiwis
• 3 red apples
• 1 package of green grapes

Directions:

• Chop up kiwis, strawberries, and apples into bite-sized chunks.
• Pairing kiwis with strawberries and apples with grapes, arrange each set of fruits into holiday shapes like stars or Christmas trees.

Jasmine is a chronic traveler scouring the world’s streets for vegetarian and vegan street food. She is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on accredited online universities for Guide to Online Schools.

Tags: healthy eating, holiday foods, vegan appetizers, vegan foods, vegan holiday ideas