Brian's Vegan Cheez Ball (Vegan)

1 C. raw cashews

2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 Tbsp. coconut oil (can be omitted)

1/2 Tbsp. white miso paste

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh chives, divided

1/4 C. crushed roasted salted almonds

1) Place the raw cashews into a bowl and pour over them boiling hot water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for one hour.

2) Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with lemon juice, coconut oil, miso p paste, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, crushed garlic, and water, and blend until smooth.

3) Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in fresh chopped basil and 1 Tbsp. of chopped chives.

4) Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the mixture into the bowl. Twist the plastic wrap to seal it, creating a ball shape.

5) Place the bowl with your cheese ball into the freezer for 1 hour to set.

6) While the cheese is setting, crush roasted and salted almonds and place them into a wide bowl.

7) Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. chopped chives and mix in with the crushed almonds.

8) After 1 hour, remove the cheese ball from the freezer and gently remove the plastic wrap.

9) Gently roll the cheese ball in the crushed almonds and chilies, making sure the ball is evenly coated.

10) Return the cheese ball to the small bowl that it sat in and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you're ready to serve.

11) Serve with crackers, breads, veggies, or tortilla chips.

NOTES:

Smoking the cashews is essential for easy blending.

Walnutes or blanched almonds can be used if allergic to cashews. Taste and texture will be different, but still delicious.

It's fine to limit the oil entirely, or use olive oil or coconut oil.

This is fine to make ahead for a couple of days before you need to serve tit.

Ball can be stored in the fridge for a week, or frozen for up to two months.

Linda's Layered Taco Dip (Can Be Vegan)

16-oz can refried beans, blended with:

1/2 pkg. taco seasoning (or 1-2 Tbsp, if you buy it in bulk like I do)

1/4 - 1/2 C. salsa (not in the original recipe, but makes it spreadable)

8 oz. sour cream or Greek yogurt (use cashew yogurt for vegan)

6-oz avocado dip (or 2 ripe avocados, mashed and seasoned with SPG and lemon juice)

4-oz can diced black olives (I do not like them so I do not put this)

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 small sweet onion, chopped fine

4-oz can chopped chiles

1 1/2 C. shredded jack cheese (omit if vegan)

Stir the beans together with the taco seasoning and the salsa. Spread into the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish. Layer the sour cream/yogurt, guacamole dip, tomatoes, sweet onion, chopped chiles, and cheese. Serve with 2 iced tea spoons in the corners for dipping, with large corn chips or tortilla chips on the side.

Joshua's Super Easy Hummus (Vegan)

My friend Cheri's son, Joshua, modified her recipe to suit what we can have on this elimination diet. It was delicious!

1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and liquid reserved
1 small lime, juiced
1/4 C. tahini
1 Tbsp. olive oil (opt.)
1 tsp. sesame oil, or to taste (opt.)
1 tsp. fresh garlic (opt.)
1/2 tsp. salt (or celery salt, or onion salt)
1 tsp. APB

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Stream reserved bean liquid into the mixture until desired consistency is achieved.

NOTE: The full flavor of the APB will not permeate this mixture until it has been combined for several hours. Be careful not to add too much or it will be way too spicy in the end.

Raw Zucchini "Sushi" Rolls

These are super cute, and super yummy, but they take a lot of work. Even if you prep all the ingredients ahead of time, it is still a very labor-intensive process to put it all together, which I would not have been able to do the day of the shower without my sweet helpers, Nanny and EL.

I'm not sure how these would hold up if they weren't assembled fresh, just before the event. (If you try it and it works, please let us know in the comments!)

The original recipe appeared on askmefood.com, and they are credited with the nifty photo, too. (Don't click on the link to get to the instructions, or your computer will freeze up and a scammy message will appear!)

Zucchini
(chosen for their non-crooked, even appearance)
Veggies of your choice
(cut into matchbook sticks of varying lengths, by type)
Cilantro
Hummus

The day before:
1) Process veggies: Cut into thin, matchbook slices, the veggies of your choice. We used carrots, celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, and yellow bell pepper. Store in separate piles in an airtight container overnight.

2) Process cilantro: Rinse and dry cilantro. Carefully cut into little individual "flowers" by having a leaf on top and a length of stem beneath. Wrap together in a damp paper towel and store in hydrator overnight.

3) Make or buy hummus of your choice. Any flavor will do.

On assembly day:
1) Gently dab the veggie sticks with a paper towel if they're too moist from storage.

2) Using a veggie peeler, gently slice the zucchini into thin slices, lengthwise.

3) Spread hummus along almost half of the slice, with a dab on the other end so it will stick when rolled.

4) Stick the veggie sticks (one of each type, plus a cilantro "flower") very close together, beginning at the end with more hummus. (You don't need to try to cover all of the hummus area. It is for making it stick when you roll it.)

5) Gently roll up so the veggies are deep inside the roll (from the veggie-and-hummus-full end to the dab-of-hummus end).

6) Carefully stand up in a deep serving dish that will allow for them to lean on its edge and on each other, if necessary, should they fall over. (They get "limper "the longer they sit during the event.)

Again, I didn't try rolling them ahead. It may be that they hold up better because they "set up" in the refrigerator, or it may be that they get soggy. I'm just not sure. Let us know if you try it.

NOTE: If you cut all the carrots one length, and all the cucumbers a slightly different length, etc., you can line them all up together at the bottom of the roll-up (which forms a nice base for them to stand up on) while still having various heights of veggies sticking out at the top.

Glazed Kielbasa Pineapple Bites

The original recipe appears here. I used the following modified version for Jessica's shower:

Kielbasa, sliced

1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained and with juice reserved
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. pineapple juice (reserved from can)

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Place a piece of pineapple on top of a slice of kielbasa, wide side up, and secure with a toothpick.

3) Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush glaze onto tops and sides of bites.

4) Bake for 15-20 minutes until warmed through and slightly browned.

5) Let cool slightly, but serve warm.

NOTE: I added a bit of Pineapple-Habanero Sauce, a pre-fab bottle I had bought at Costco to use for the meatballs. It gave it a bit of a kick that I liked. I may add a splash of jalapeño vinegar (juice from the jar of pickled jalapeño slices) next time, if I don't have that sauce on hand.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Crispy Asparagus Spears

This was a fun and relatively easy addition to Jessica's bridal shower this past weekend. I found the original recipe on chow.com, but my modified version appears below.

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus (about 40 medium spears), washed and with the hard ends snapped off
Prosciutto, thinly sliced (and with the slices themselves cut in half lengthwise)
Olive oil
Black pepper, finely ground
Balsamic Reduction, for glazing (See below.)

Procedure:
1) Drizzle the spears with olive oil and gently roll to coat evenly. Sprinkle lightly with pepper.

2) Starting just under the "floret" of the asparagus, gently wrap each spear in a spiral all the way down, barely overlapping the edges of the prosciutto.

3) Place them on a lined baking sheet, as close together as possible without touching. (If they're touching, they'll steam inside and stay soft instead of crisping up.)

4) Brush lightly with Balsamic Reduction.

5) Broil for 3 minutes, then remove pan from oven and gently roll spears over. Glaze the other side.

6) Continue to broil until asparagus is lightly charred in spots and prosciutto is crispy and brown, about 3 minutes more.

NOTES: You want to get the largest asparagus spears you can find, that still seem tender. If they're too thin, the proportion of prosciutto-to-asparagus will be too much and they'll taste overly salty.

Also, I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper. For the last few leftovers that wouldn't fit, my husband didn't line the pan, and the pan was horrible to clean up!

Balsamic Reduction:
1/3 C. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer lightly until reduced to 1/4 C., about 10 minutes.

NOTE: It thickens as it cools. You'll want to cool it some before brushing it onto the spears so it will stick nicely.

Mediterranean Cheese Spread (for Dip or Cucumber Sandwiches)

These were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the finger sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. They are gluten-free if gluten-free bread is used, so we served both. 

Mediterranean Cheese Spread

2 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

2 pkg (4oz) crumbled feta

1 clove garlic, pressed

10 oz frozen spinach, thaw and drain well

7 oz roasted red peppers

Mayo or sour cream (optional – to make spreading consistency for sandwiches)

Combine cream cheese, feta, and garlic.  Mix well.  Stir in spinach.  Chop red pepper into small bits and mix in.  Refrigerate until ready to use for dip or sandwiches.

Cucumber Sandwiches with Mediterranean Cheese Spread

Light, refreshing sandwiches made with the above were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the other finger sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. So yummy!

Ingredients:

2 English Cucumbers

1 loaf bread of your choice (we served regular and gluten-free)

Mediterranean Cheese Spread (see below)

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut cucumbers with food processor or mandolin for thin uniform slices.  

2. Use cheese spread on both slices of bread and layer cucumbers.  

3. If removing crusts, do it after the sandwich is assembled.

4. Slice square sandwiches with large X to create triangular sandwiches for serving at an event.

Potato Bites with Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce

This was another item on the passed appetizer trays at Evie's wedding. We did not use the dipping sauce for the wedding. These were served with toothpicks. The recipe as listed below makes about three dozen bites.

1-2 pounds small,  fingerling potatoes
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes. Cut in half, keeping the chunks roughly the same size. 

3. Add the rosemary, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.

4. Bake 35-45 min. 

5. If using the dipping sauce, mix the ingredients listed below in a small bowl. 

6. Pile the potato bites on a plate and serve alongside the dip.

Sour Cream Dipping Sauce 

(We did not use the dipping sauce for the wedding.  I have not tried it.)

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1-3 teaspoons hot sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Moroccan Stuffed Dates

This was another delicious sweet taste on the passed appetizer trays at Evie's wedding. They were also served in little cups that served as dividers on the tray. So pretty and so yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

12 pitted dates
2 oz. softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
12  salted roasted skinned almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Slice 12 dates down one side longwise. Set aside. Stir cream cheese together with honey, cinnamon, and almond extract. Stuff.  Roll in confectionary sugar. Keep in air tight container. Dust with more sugar before serving.  May make ahead 1-2 days.

Herbed Quinoa Salad (or Cucumber Appetizer)

This wonderful salad was stuffed into thick cucumber slices and served on the passed appetizer trays at Evie's wedding. We ate the leftovers later as a regular side dish salad, and it was delicious that way, too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 2 tbsp chopped mint (opt – we didn’t use on wedding day)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced cucumber (left from scooping cucumbers if desired)
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (didn’t use on wedding day)
• small bits of colored peppers – pulse in food processor
• ½ c feta cheese
• 3 cucumbers
  

1. Place the quinoa and the chicken stock in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pot and set aside.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture turns into a pesto-looking consistency.
3. Combine the herbed mixture with the cooked quinoa and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Stir and taste.
5. Wash, score, and cut cucumbers ½ inch thick.  Scoop out a cavity and use small cookie scoop to mound filling on top.
6. You can make the quinoa ahead and add the feta just before serving.

Paleo Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes

This is one of the recipes that was served on the passed appetizer trays at Evie's wedding reception. (The original recipe, which we modified, appeared here.)

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• 3 slices of bacon (nitrate free is preferable)
• ½ tablespoon of olive oil (or fat of your choice like coconut oil)
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of chili powder
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into standard sizes for uniform baking, 1-2 inch chunks or wedges.
3. Place the sweet potatoes in a mixing bowl. in your bowl, put olive oil and spices and spread throughout making sure the sweet potatoes are all evenly coated. Your sweet potatoes do not need to be drenched in olive oil. Remember, the bacon grease will keep the sweet potatoes from burning. The olive oil acts more like a binder so the spices will stick to the sweet potato while the bacon grease will actually help give the sweet potatoes that crunchy/ “deep fried” texture and flavor.
4. Take each piece of bacon and stretch it a little, then cut them in halves. Take a piece of bacon and wrap it around each of your seasoned sweet potato slices. I use toothpicks to hold the bacon together, but it’s not always necessary.
5. Place your bacon wrapped sweet potatoes on a lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 40 minutes or so. I always turn them over half way through the cookie process around the 20 minute mark. 
6. A drizzle of honey or maple syrup is nice at the end.  We did not do this for the wedding.  It may cause too much browning.
   

Cheri's Turkey-and-Spinach Wraps

(Original: Turkey-and-Spinach Wraps with Cranberry-Walnut-Cream Cheese Spread)

These were served at Evie's wedding on the table with the tea sandwiches and the hot hors d'oeuvres. They were cut into rounds after having been rolled up. Yum!

Ingredients

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened 

2 (4-oz.) packages goat cheese, softened 

3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts

2 teaspoons honey 

1 garlic clove, minced 

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Salt to taste

8 (10-inch) flour tortillas 

1 pound thinly sliced turkey 

4 cups fresh baby spinach 

Preparation

Stir together cream cheese, goat cheese, cranberries, walnuts, honey, minced garlic, rosemary, and pepper. Season with salt. Cover and chill up to 3 days. Spread 2 Tbsp. cream cheese mixture onto each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Divide turkey and spinach among tortillas. Roll up, tightly, and cut in half or into slices.

Sweet Potato Hummus with Cinnamon Pita Chips

Suggested by Katie Clark,  I took a chance and made this for one of Evie Sitterding's Bridal Showers.  It was a hit!  The Cinnamon Pita Chips were a great complement, but guests got creative and dipped veggies in, as well.  You might be able to substitute pumpkin for the sweet potato.  If only serving with veggies, you would probably want to add cinnamon to taste.  It might be nice to make a day ahead to let the spices and flavors permeate the hummus.

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T tahini
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t lemon zest
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground coriander
1/4 t ground white pepper
sea salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Poke holes in sweet potatoes with a fork and roast for about 45 minutes (until soft).  Let cool.  Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.

Combine garbanzo beans and olive oil in a blender and pulse several times to mash.  Scoop flesh out of sweet potato peels and add to the blender.  Pulse to combine.  Add tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, white pepper, and sea salt to mixture.  Blend until smooth, adding reserved garbanzo bean liquid as needed to make a smooth, creamy hummus.

Katie's Cranberry Chicken Phyllo Cups

1 pkg. frozen mini phyllo shells (15 shells)
1/4 C. chopped dried cranberries
3/4 C finely chopped cooked chicken breast
1 container Greek fat-free plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Thaw phyllo shells as directed on package.

2. In medium bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the cranberries and the remaining ingredients.

3. Spoon generous teaspoonfuls of mixture into the shells. Garnish with remaining 2 tablespoons cranberries and, if desired, rosemary sprigs.

When Katie served these at Evie's bridal shower, she simply purchased a high-quality, pre-made, chunk chicken salad and used that. So easy and pretty!

The original recipe is from Betty Crocker.

Katie's Lemony Cucumber Cream Cheese Sandwiches

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1/2 large lemon (zest and juice)
Softened butter for spreading on bread slices (prevents sogginess)
Salt and pepper
6 slices of hearty white or whole-grain bread
1/2 large cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced, dried with paper

1. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, dill, lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Butter each slice of bread (prevents sogginess). Lay slices with butter side up on a work surface.

3. Evenly distribute the cream cheese mixture onto each slice. Arrange towel-dried cucumber slices on top of the first three slices of buttered bread. Top with remaining bread. Slice off the crusts.

4. If not serving immediately, wrap tightly in cling wrap and chill for up to 24 hours.

5. When ready to serve, slice into 4 triangles per sandwich.

This was modified from the original recipe at the Chew Out Loud blog.

Katie's Tomato Pesto Tea Sandwiches

This yummy appetizer was served by Katie C. at Evie's bridal shower. So yummy and easy!


1/4 C. + 1 Tbsp. basil pesto, or to taste
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 container cherry or Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small French baguette, sliced to desired thickness

Combine pesto and cream cheese well. Spread onto slices of French bread.

Add a slice of tomato to each, and either a small blob or a piped, decorative swirl of cream cheese mixture on top.

Garnish with sprig of parsley or basil, if desired.

This recipe was adapted from this recipe for Fancy Tomato Pesto Tea Sandwiches on the Pink Piccadilly Pastries blog. (The original recipe used sliced white bread and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter.)


These were such a hit that we served them again on the passed appetizer trays at Evie's wedding. Again, we used slices of slightly toasted French bread as the base. They looked lovely on the trays and tasted delicious!

Bev's Spiced Pecans

2 C sugar
2 C water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Add cayenne.

Add 2-5 C pecan halves.  Boil 5 minutes, stirring often.

Spread nuts on a foil-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with mixture of:
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Linda's Layered Taco Dip

I  usually make some variation of this when I have leftover homemade refried beans or a lot of avocados going ripe at once.  It is yummy as a dip or as a soft taco filling, or I sometimes grill up some cheese quesadillas (cheese between tortillas) and serve wedges of that on the side of this dip as a meal.

The original recipe (using canned items and quantities) appears below.

 Layer in 9x13 pan in order given:
 
1 16-oz. can refrained beans w/half pkg. taco seasoning
6-oz. carton avocado dip
8-oz. sour cream
1 4.5 can chopped black olives (I often omit these.)
2 large diced tomatoes
1 small chopped onion
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
1.5 C. shredded jack cheese (or any other yummy Mexican-friendly cheese)

Serve cold with tortilla chips. 

Nuts & Bolts

1 stick butter
1 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
4 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 C. each Corn, Wheat, and Rice Chex cereal
1 large can mixed nuts
2 C. pretzels, mini melba rounds, or more Chex

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat butter until melted in roasting pan.

Remove and stir in sauce and salt.

Add remaining ingredients.

Cook 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Spread on paper towels until cool.

Pico de Gallo

1-2 bunches green onion (6)
2 yellow peppers, chopped
4-6 tomatoes, chopped
4 fresh jalapenos, 2 w/seeds
6 oz. jar pickled jalapenos
3 15 oz. cans flavored tomato sauce (Italian herb)
4 cloves garlic, minced
15-20 stems cilantro (1/2 C.)
1 15 oz. can Bush's black beans, drained

Combine and refrigerate overnight. Serve with tortilla chips.