Black Bean Hummus

A great low-fat dip that makes a quick snack with carrot sticks, crackers or bread.

• 2 cups cooked or canned black beans
• 2 tbsp. liquid from cooking beans or from can
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Combine ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth.

Tobouli

The Middle Eastern dish, tabouli, consists of bulgur wheat and makes for an excellent side dish on a hot day. Follow this simple recipe to make your own batch of this Lebanese specialty:

• 1 cucumber, diced
• Several roma tomatoes, diced 
• ½ cup parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup bulgur wheat
• 2 green onions
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Allspice
• Cinnamon
• Salt

To begin, pour hot water over the bulgur and let it soak until soft (most of the water should be absorbed). Combine the diced veggies and mix by hand. Next, add the bulgur and stir some more. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. Then, toss in all of the spices and refrigerate, until chilled.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Great served with crackers or fresh bread.

• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt pinch pepper

Soak tomatoes overnight in 1 cup cold water. In food processor, blend ingredients until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp water or tomato juice.

Chunky Bean Spread

• 1/2 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives
• 1 or 2 scallions, green part only
• coarsely chopped 16-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
• Fresh whole-grain or rye bread

Combine the bell pepper, zucchini, olives, and scallions in a food processor. Pulse on and off several times, until the pepper and zucchini are chopped into approximately 1/4-inch pieces. Add the beans, lemon juice, and seasonings, and pulse the food processor on and off until everything is evenly chopped, with a chunky texture.

Make it Simple

Whipping up some vegetarian appetizers doesn't have to be a difficult task. Some times simplicity pays off. Try this fabulous and easy vegetarian appetizer recipe for tortilla roll ups that will please all of your guests (it's even hearty enough to appease the meateaters):

• 1 large tortilla
• Cream cheese (real or tofu-based)
• 1 can black sliced olives
• 1 jalapeno

To begin, lay the tortilla on a flat surface and spread half of the container of cream cheese over it. Next, open and drain the black olives and dice them into fine pieces. Sprinkle the olive bits evenly over the cream cheese. Then, finely chop the jalapeno and also sprinkle these bits over the cream cheese (but don't overdo it—jalapenos are hot). Finally, roll up the tortilla and cut into slices (about an inch thick each). Inset tooth picks into the slices for easy handling. Chill until serving.

Hummus

Great for a dip, first course or snack!

• 1 cup cooked or canned chick peas
• 4 tbsps light tahini (sesame paste), or peanut butter
• juice of two lemons
• 6 tbsps olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt to taste

Put all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add a little water or liquid from the chick peas. Let stand for 1 hour. Serve with warm pita bread.

Toasted Sunflower Seeds

A great anytime snack.

• 2 cups sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp tamari or soy sauce

Spread seeds evenly on baking sheet and bake in 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer seeds to large bowl, stir in other ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Let cool, transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator.

Stuffed Tomatoes

• 4 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 4 tbsps cottage cheese (or cream cheese)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 green pepper, de-seeded and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Slice tops off tomatoes. Remove the seeds and drain upside down. Rub the cottage cheese through a strainer to achieve a smooth consistency, add a little milk if necessary. Stir in seasonings, and stuff the tomatoes with the mixture. Dry roast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan until they are golden brown and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Chill until ready to serve.

Avocado Dip

Great served with rice cakes, crackers or baked tortilla chips.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 2-3 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp each chili powder and garlic powder
• pinch pepper
• 2 tsp chopped green onions
• 2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

Scoop avocado flesh into bowl and mash. Blend in remaining ingredients and adjust seasonings to taste.

Smoked Tofu Pate

Perfect for parties, picnics and buffets.

• 4 tbsps hard vegetarian margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 bunch watercress, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup smoked tofu
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Melt the margarine and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the watercress and stir for 15 seconds until it becomes limp. Place in food processor with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth and leave to cool. Serve with crackers, bread, or stuffed in celery.

Please the Non-Meateaters

If you're entertaining you'll want to have appetizers around to keep your guests happy. Additionally, it's important to prepare at least one vegetarian appetizer recipe to have available for those individuals that don't eat meat. Here's a quick and easy recipe:

• 1 loaf french bread (sliced into thin pices)
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly
• 1/4-1/2 medium sized Vidalia onion, thinly sliced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tablespoons basil
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, toss the sliced red peppers and onions with olive oil and place in a pan. Allow to cook until they are tender. Next, place the slices of bread onto a baking sheet drizzle olive oil over them. Spread the minced garlic evenly on the bread slices. Finally, put the pan in the oven for 3 min, or until very lightly toasted. Remove the pan and place the onions and peppers over the slices. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

Hummus is a Hit

Hummus is a popular Middle Eastern dish commonly enjoyed today. If you're planning on hosting a social event, hummus dip makes a simple and satisfying appetizer that you can lay out for your guests to enjoy all night long. If you're not in the business of preparing items such as these from scratch, pick up a box of easy hummus mix (available in original or Spinach Parmesan) and make it in a snap.

If you're going to serve hummus, you'll need something to dip into it. An easy fix is to take pitas (white or wheat) and cut them into dippable triangles. If you want to add even more flavor, drizzle some fresh minced garlic over the pitas and toast them in the oven for a few minutes before serving.

Mushrooms and Tofu in Garlic Butter

• 3 cups small mushrooms
• 1 inch piece root ginger
• 8 oz smoked tofu
• 1/4 cup butter
• 4 small cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsps chopped parsley

Scrub mushrooms, peel and grate root ginger. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch squares. Melt the butter in frying pan, add garlic and ginger and fry gently for two minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they are soft (4-5 mins.). Add the smoked tofu and heat through. Serve at once. (Particulary good with French bread or crusty rolls.)

Dip Into Your Dip Options

It's in every vegetarian hostess or host's best interest to have plenty of soup and dip mix on hand. Aside from making the obvious soups and dips that these mixes are designed to create, they also present a world of recipe opportunities. Each packet is chalked full of spices that can give extra kick to just about any recipe:

• Use to make a marinade for tofu
• Couple with oil and use to sauté veggies for a quick, flavorful meal
• Sprinkle on top of a vegetarian pizza before baking for an extra kick
• Spice up mashed potatoes or rice dishes
• Use to help create flavorful casseroles

If you get creative, your options are limitless!