Appetizers — Old Recipes — Sanaa's Gourmet

I love to entertain, but I also love to enjoy my party. I hate being trapped in the kitchen while everyone else is having a good time. However, I look at it like this: if my guests are having good time, then I am a good host. But, if I am having a good time too, I will entertain them again. That's what I like to call a win-win situation.At my parties, I usually strictly serve vegan appetizers. One time I was asked "Why?" Well, vegan appetizers are like the O-Negative blood type: it helps any person regardless of their blood type. Everyone can eat vegan appetizers and enjoy them, vegan or not.Here are 10 vegan appetizers some from my blog and few from some of my favorite bloggers. Hummusmakes two cups2 cups cooked garbanzo beans1/2 cup water2 cloves garlic1/4 cup lemon juice1/4 cup Tahini, sesame seeds paste1/2 teaspoon ground cuminsalt to taste-Place the garbanzo beans with the garlic and the water in a food processor and puree until you have a smooth paste.-Add the rest of the ingredients and process until well mixed.-Chill for couple of hours before serving. Serve with pit chips.Mohammara, Red Bell Pepper and Walnut Spreadmake 4 cups1 medium onion, coarsely chopped1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped1 cup walnuts4 slices couple days old white bread1/4 cup pomegranate molasses*1/4 cup Harrisa, red pepper spread **1/4 cup olive oil1 tablespoon freshly ground coriander1 tablespoon freshly ground cumin-Place the onion, the pepper, the walnut and the white bread in a food processor and process, using the on and the off bottom, until you have coarse mixture. -Add the rest of the ingredients and process for extra round. You should have semi-smooth spread with beautiful red color.*Pomegranate molasses: Boiled down sour pomegranate juice, it can be found at any Middle Eastern and Health grocery stores.**Harrisa: A red hot pepper paste. You can find it at specialty stores. If you can not find it, you can use 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon tomato pasteOlive Tapenadehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFR4i9DxnoEKimchi, tempeh avocado nori rolls. From Amy Chaplin.http://amychaplin.com/2013/01/22/kimchi-tempeh-and-avocado-nori-rolls-fabulous-fermentation-week/French Mushroom Lentil Faux Gras from David Lebovitz Bloghttp://www.davidlebovitz.com/2015/07/faux-gras-foie-gras-vegetarian-lentil-mushroom-pate-recipe/Guacamole This recipe is from yummly.conhttp://www.yummly.com/recipe/Guacamole-1196340?columns=4&position=5%2F56Vegan Stuffed Grape LeavesThis recipe use bulgur and it is from Nutrizoniahttp://www.nutrizonia.com/vegan-stuffed-grape-leaves/Stuffed MushroomsThis mushrooms are stuffed with black rice and it is from Minimalist Baker blog.https://minimalistbaker.com/7-ingredient-vegan-stuffed-mushrooms/Baby Ghanouj/ smoked eggplant spread.http://sanaacooks.com/2013/08/baba-ghanouj-smoked-eggplant-with-pepper-spread/Beet HummusServes 4Two beets, boiled and gratedTwo tablespoons tahini*Two cloves garlic, mashedOne fourth cup lemon juiceSalt to taste-In a chilled salad bowl, whisk tahini, garlic, yogurt, lemon juice and salt.-Fold the grated beets and adjust the seasonings. If the mixture is too thick add a little water or lemon juice.*Tahini is pureed sesame seeds. Tahini is available in most grocery stores.I hope you give this spread a try. It will be the center of any dinner table.