Tiki themed hors d'oeuvres for the vegetarian?
I'm throwing a tiki themed cocktail party and am trying to plan out the food. There will be lots of fruit and bowls of nuts, a cake for dessert, along with shrimp and some teriyaki chicken drumettes. Any ideas for a couple vegetarian appetizers? There will be so much fruit and sweet drink options that I'd like to find something on the savory side. Of course, many traditional items are meaty or fruity, so I'm hitting bakers block. Also, we'd like to not grill or have to cook during the party, so something that could be made ahead of time (or right beforehand) and served would be great.
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13 Comments:
Veggie kebobs, maybe? Or little stuffed peppers? I don't know too much about tiki party food ... you could buy seitan chicken (you can buy it at WFs or TJs) and do vegetarian teriyaki skewers. Mini pineapple pizzas, maybe?
KarynMC at 7:19PM on 08/19/09
I don't know if these would be "tiki-ish", but how about stuffed mushrooms or stuffed wontons?
deetroitMI at 7:48PM on 08/19/09
There's no actual meat in Spam is there? They love it in Hawaii.
BananaMonkey at 8:23PM on 08/19/09
There is apparently a veg hamtube by mai wei ... If it's Hawaiian food you want, there's a big Asian influence. Avocado musabi or vegetable nori rolls would work. Mochi, too. And purple sweet potatoes.
KarynMC at 9:09PM on 08/19/09
Spring rolls some with all veggies and some with shrimp, sushi, lettuce wraps.
pjracz10 at 9:18PM on 08/19/09
Deviled eggs?
I don't know if that is tiki-ish but for some reason it popped into my head.
Also i'd probably have a fruit platter, pineapple and apple slices etc
AyeEat at 9:34PM on 08/19/09
Being tofu, these can be grilled ahead of time and served at room temperature, with the sauce warming them back up at service. You can cut each pound of tofu into four pieces, and then cut each piece into three long slices to skewer on to soaked bamboo skewers before grilling. Grilling time will be much shorter with appetizer sized slices.
Grilled Tofu Satay
2 lbs. of extra firm organic tofu
Marinade:
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 cloves garlic
1-1/2 TBS curry powder
Peanut Sauce:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1-1/2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS chili flakes, or to taste
1 TBS ground coriander
1/3 TBS ground cumin powder
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS soy sauce
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir. Separate the tofu into four pieces and marinate for at least one hour or overnight. In the meantime, make the peanut sauce: Dice the onions and chop the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute onion, garlic and chile flakes until tender. Add coriander, cumin and cook for 5 minutes longer. Stir in peanut butter and coconut milk and heat through. Add brown sugar, lemon juice and soy sauce and stir until sugar dissolves. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare a medium-hot fire on the grill, or pre-heat a gas grill. Take the tofu pieces out of the marinade and place on direct heat of the grill, about five minutes per side. Turn the tofu pieces a few times to mark them, making sure you are heating through the tofu.
Warm the peanut sauce in a microwave oven, or heat on top of the stove on low heat, stirring for a few minutes. Arrange tofu pieces on a plate and serve with the peanut sauce poured over it, or in a ramekin dish at the side.
Serves 4 as an entree.
Gator Pam at 7:37AM on 08/20/09
I would look around in the vegetarian "meat" section of the grocery store and see if you can take a traditional Tiki-type food and replace the meat with a vegetarian substitute.
yayfood at 11:27AM on 08/20/09
Vietnamese Spring Rolls: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vietnamese-Fresh-Spring-Rolls/Detail.aspx. Eliminate the shrimp, add juliened carrot and sliced avocado. Also, I use the Sweet Chili Sauce from Trader Joe's. It's in the bottled sauce/marinade section and is a bright orangish red color.
biankat at 11:55AM on 08/20/09
check out this veg recipe for rumaki:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=9254&forum=10&start=last
wilma at 12:36PM on 08/20/09
i agree with the recomendation of stuffed and fried wontons and the spring rolls.
I am not well-versed in Hawaiian or Pacific flavors, but these party sandwiches are super popular in every party I take them. You make them ahead and just see them fly off the tray. You can also make an asparagus version, which may not be tiki, but certainly are very delicious and keep very well at room temperature for a party outside.
Certain fried foods tend to get soggy over time, but sorullitos, tostones with an antipasto or plaintain chips are very tropical options too.
MadelynRodriguez at 1:15PM on 08/20/09
What about a wrap? Here's one from DeMuth's, a wonderful vegetarian restaurant in Bath, England. This recipe serves 4, but obviously, you can make them into miniatures if you want.
4 wheat tortillas
250 g haloumi, thinly sliced
romano or cos lettuce, shredded
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
8 tomatoes, quartered
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
handful of alfalfa sprouts
8 spring onions, sliced
Deep-fry the haloumi until golden on both sides.
Warm the tortillas under the grill or in a dry frying pan.
Spread tortillas with a sauce or dressing (Yoghurt and Mustard dressing recommended, but you may want to find a sauce more fitting to your tiki theme), cover with shredded lettuce, then avocado, tomatoes, red pepper, alfalfa sprouts and spring onions. Cover with the hot haloumi cheese, roll, cut in half and eat.
Yoghurt and Mustard Dressing
125g plain yoghurt
2 T double cream
1 T Dijon mustard
1 t apple juice concentrate
Tconrastas at 1:42PM on 08/20/09
So many fun suggestions, thanks! I think the spring rolls would be good, and the rumaki might be interesting to try. Avocado in general is a smart suggestion...very adaptable.
AnaPowell at 6:32PM on 08/20/09