Meatless Monday with Vegetarian Cocktail Party Appetizers

Season’s greetings and happy Meatless Monday!  As a green call centre, we support the Meatless Monday movement in support of reducing meat consumption to improve personal and planetary health.

Today we are featuring three recipes for elegant vegetarian appetizers for your next cocktail party or new year’s celebration. All three recipes come courtesy of Martha Stewart so you know they are sure to please all. First up we have endive boats with marinated vegetables and we are following that up with upside-down mushroom tartlets. The final recipe we will be a sweet offering and uses Martha’s recipe for the perfect Chocolate Fondue. Right then – let’s get cooking.

Endive Boats with Marinated Vegetables Ingredients
1 small fresh beet, (about 3 ounces)
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 medium carrot, peeled
1/2 (about 8 ounces) bulb fennel, trimmed
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 pounds (5 large heads) Belgian endive
2 teaspoons chopped chervil leaves

Directions
Place beet and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a saucepan of water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; boil until beet is tender (about 30 minutes). Drain and peel beet; grate on large holes on a box grater, and place in a bowl. Grate carrot; add to beets.
Cut fennel into very thin 1/2-inch-long slivers; add to beets and carrots. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss with vegetables. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Trim endive, separating leaves. Reserve large leaves for another use. Fill lower half of small leaves with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable mixture and garnish with chervil. This recipe will make thirty-six pieces.

Upside-Down Mushroom Tartlets Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into six 3-inch rounds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for muffin pan
1 large shallot, diced small
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place puff pastry rounds in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while mushrooms cook. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add diced shallots and cook, stirring, until soft (3 minutes). Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft and browned (10 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Stir in thyme and remove skillet from heat.
Lightly oil 6 jumbo muffin cups. Divide mushroom mixture and cheese among cups then top each with a chilled pastry round. Bake approximately 25 minutes until pastry is golden brown and puffed and rotate pan halfway through.
Run a small knife around cups to loosen tartlets. Place a rimmed baking sheet or large plate over pan and invert to release tartlets. Sprinkle with more thyme. Serve warm – this recipe makes 6, but of course you can adjust the recipe as needed.

Chocolate Fondue Ingredients (makes 1 quart)
1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Combine chocolate and cream in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasionally until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Divide among 8 small bowls or ramekins; serve immediately with accompaniments. This recipe will yield one quart and can be used as a dessert sauce too.
Accompaniment suggestions:
Marshmallows
pieces of crystallized ginger
dried fruit like figs, plums, apricots, pineapple, cherries or even nuts would work too. pretzel sticks, nuts, popcorn or potato chips (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it)
fresh fruit like pineapples, apples and strawberries
pound cake, shortbread cookies or even small brownie squares.

Whether you make one or more of these delicious vegetarian offerings they are sure to please all guests and no one will even miss the meat.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday site to learn more. Join the movement and promote going Meatless on Mondays to co-workers and make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Enjoy and thanks (once again) to Martha for more great recipes!