I love hosting wine'n cheese's. I decided the next one, though, would have to be dairy free so - with MUCH gratitude to my kind friends who gamely taste tested everything for me and gave much feedback - here is what I learned:
1. The Wine - Have a Lot of Good Wine!
This has nothing to do with being vegan or vegetarian, but have lots of great wines and many options. The better the wine, the less people will care if the "bacon" wrapped "scallops" looks a little ... strange...more on this in a minute...
2. The Cheeses - Have a Large Variety of Artisanal Non Dairy Cheeses
I made the mistake of only offering one kind of cheese - a non dairy Daiya cheddar, Although it was tasty and got good feedback, variety would have been better and there are sooo many lovely non dairy artisanal cheeses (click here for more details on which ones are amazing), a more nuanced cheese plate would have been better, On the bright side, I did have a wide variety of crackers from rosemary and olive oil, to herb to brown rice to beet(!) crackers, so that was pretty enjoyable and I highly recommend having lots of fun with the cracker and bread plate and being creative! If you're in NYC, check out the INCREDIBLE selection of vegan cheeses at Riverdel on 820 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn (718.928.7702).
For crackers, you can make your own healthy, gluten-free, vegan crackers if you're so inclined! Recipe from Bob's Red Mill:
You'll need:
2 C flaxseed meal
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/2 t poppy seeds
1 t sesame seeds
1 C water
Then:
Preheat your oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add in the water and mix until dough forms. Spread onto a baking sheet and flatten to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and bake until crisp with brown edges (about 25-30 minutes). Makes 3 dozen crackers. Delish!
3. "Bacon" Wrapped "Scallops" - Take Your Time & Prepare Each Item Separately
I got very ambitious here and used Sophie’s Kitchen Breaded Vegan Scallops made with superfood Konjac, [1] fenugreek[2] and seaweed (available at most health food stores in the frozen section) and
Lightlife “Smart Bacon” (meatless veggie “bacon strips” made of soy protein). The "bacon" received rave reviews from my taste testers but my "scallops" were too dry. We figured out what I did wrong: in my concern to make everything finish at the same time, I prepared the "bacon" and "scallops" together at the same time, wrapping the "scallop" in the "bacon" and baking them both in the oven. This is a terrible idea because, although the "bacon" cooked well, the "scallops" lost all their moisture. After the party, I experimented again and found you get a delicious version of this treat if you fry both f them separately in a pan with a little live oil. In other words, prepare each separately according to package directions - don't cut corners or rush! - and wrap the scallop in the bacon, affix with a cute toothpick and voila!
4. Eco Decor
I wanted to put out flowers and shells for a kind of airy / seaside vibe, but obviously I am not going to get real seashells (see why here) so, and this will sound crazy but it works, when I went out with my friends for mussels and wine one evening, I asked the waiter what they do with the mussel shells. He said, "We toss them in the trash." I asked if I could have them and the extremely polite man didn't so much as bat an eyelash. Instead, he washed them for me and gave them to me in a beautiful little box. If your waiter isn't so kind, you can put the shells in the top rack of your dishwasher and wash them - they'll be fine. They're quite hearty. I then went by a bodega and asked if they had any "waste" flowers - those are the ones that aren't good enough for sale and they're just going to toss. They gave me some and I clipped the best looking flowers and set them afloat with some candles in a glass bowl of water - beautiful! You'll save money, re-use and reduce waste and have really pretty decorations! See the pix and let me know what you think!
5. Desserts are Always Fun!
I made cupcakes with lemon zest and lavender. Recipe below. I also created little recipe cards for the cupcakes and "scallops" and gave them to all the guests on their way home so that, if they liked these crazy new-fangled foods, it would be easy for them to try them on their own! Feedback from that has been really good so far so I am going to try it again next time!
Vanilla (with optional lavender!) Cupcakes
Ingredients for Cupcakes
1 ¼ c brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
¼ t pink rock salt
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
¾ c stevia (or less – stevia is very, very sweet so try some first and then do it to taste)
2 t raw vanilla powder
1 ½ c shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
Ingredients for Frosting
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
½ c stevia or to taste (see above)
½ t raw vanilla powder
Lemon zest OR lavender (to taste)
3 T veggie butter (I like the “earth balance” brand)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour and baking powder. Whisk eggs, stevia, salt and vanilla. Beat in the zucchini. Add everything else. Fill muffin tin about 1/3 of the way with the batter. Bake 20-25 minutes.
While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting. This takes practice. Combine the chia and water mixture with the stevia, salt, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl. Set over (not in) a pan of boiling water and stir until warm. Mix until cool, glossy and stiff. Beat in lemon zest and/or lavender and butter. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Frost the cupcakes!
[1] Konjac is a low-protein, low-fat, high-fiber food that can help to lower LDL cholesterol and blood sugar
[2] Fenugreek seeds are rich in minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese and magnesium. In the vitamin department, it contains thiamin, folic acid, riboflavin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), niacin, and vitamins A and C.
1. The Wine - Have a Lot of Good Wine!
This has nothing to do with being vegan or vegetarian, but have lots of great wines and many options. The better the wine, the less people will care if the "bacon" wrapped "scallops" looks a little ... strange...more on this in a minute...
2. The Cheeses - Have a Large Variety of Artisanal Non Dairy Cheeses
I made the mistake of only offering one kind of cheese - a non dairy Daiya cheddar, Although it was tasty and got good feedback, variety would have been better and there are sooo many lovely non dairy artisanal cheeses (click here for more details on which ones are amazing), a more nuanced cheese plate would have been better, On the bright side, I did have a wide variety of crackers from rosemary and olive oil, to herb to brown rice to beet(!) crackers, so that was pretty enjoyable and I highly recommend having lots of fun with the cracker and bread plate and being creative! If you're in NYC, check out the INCREDIBLE selection of vegan cheeses at Riverdel on 820 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn (718.928.7702).
For crackers, you can make your own healthy, gluten-free, vegan crackers if you're so inclined! Recipe from Bob's Red Mill:
You'll need:
2 C flaxseed meal
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/2 t poppy seeds
1 t sesame seeds
1 C water
Then:
Preheat your oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add in the water and mix until dough forms. Spread onto a baking sheet and flatten to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and bake until crisp with brown edges (about 25-30 minutes). Makes 3 dozen crackers. Delish!
3. "Bacon" Wrapped "Scallops" - Take Your Time & Prepare Each Item Separately
I got very ambitious here and used Sophie’s Kitchen Breaded Vegan Scallops made with superfood Konjac, [1] fenugreek[2] and seaweed (available at most health food stores in the frozen section) and
Lightlife “Smart Bacon” (meatless veggie “bacon strips” made of soy protein). The "bacon" received rave reviews from my taste testers but my "scallops" were too dry. We figured out what I did wrong: in my concern to make everything finish at the same time, I prepared the "bacon" and "scallops" together at the same time, wrapping the "scallop" in the "bacon" and baking them both in the oven. This is a terrible idea because, although the "bacon" cooked well, the "scallops" lost all their moisture. After the party, I experimented again and found you get a delicious version of this treat if you fry both f them separately in a pan with a little live oil. In other words, prepare each separately according to package directions - don't cut corners or rush! - and wrap the scallop in the bacon, affix with a cute toothpick and voila!
4. Eco Decor
I wanted to put out flowers and shells for a kind of airy / seaside vibe, but obviously I am not going to get real seashells (see why here) so, and this will sound crazy but it works, when I went out with my friends for mussels and wine one evening, I asked the waiter what they do with the mussel shells. He said, "We toss them in the trash." I asked if I could have them and the extremely polite man didn't so much as bat an eyelash. Instead, he washed them for me and gave them to me in a beautiful little box. If your waiter isn't so kind, you can put the shells in the top rack of your dishwasher and wash them - they'll be fine. They're quite hearty. I then went by a bodega and asked if they had any "waste" flowers - those are the ones that aren't good enough for sale and they're just going to toss. They gave me some and I clipped the best looking flowers and set them afloat with some candles in a glass bowl of water - beautiful! You'll save money, re-use and reduce waste and have really pretty decorations! See the pix and let me know what you think!
5. Desserts are Always Fun!
I made cupcakes with lemon zest and lavender. Recipe below. I also created little recipe cards for the cupcakes and "scallops" and gave them to all the guests on their way home so that, if they liked these crazy new-fangled foods, it would be easy for them to try them on their own! Feedback from that has been really good so far so I am going to try it again next time!
Vanilla (with optional lavender!) Cupcakes
Ingredients for Cupcakes
1 ¼ c brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
¼ t pink rock salt
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
¾ c stevia (or less – stevia is very, very sweet so try some first and then do it to taste)
2 t raw vanilla powder
1 ½ c shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
Ingredients for Frosting
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
½ c stevia or to taste (see above)
½ t raw vanilla powder
Lemon zest OR lavender (to taste)
3 T veggie butter (I like the “earth balance” brand)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix flour and baking powder. Whisk eggs, stevia, salt and vanilla. Beat in the zucchini. Add everything else. Fill muffin tin about 1/3 of the way with the batter. Bake 20-25 minutes.
While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting. This takes practice. Combine the chia and water mixture with the stevia, salt, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl. Set over (not in) a pan of boiling water and stir until warm. Mix until cool, glossy and stiff. Beat in lemon zest and/or lavender and butter. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Frost the cupcakes!
[1] Konjac is a low-protein, low-fat, high-fiber food that can help to lower LDL cholesterol and blood sugar
[2] Fenugreek seeds are rich in minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese and magnesium. In the vitamin department, it contains thiamin, folic acid, riboflavin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), niacin, and vitamins A and C.
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