Just for starters - vegetarian hors d'oeuvres - Recipe

Vegetarian Times, Nov, 2000 by Richard Pierce

An intriguing assortment of bite-size treats

I love parties whether I'm an invited guest or the host. I enjoy the conversation, seeing old friends or discovering new ones, the sense of festivity and, of course, nibbling and nibbling and nibbling on tiny bits of delicious goodies.

Having a party means a chance to serve interesting dishes that you otherwise may not make, like walnut rolls, ginger crepes and tempeh kabobs.

Although these appetizers may take a little longer to prepare than others, the rave reviews you'll receive from guests will make them well worth the effort.

The puzzling part about serving hors d'oeuvres is planning the menu--figuring out which and how many kinds of treats to prepare and how much of each to serve. A general preparation guideline to follow for a two-hour party is six to eight different kinds of hors d'oeuvres and two to three of each variety per guest. The longer the party, the more food you should make, both in terms of amount and variety. Keep in mind, too, that food served to a stand-up crowd must be easy to pluck and eat from a passing tray.

The following tempting appetizers can all be eaten as finger food, making them simple to serve. And each recipe contains instructions so they can be prepared in advance, leaving the host little to do but relax and enjoy the festivities. Now that's perfect party food.

Ginger Crepes with Roasted Vegetables and Piquant Orange Sauce

MAKES 20 EGG- & DAIRY-FREE

The process of making crepes will go more smoothly if your work area is well organized. Have by the stove the oil and a pastry brush (for brushing the pan), the batter, a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup (for scooping out batter), a whisk (to stir batter when it settles) and a rubber spatula. Once crepes have cooled completely, they can be stacked and won't stick together. Nevertheless as a safeguard, I often place a square of waxed paper between each crepe before storing them.

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. wasabi powder
   (see glossary,)
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of cayenne
6-inch piece fresh ginger
1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil, plus 1/4 cup for
    brushing
1 1/2 Tbs. toasted sesame oil, plus
    additional for brushing
Roasted Vegetables (recipe follows)
Piquant Orange Sauce (see recipe)

1. In large bowl, sift together both flours, wasabi, mustard, salt and cayenne. Set aside.

2. Using fine holes of a box grater or a ginger grater, finely grate ginger and squeeze to extract juice. Measure out 1/4 cup juice; discard grated ginger. In medium bowl, combine ginger juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil and 2 3/4 cups water.

3. In food processor fitted with plastic dough blade, combine flour mixture and about one-third of the ginger mixture. To prevent spattering, use pulse button to blend in remaining ginger mixture. Transfer batter to small bowl. Pour remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil into another small bowl.

4. Place 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or other heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; brush pan with a little vegetable oil. When pan is hot, pour scant 1/4 cup batter into center of pan and quickly rotate pan to spread batter evenly. (Don't worry if crepe isn't perfectly round.) Pour any excess batter back into bowl.

5. Cook 60 to 70 seconds. With rubber spatula, gently loosen edge of crepe and lift to see if brown spots appear on underside. When they do, flip crepe and cook until light golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter to make about 20 crepes, whisking batter as needed and brushing pan with more vegetable oil between batches.

6. To assemble: Preheat oven to 350 [degrees] E Lightly brush shallow casserole dish with sesame oil. Place about 1/3 cup Roasted Vegetables across center of 1 crepe; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon tofu-garlic mixture (from Roasted Vegetables recipe). Fold bottom of crepe tightly over filling, pressing gently, then fold opposite end over. Crepe should be firmly packed. Place crepe, seam side down, in prepared casserole. (If you prefer bite-size crepes, cut each into fourths.) Repeat with remaining vegetables, crepes and tofu-garlic mixture.

7. Lightly brush crepes with sesame oil. Bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Drizzle with Piquant Orange Sauce and serve hot.

PER SERVING: 159 CAL.; 2G PROT.; 7G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 23G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 180MG SOD.; 2G FIBER

DO AHEAD: Unfilled crepes store very well. Cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 4 days. Or slip stack into a plastic freezer bag and seal, pressing out air; freeze up to 1 month. Thaw frozen crepes at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Fill and bake crepes just before serving.

FILLING VARIATIONS:

* Roasted portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

* Fresh spinach, boiled, chopped and topped with tofu-garlic mixture from Roasted Vegetables (see recipe)

* Thinly sliced marinated tempeh from Tempeh Kabobs (see recipe) with sauteed julienned carrots and burdock

Roasted Vegetables