These easy vegan appetizers are quick to put together and very versatile! The star of the show is the onion & fresh herb carrot puree. Made with just a couple simple ingredients – boiled carrots, onion & garlic, fresh thyme and dill – and some optional toppings. The carrot puree can be used in a wide variety of other ways – this recipe will make 30-40 small appetizer bites but more carrot puree than you will need for the bites. I used the leftover carrot puree as a spread on toast with mushrooms or a vegan burger! Or get fancy and use it as a colorful base to a plated dish such as my Quinoa Stuffing in Smoked Tofu. I used mini cucumbers as the puree vessel, but you could also serve this on a cracker, if desired. I enjoy Hu Kitchen Grain-Free Crackers.
Carrot & Cucumber Appetizer Bites
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
- 1 Shallot chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove chopped
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
- 1 tsp Fresh Dill
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 5 Carrots chopped
- 1-3 tbsp Vegetable Stock or water
- Fresh Dill to serve
- Black Sesame Seeds to serve
- 2-3 Mini Cucumbers sliced
Instructions
- Bring a medium size stock pot with water to boil and cook the carrots for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Meanwhile in a small fry pan, saute the shallot and garlic in oil for 2-4 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Drain the carrots and place into food processor along with softened shallot & garlic. Add dried thyme, fresh thyme, dill & salt. Puree mixture on high until no lumps remain. Add 1-3 tbsp vegetable stock to desired consistency. Start with a splash and add from there depending on how thick you would like the puree.
- Chop cucumbers into rounds. Place puree into a piping bag and pipe a small dollop on each cucumber round.
- Top with fresh dill, thyme, black sesame seeds – or even fresh microgreens!