Layered Summer Veggie Appetizer

When you think about appetizers, do you throw a bone to the healthy contingent and include some carrot sticks and hummus?  Is your conscience soothed by adding celery sticks to your Buffalo chicken dip?  Do you pick up a veggie tray at the store and call it good?

Are vegetable appetizers an afterthought?

I want to change that.

I'm on a quest to create awesome vegetable appetizers--ones that are demolished before the cocktail weenies or cheese balls, because they are just damn good.  I've got a Pinterest board, Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks, and as I find new ways to turn vegetables into desirable appetizers I'm pinning them there.  Please leave suggestions in the comments so I can add them--thanks!

Cherry tomato confit, cucumbers, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, olives and feta

Last winter, I started things off here with a Slow Cooker Salmon Swiss Chard Artichoke Dip and a Skillet Mushroom Dip for Two.  In the spring I started a craving for Five Layer Mediterranean Chicken (or Chick Pea) Dip that continues today.  Lately, I've been kinda dippy, with Fattoush Dip with Kale and Sumac Hummus and Indian-spiced Eggplant Yogurt Dip.  Today I want to share another delicious way to incorporate seasonal vegetables into your happy hour, cook out, tail gate, or indulgent dinner for one:  the Layered Summer Vegetable Appetizer.

While the autumnal equinox is weeks away here in North America, the mood has shifted to autumn.  The kids are in school, football marching band season is in full swing, and the sled hockey gear is back out. However, the garden and the farm share are packed with late summer vegetables--peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and squash are filling up my weekly box.  I created this layered appetizer to show off the best of late summer produce.

Grilled red peppers, grilled red onion, grilled yellow squash, artichoke hearts and feta

Discerning readers will say "hey, that looks like the Fattoush Dip she posted 3 weeks ago" and you'd be correct.  Other clever followers will think "what, another Wednesday eggplant dip recipe?"  Right again.  However, I'm sharing this recipe now, not next summer, for a few reasons:

• the base of this appetizer, roasted eggplant, is still very much in season and you might be looking for new ways to enjoy it
• I think this is a party-worthy appetizer, and while I'm not hosting anything until Fall, you may be looking for new appetizer recipes
• with the variety of special diets around, vegetables are a great way to create a dish that nearly everyone can enjoy

NOTE:  I created this recipe to be gluten free through my choice of ingredients. Check labels to confirm that your products are also gluten free. Good sources for determining that your products are gluten free can be found here:

http://knowgluten.me/2012/03/31/other-names-for-gluten/

http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free/

http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/

Layered Summer Veggie Appetizer (serves 4, easily scaled up or down)

The base of all my creations is a Baba Ghanoush/Ghanouj, made from the recipe in Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables with only a slight variation (I left out the oil, pine nuts, parsley, and cayenne pepper).  The result is a creamy, mild dip that lends itself well to a variety of toppings, which I've shown in photos and suggest below.

2-3 medium sized eggplants
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (or bottled, if you run out)
1/3 cup (80 ml) tahini
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-10 grinds black pepper

Topping suggestions:
1/2 to 1 cup chopped cucumber, or tomato, or bell pepper
1/2 to 1 cup grilled mushrooms, grilled squash,  grilled peppers, or grilled onions
1/4 to 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup chopped olives
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup cherry tomato confit (Cathy's recipe here)
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup chopped banana peppers, or jalapeño peppers
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
olive oil for dribbling (I didn't use any and didn't want/miss it)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Stab the eggplant several times, and place on a rimmed baking sheet to roast for 30 minutes to an hour until soft (as shown--you can do this a day or two ahead if you've got the oven on).  In a food processor (or using your mad ninja knife skills) finely chop the garlic, then add the cooled eggplant flesh (leave the skins for the compost) and pulse to combine.  Add in the lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt and pepper, and process (or stir) into a smooth texture.  Chill for at least an hour--and this keeps for several days in the fridge.

Prepare your appetizer by spreading a plate with 1/2 to 1 cup of baba ghanoush.  Top with layers of vegetables, and cheese if you like.  Add a pinch of salt and or a few grinds of pepper, and/or a dribble of olive oil before serving, then serve with the dippers of your choice.  I'm partial to pita chips but I know not everyone is--Daikon radish rounds would be lovely here, or carrots, celery, corn chips . . . or a spoon.

Want more ideas for layered vegetable appetizers? Click on the photo to go to each recipe:

This post is shared with the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up, What's Cookin' Wednesday, What's In The Box, From the Farm Blog Hop,  the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Food on Friday

Grilled mushrooms, cucumber, banana peppers, artichoke hearts and feta