Cold Appetizer Ideas

Does anyone have any recipes for tasty, easy-to-prepare cold appetizers that I could bring to potluck gatherings? I have plenty of recipes for warm/hot appetizers, but many of the parties I attend don't have a way to heat them up or keep them warm (or it's too much trouble).

Thanks in advance.

Rebecca

Edited to add: Vegetarian or chicken/turkey dishes preferred. Thanks!

I like deviled eggs!

And cold cuts (turkey?) wrapped around a piece of cheese and a tooth pick through it. And I like chips & dip. Pickles, olives, raw cauliflower (with dip)

A big platter with a bowl of dip in the middle and the goodies around it. Why not a platter of orange slices, strawberries, melon, etc.

Little finger sandwiches! Pretzels etc

I personally like crab dip. It's one can (6oz) crab meat to one package (8oz) cream cheese, cocktail sauce to taste.

I let the cream cheese sit out for a bit to soften, then use a fork to smoosh the crab and the cream cheese together, adding a dab (I'm guessing a couple of tablespoons) of cocktail sauce as I go. You can also use fake crab but the real tastes better IMO.

Once thoroughly mixed and it tastes good to you, chill. When it's been in the fridge for a while you can mold it into a mound or ball shape in the middle of a plate and put crackers around it. I prefer Melba Toast but any cracker of choice will do.

Enjoy!

These always go over at our parties. Thin slice of ham (We use Carl Budding). Spread with cream cheese and put a small baby dill pickle in and roll up like a burrito. You know with sides in and roll up. Very good.

REO said:

I like deviled eggs!And cold cuts (turkey?) wrapped around a piece of cheese and a tooth pick through it. And I like chips & dip. Pickles, olives, raw cauliflower (with dip)

A big platter with a bowl of dip in the middle and the goodies around it. Why not a platter of orange slices, strawberries, melon, etc.

Little finger sandwiches! Pretzels etc

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I'd go wtih REO...and if you want to take the easy way out, you can just pick up a little finger sandwich platter from walmart or even a vegi & dip platter

I do Bonnie's recipe except I use a slice of hard salami instead of the ham. These always go fast (but I do realize its not veggie or chicken!).

I have made a really good thing called Black Bean Roll-Ups. I just googled recipes for it and there are lots of variations, so maybe you can pick and choose, but the basic idea is that you have flour tortillas spread with some kind of doctored cream cheese then you put rinsed canned black beans on it and roll it up. They are sooo good. This would fit your vegetarian criteria and would be really popular too.

Jayne

A cold dip I make for tortilla chips:

Jar of salsa

container of sour cream

2 cups of shredded taco cheese

just mix it all up (I add some dashes of redhot to it too)

Its just something I made up, we eat it all the time.

Ok I know your going to think this mix is wierd but you have to try it! It's REALLY good! I make it all the time as a sandwitch spread in the summer because it's cold!

Chunky salsa

Ranch

bag of shredded chedder

2 cans of canned chicken( largest size you can find!)

Now I mix together slowly tasting as I go because I like the mix to be alittle firm. Some times if you dump all the juice from the chicken and the salsa in it gets more soft like a dip rather then a spread, which would be great if you put it all in the blender! Then chill for a couple hours! Now you can use this with crackers, large corn chips, or taco chips! if it were me I'd put the dip in the middle and an assortment of crackers and chips around it!

On tip, if it gets too thin you can add regular mayo to firm it up! My mom came over one day and I had her taste it, she love it and was shocked that those two(Salsa and ranch) went together so well! So now she makes it and puts her own twist to it! onions, black olives stuff like that!

I hope it helps!

Leya

I make a cheese ball. I take a can of RED salmon-- debone it & take out any skin -- mix it with a package of Philly cream cheese. Shape it into a round ball & shake in abag of onion soup mix.. Put in centre of tray & arrange crackers around it. Easy & goes over well.

CHIPPED BEEF CHEESE BALL

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1 lg. cream cheese, softened

1 lg. corned beef, chopped or chipped beef

1 tbsp. mayonnaise

4 green onions, chopped, save green tops

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix all ingredients, mold into ball, and roll into tops of green onions. Chill. Serve with crackers.

[SIZE=12pt]I usually take along an appetizer close to Bassetts. Thin ham or I guess you could use turkey lunch meat. Slather on some cream cheese and put a green onion on the end of the ham/turkey slice and roll it up. Insert several tooth picks( I use 4-5 toothpicks) and cut to the desired size of the piece . The tooth picks are your little handles [/SIZE]

Easy, tasty, pretty

Joy

Thanks everyone! Great recipes that I will surely use.

Rebecca

Chunks of goodies on toothpicks stuck into a head of cabbage (or something similar). Chunks of cheese, ham, sausage, olives (green & black), little pickles, etc. Except for putting them on the cabbage it can be done ahead of time, then final assembly only takes a couple minutes.

I found this one online, very healthy and sounds good.

White-Bean Hummus DipRecipe courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1 garlic clove, peeled

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, and process until the mixture is smooth.

CALORIES 108 (30 percent from fat); FAT 3.6g (sat 0.4g, mono 1.2g, poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 5g; CARB 15g; FIBER 2.2g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 144mg; CALC 48mg

I have a super easy and very tasty chip dip recipe that never has any left anytime I take it anywhere.

Large carton of sour cream

some chopped bacon--put bacon in microwave on paper towels and cook it crisp while you

get the other ingredients ready. I use six slices for quart of dip.

Some chopped chives...can be dried Use enough for the green to show.

Garlic salt....or minced garlic. about 1 teaspoonful

Mix it all together and let it meld flavors......made a quart of it for Christmas party on Friday and there

was NONE left.... Can serve with any chip. Also, can leave out the bacon and garlic and add ranch dressing and serve with veggies.

My verson of the meat and cheese. Let some swiss or baby swiss sit and sweat a little to soften.......alternate cheese rolled over hard salami then one hard salami on outside rolled over the cheese...fasten with a tooth pick and stick an olive on top....always

my favorite.

Hope you have a great time !!!

This is not vegiterian but great for buffet. 1 bottle heinz chili sauce and 1 can cranberry jelly put in sauce pan and bring to a soft boil until everything is melted and blended. Add 1/2 bag of meat balls found in freezer section. Cook for about 15 min. Makes wonderful appetizers!!

The one I like to use is so easy,

Open a box of Cream Cheese put it on a platter cover it with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and then we use Wheat Thins Crackers to eat it on.

Everyone just loves it.

CyndiM said:

The one I like to use is so easy,
Open a box of Cream Cheese put it on a platter cover it with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and then we use Wheat Thins Crackers to eat it on.

Everyone just loves it.

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Raspberry Chipotle???? That is a NEW one.....where do you find it? Is it like a jam or a salsa??? I have got to try this one!