My Vegetarian Recipe of the Day

Fondue may make you think of the 70s, but it’s made a real comeback. It’s cheese dip with class. So whether you are looking for something delicious and a bit different for a vegetarian New Year’s Eve, something to eat while you’re watching the Bowl Games or something to add to a New Year’s brunch buffet, here are three fondue recipes that will fit the bill. These recipes are adapted from recipes found on The Food Network.

Easy Fondue with Vegetables

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup half-and-half
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chives, snipped or chopped
Your choice of vegetables, raw or lightly steamed
Some suggestions: broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled tofu
You can also choose to use various breads, if you like

To a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and the chopped shallots. Saute shallots for 2 or 3 minutes. Add half-and-half to the pan and reduce heat to low. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch slices and add it to the pot. Allow the cream cheese to slowly melt into the half-and-half, 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and shredded Gruyere or Swiss to the sauce and stir until cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Stir in lemon juice. Season sauce with, nutmeg and black pepper. Place a candle underneath a wire rack or warm a fondue pot. Transfer cheese sauce to fondue pot or place saucepan over wire rack and burning candle. Garnish with chives. Serve with dipping forks or bamboo spears.

Feta Cheese With Walnuts and Parsley

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
6 ounces feta cheese
2 scallions minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup walnuts toasted and finely chopped

In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt butter the stir in the flour. Stir the 2 together into a paste. Whisk in the milk to create what the French call a bechamel sauce. Drop the temperature a little and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes so it thickens and the flour taste cooks out. After that it’s easy, just fold in the crumbled feta, scallions, and parsley. Season it with salt and a little cracked pepper. Finish with the walnuts tossed on top. Serve with bread, broccoli, melons, black olives— whatever suits your fancy.

Chocolate Fondue

2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cabernet sauvignon, optional
Items for dipping
Suggestions: pound cake, biscotti pieces, strawberries, grapes, oranges

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the sugar, heavy cream, chocolate, and butter together and microwave for 2 minutes. Take out of microwave and give it a quick whisk. Add wine (if using) and whisk again. Transfer to a fondue pot with a flame underneath.

This recipe could be a bit complicated if you make each of the parts from scratch. However, with the basic idea of the recipe in mind, you can also cheat and make this a simple vegetarian dish to put out on a buffet for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Or bring it to a party and wow your friends. There are many variations that you can use. You could use a good black bean dip and top it with pico de gallo, instead of caramelized onions. You could use regular prepared hummus. Add something other than thyme, if you like. Hummus with a bit of tabouli on top, perhaps. Let me know if you use some interesting variation.

Flatbread with hummus, olives and caramelized onions

4 pieces good-quality pita bread, naan, lavash, or Buckwheat Flatbread, recipe follows
White Bean Hummus, recipe follows (or use prepared hummus or black bean dip or anything like this that suits your fancy)
Caramelized Onions, recipe follows
1 cup sliced black olives
Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Spread each flatbread with some of the hummus, then top with the caramelized onions, and olives. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Cut into wedges and serve.

Buckwheat Flatbread:
1/2-ounce fresh yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature
8 ounces bread flour, plus more if needed
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour, for dusting and rolling
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, sugar, and water. Mix for 1 minute on low speed and let stand until the mixture just begins to bubble. Attach the dough hook and add both flours and the salt to the yeast mixture. Mix until it forms a mass; the dough should be sticky. Continue to add additional flour, if necessary, until the surface is dry enough to handle and dry enough to roll.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll into balls, and lightly brush with oil. Place on a floured surface and cover the balls with plastic wrap and a clean cloth and let proof for 2 hours at room temperature; or, place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover, and let proof overnight in a refrigerator.

Preheat a grill or preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

To form flatbread, pat each piece of dough out into a 5-inch disk and sprinkle liberally with flour. Roll each disk, on a floured surface, into a 10-inch diameter circle. Puncture the dough liberally with a fork to keep it from rising. Grill or bake each on a pizza stone or a lightly greased sheet pan for about 5 minutes or until dough starts to get crisp on the edges but still remains chewy.

White Bean Hummus:
3 cups white beans, cooked, or canned, drained and rinsed
6 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon harissa
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place beans, garlic, harissa, lemon juice, and tahini in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Caramelized Onions:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large Spanish onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar and cook slowly until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the thyme.

Only one week until New Year’s Eve. Whether you do snacks, a full meal, or a midnight brunch, you can find great vegetarian options. Obviously, with only sevendays, I don’t have time to post a lot of recipes, so I’m going to remind you of a couple of recipes that have been posted in the past that you might want to include in your celebrations.

Black Eyed Peas are traditional for New Year’s and over the past year I’ve posted three black eyed pea recipes.

Cumin Black Eyed Peas with Tomatoes

Lime Rice and Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Pea Scramble

If you’re looking for brunch recipes, here are some of my favorites from the past year:

Easy Biscuits

Prepare Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Banana Macademia Nut Muffins

What if you just want snacks for New Year’s Eve? You might want to try some of these:

Vegetarian Nachos

Cream Cheese With…

Vegetarian 7 Layer Dip

Now, I will still be posting some new recipes, as well, this week. So, if you didn’t find something that you like, check back between now and New Year’s Eve.