Hors d’ Oeuvres

Starters are not really that good an idea in that they usually lead to over-eating. Depending on their components, they can also lead to a situation whereby we eat too many different kinds of food at one sitting. This usually causes indigestion and, if practiced too often, can lead to other digestion problems. Nevertheless, here are a few ideas from the Nature’s Choice pantry.

Piquant Avocado (F)

3 avocados
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ripe tomatoes
1 green pepper
1/2 cup mushrooms
NC sea salt
1 tsp NC honey

Chop mushrooms, green pepper and tomato into small pieces. Sauté together in a little water until well- done, and almost all of the water has evaporated. Add NC sea salt to taste, NC honey and sour cream, and mix together.

Cut avocados in half. With a very sharp knife, cut a small portion off the bottom section of the avocado half so that it will stand upright. Scoop out half of the filling. Fill scooped-out halves with warm savory filling. Eat, using a teaspoon. Serves 6 adults. (Use scooped-out filling elsewhere in your meal. Avocado with olives or cottage cheese is excellent on whole-wheat bread that has been warmed in the oven)

Avocado Ritz (F)

Cut a ripe avocado in half. Scoop out half of the inside leaving a quarter- to a half-inch layer of avocado in the skin. Mix the scooped-out avocado with any of the following:-

a) 1/2 cup mulberries
b) 1/2 banana, a few raisins and a little orange juice
c) 1/4 banana, 1/4 pear
d) 1/4 cup NC dates, 1/8 cup chopped NC pecan nuts

Mix together and fill avocado-half with this mixture. Eat with a teaspoon. (Nuts may make the meal too rich for some.)

Herbed, Stuffed Eggs (N)

6 hard-boiled eggs
salt to taste
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp NC marjoram
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 tsp NC honey

Cut the eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove the yolks and mash together with remaining ingredients. Place mixture back into whites. Garnish with parsley and NC toasted sesame seeds or chopped NC nuts. Serve in lettuce leaves. Cream or mashed, salted tofu may be used in place of cottage cheese.

Mock Chopped Herring (F)

2 medium brinjals (eggplant)
4 thick slices NC ww bread
6 Tbsp lemon juice
8 hard-boiled eggs
3 large apples
2 Tbsp NC honey
4 Tbsp cream
NC sea salt

Slice egg-plants through, lengthwise. Cream the cut sides of egg-plant and place cut side down in a very hot pre-heated oven @ 240C for 20 minutes, or until skin shrivels. Remove skin and mash inside to a pulp. Soak bread in lemon juice and a little water till soft, and mash well. Mash 6 boiled eggs finely. Grate apples. Mix all ingredients together and mince into smooth, moist spread. Add more bread if necessary. Place in clam shells or partly scooped-out avocado halves. Peel remaining eggs, mash and decorate. Garnish with slithers of tomato and cucumber. Tasty as a spread on crackers.

Avocado Tropica (F)

Cut avocadoes in half. Sprinkle lemon juice on immediately, coating all over. Fill centers with finely chopped orange segments and sliced bananas. Add a little home-made salad dressing.

Mock Liver Pâté (V)

2 onions
2 medium celery stalks
4 Tbsp cream
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 cups chopped cabbage
NC sea salt
2 tsp NC oregano
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp NC mixed herbs

Grate onions, celery and garlic and chop cabbage finely. Add oregano and salt. Sauté in a little water until soft. Mash the hard-boiled eggs. Mix all ingredients together and blend well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve chilled in lettuce or cabbage leaves. Garnish with parsley.

Savory Roll-ups (V)

2 cups mushrooms
1 large onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic
1 cup NC ww breadcrumbs
NC sea salt
cabbage leaves
1 tsp NC oregano

Fresh cream can be “soured” by adding lemon juice to it. Finely chop mushrooms. Grate onion and garlic. Mix all ingredients except cabbage leaves together well. Place the cabbage in boiling, salted water for about 5 minutes to soften leaves. Separate and wash well. Place mixture into centre of cabbage leaves and roll up carefully. Close the sides well. Secure with a toothpick. Bake at 150C for 1 hour or more.

Savory Cups (F)

2 cups mushrooms
2 ripe medium tomatoes
1 Tbsp NC honey
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cup NC ww breadcrumbs
NC sea salt
1 tsp NC mixed herbs
3 small young squashes

Boil squash till almost cooked. Halve and scoop out pips. Finely chop mushrooms. Liquidize tomatoes. Mix all ingredients except squash together well. Add more breadcrumbs if too moist. Trim off bottom of squash halves so that they stand upright. Place mixture into squash halves. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes. Garnish with NC nuts and slivers of tomato.

Avocado and Egg (V)

2 ripe avocados
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated, raw onion
NC garlic salt to taste

Mash avocados and eggs. Combine all ingredients and mix well to form soft purée. Serve chilled in clam shells or in partly scooped-out avocado halves. Pour over this a Quick Mayonnaise made of cream, NC honey and lemon juice over this. Decorate with a few nuts and olives.

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