Veggie Appetizers

Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients:
1 lb. Fresh or Frozen peeled, cooked,
deveined, and chilled shrimp
Lettuce
Cocktail Sauce
Lemon Wedges Arrange Shrimp in six lettuce lined cocktail cups or glasses. Spoon 1 tbsp. cocktail sauce over each. Serve with lemon. Serves 6

Batter Fried veggies

Ingredients:
1 slighly beaten egg
1 cup ice water, cold milk, or cold beer
1 cup all purpose flour
5 cups of any combo of the following veggies:
Mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli,
peppers strips, onion rings, fresh green beans,
sweet poatoes (cut into 1/4 in. thick slices),
eggplant, peeled and cut
into 1 inch cubes.
cooking oil
dipping sauce For batter, in med. bowl, stir together egg and ice water, milk, or beer. Add flour all at once. Beat with a rotary beater or whisk till mix is smooth. Set aside.
Rinse veggies under cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, or deep fryer, heat 2 in. of shortening to 377. Dip veggies, a few at a time, into the batter, swirling to coat. Fry for 2-3 min., or till golden brown. Drain on paper towel, keep warm in 300 oven while preparing the rest. Repeat with remaining veggies.
Serve with idividual bowls of dipping sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
24-26 cherry tomatoes
1 8oz. pkg. softened cream cheese
1 tbsp. snipped chives
1 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder Slice a thin layer off the top of each tomato. Using a small spoon, scoop out and discard pulp. Invert tomatos, drain on paper towels.
For filling, in a small bowl combine cream cheese, chives, milk, basil, pepper, and garlic. Beat till smooth. Spoon or pipe the filling into tomatoes. Serve immediately, or chill up to 8 hours. Makes 24-26.

Marinated Cheese & Olives

Ingredients:
8 oz. cheese (cheddar, colby, edam, gouda,
or Monterey Jack
2 oz. pepperoni or salami
1/4 cup olive or salad oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 6oz. can pitted ripe olives, drained Cut cheese and meat into 1/2 inch pieces. In a bowl combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, fennel seed, and pepper. Stir in cheese, meat, and olives. Cover and chill up to 3 days, stirring occasionally. Let stand 30 min. at room temp. before serving. Serve with toothpicks. Makes 4 cups (16 servings).