Vegan Tapas Feast For All

A vegan tapas bar that is a feast to be shared among friends. Made with fresh ingredients such as veggies and lentils. A very healthy vegan snack feast

This post is sponsored by REVOL. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Is there anyone who doesn’t love a vegan tapas feast? It is my favorite way to sample several meals in small portions and celebrate all kinds of ingredients without the guilt of over indulgence.

For this post, I included some staples of any Tapas menu. Potatoes, polenta, olives and wine. My favorite tapas experience has always included all these comfort food items and it was only right that I include them in my feast.

I find that handwriting all the dishes is a wonderful touch to the tapas feast. I have nothing against printed labels, but it seems a little pretentious to me.  If you ask me, calligraphy is a dying art. Normally, I have children write out the menu items, but, in this case it didn’t seem appropriate because there was alcohol involved.  It is so fascinating to see children write out the dishes.  They go to town on the notes with doodles and drawings.  I have seen them draw dinosaurs, use glitter and even try to draw the recipe itself.  It is so heartwarming to see those works of art.

This vegan tapas feast is the the last post in the REVOL line of kitchen cookware. The first one was these heavenly garlic butter potatoes. Then came the asparagus wonton fries which is a kid favorite.  Last week, I made these mushroom escargot dish which just stole the show at a gathering of friends.

REVOL has a very unique line of products and I have been so impressed with their quality.  They are sturdy, high-end and durable products.  But, the main reason I like them is because they are incredibly easy to clean.  Baked cheese, grease and spices don’t stick to it!! Nothing makes me happier than not having to apply heavy elbow grease to remove crusted bread on pans!

So, I am happy to throw out my older server-ware and use REVOL’s server-ware.  Don’t take my word for it, test them out for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Which one is your favorite meal from this vegan tapas feast?

Vegan Tapas Menu Items

Preparations

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Take a bowl and add 1.5 cup of yellow corn meal (Polenta). Add 4 cups of cold water to the polenta and 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Soak for 1 and 1/2 hours

3) Cut the spaghetti squash into 2 pieces.  One should be about 3/4 and the other will be a 1/4. Refrigerate the 3/4 piece for a future recipe

4) Place the 1/4 piece of spaghetti squash on a baking dish. Remove the seeds and brush with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool

5) Hand write all the menu items

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Parsley

1) Take 2 medium sized sweet potatoes and peel off the skin

2) Cut them into bite sized pieces and place them inside these Belle Cuisine Individual Round Porcelain Bowls

3) In each bowl, add 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and 2 sprigs of finely chopped curly parsley

4) Add 1/4 tsp of sea salt and 1/8 tsp of black pepper.  Mix well and shut the lid

5) Place the bowls in the oven and cook for 25 minutes until they are soft.  I found these to be the best part of my vegan tapas feast. The sweet potatoes practically melt in your mouth because they cook so perfectly in these porcelain bowls

Baby Patatas Bravas

1) Ok, I took a few liberties with this recipe.  Every patatas bravas I have had are super spicy and the flavors of the potatoes and other ingredients get lost in the mouth-on-fire taste. So, in my version, I include soft tofu in a higher proportion

2) In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of soft tofu, 3 Tbsp of hot sauce. I added 1 tsp of agave and 1/4 tsp of lime juice

3) Blend on low speed and set aside

4) Take 3 baby potatoes and cut them into halves

5) Place the cut potatoes in a bowl and add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of dried oregano. Mix well

6) Place the seasoned baby potatoes in the escargot dish and place them in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes and then allow them to cool for a few minutes

7) Top them with the red sauce, garnish with cilantro and place them on the vegan tapas bar

Reduced Balsamic Sauce

1) In a medium sauce pan, add 1 cup of balsamic sauce.  I used a pomegranate-infused Balsamic vinegar which is easy to purchase in your grocery store or online

2) Add 4 tsp of brown sugar and bring it to a boil on medium heat. When the mixture is about half its amount, turn of the stove and set it aside for a few minutes

3) Transfer the contents to the white porcelain provence vinegar cruet. It is such a useful and heavy duty container to store the balsamic sauce

4) Do not wash the pan that we used to make the sauce.  It will come in handy for making other vegan tapas items

Tangy Green Olives Saute

1) In the balsamic pan, add 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and set it to low heat

2) Take 1/4 cup of red onions, finely chopped and add it to the heating oil

3) Take 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped and add it to the onions

4) Add 1 cup of green olives, preferably stuffed. Mix well and add 1/8 tsp of black pepper

5) Mix well and serve them in white porcelain ramekin.  This olives have a tangy and sweet flavor

Black Olives Saute

1) Use the same pan that was used to make the green olives.

2) Add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and warm it at medium heat for 30 seconds

3) To the pan, add 1/2 cup of black olives, 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped, 2 Tbsp of red onion (finely chopped) and 1/4 of a red pepper chopped into small pieces

4) Add 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar and mix well.  Add 1/4 tsp of black pepper to the olives and give it a final stir

5) Serve them in white porcelain ramekin

Lightly Tossed Sweet Tomatoes

1) We are going to use the same pan again.  This pan is going to get so much use today

2) Cut 5 campari tomatoes into four pieces each

3) Add 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and heat it on low heat

4) Add 1 clove of finely chopped garlic in the oil

5) Add the tomatoes and quickly toss them.  Add 2 tsp of the reduced balsamic sauce to it and toss gently

6) Serve them in white porcelain ramekin

Spicy Spinach and Chickpea Salad

1) In the same pan, add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of red onions (finely chopped) and about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the can of chick peas

2) Add 1/2 cup of dry red wine, 1 cup of chick peas and 1/2 of a red pepper (finely chopped)

3) Bring it to a boil and make sure most of the red wine has burned off

4) Add 1 cup of baby spinach with the end stems removed.  Don’t stir the pan; Just let the spinach wilt

5) When the spinach has wilted to 1/2 its size, add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper

6) Mix well and serve in individual-sized white porcelain square baking dish.  They are so perfect because you can heat them directly in the oven.

Mini Bowls of Broccoli & Black Eyed Peas

1) Cut 10 broccoli florets, 1 large carrot and 1/2 of a red pepper into very tiny pieces.

2) Open a can of black-eyed peas and drain them. Place them in the a strainer and run them under cold water for about 1 minutes. The goal is to wash away as much of the salt as possible

3) Place the peas and veggies in a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) and 1 tsp of dried oregano

4) Add 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and mix well

5) Place the veggies in the black square baking dish and place it in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove from the oven. Place them on the vegan tapas bar

Polenta Bites With Eggplant and Red Pepper

1) Boil about 3 cups of water.  While the water is boiling, drain the excess liquid from the soaking polenta

2) Add the polenta to the boiling water while stirring vigorously with the other hand.  Make sure there are no lumps

3) Keep stirring until the water has evaporated and the polenta has thickened

4) Turn of the heat and spread the polenta on a small casserole dish.  The layer shouldn’t be more than a 1/2 inch thick

5) Place the casserole dish in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes

6) While the polenta is cooling, take 1 Japanese eggplant, 1/2 of a red bell pepper and 1/4 of red onion into bite size pieces

7) Take 3 cloves of garlic and chop them finely

8) In the same pan, add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and heat on low heat for 30 seconds

9) Add the garlic cloves to the oil and let them brown.  Add the veggies and mix well

10) Let them cook for 10 minutes or until the eggplant skin is tender. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp of dried oregano and 1/4 tsp of lime juice

11) Mix well, turn off the heat and set aside

12) Remove the polenta from the fridge and use a small cookie cutter to cut circular shapes from the polenta.  I used the cookie cutter of 3.75″ in diameter

13) I stacked 2 polenta rounds and then topped with the eggplant and pepper mixture. Drizzle some of the reduced balsamic sauce on each polenta bite and garnish with chopped parsley.

Spaghetti Squash Crostini

1) The spaghetti squash should be ready by now, so, take a fork and shred the inside of the squash with it.  This will make huge strands and that is perfect

2) Take the strands and place them on a plate. Set aside

3) Cut 1/2 of a red pepper into julienne strands.  Do the same for 1/4 of a red onion

4) Take 3 cloves of garlic and chop them finely

5) In the same pan, add 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and heat on low for about 15 seconds

6) Add 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds and let them brown for about 10 seconds.  Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds

7) Add the peppers and onions to the oil and saute for about 6 minutes or until the peppers start to brown.

8) Add the spaghetti squash and mix well. Adjust for taste and cook for 2 more minutes

9) Add 1 tsp of the reduced balsamic sauce and set aside

10) Take a French baguette and slice them diagonally.  You can choose them to be as thick or as thin as you want. I like my crostini on the thinner side

11) Lightly toast the crostini and let them cool for a few minutes

12) Spread a thick layer of red pepper hummus on the crostini. I used about 3 tbsp on each crostini

13) Top the crostini with the squash and pepper veggies. Optionally, drizzle the balsamic sauce before serving

14) I served crostini on this basalt matt slate serverware.  It retains the heat from the crostini so that it doesn’t get soggy

Now, go make this vegan tapas feast and come back to tell me about your experience with it.