Daily Vegan

Category: Starters

In the ‚Starters‘ category on Daily Vegan there are lots of vegan starter recipes. There is something for all occasions and all kinds of menus.

Appetizers are the perfect start to a successful menu and set the culinary tone for what is to come. Here you will find creative and delicious recipes for starters, often with seasonal ingredients and always purely plant-based.

These appetizer recipes offer a wide range of flavours and textures and they prepare your taste buds for the main course or additional courses. From refreshing salads to hearty soups to delicate finger food creations, there are countless ways to whet your appetite.

The recipes vary from simple soups to gourmet recipes for fine dining.

Have fun browsing, marveling and cooking!

  • Vegan calamari – with spicy chipotle aioli

    Vegan calamari – with spicy chipotle aioli

    A little culinary trip to long gone summer holiday memories. With my vegan calamari. Made from regional, seasonal king oyster mushrooms! And entirely plant based.
    Battered and fried, accompanied by a nice and spicy chipotle aioli.

    Besides of the slightly fiery and spicy chipotle aioli dip, I also recommend lemon wedges. It adds a great taste, to drizzle the vegan squid with a little lemon juice.

    The perfect finger food!

    So? How many kilos of vegan calamari have you already eaten?
    I prefer not to answer that!

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    Ingredients for 2 servings of calamari:

    Squid:

    4 large, thick king oyster mushrooms
    3 tsp of wakame sea weed, dried
    3 tsp of nori flakes

    250 ml soy milk
    1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

    Batter:

    200 g flour
    1/2 tsp smoked paprika, ground
    1/4 tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp pepper, black, ground
    2 tsp of salt

    Approx. 0.5 l vegetable oil, sunflower oil or rapeseed oil

    1 tbsp parsley, chopped
    1/2 lemon, cut into wedges

    Chipotle Aioli:

    200 ml vegan aioli (homemade or bought)
    1 chipotle, pickled in Adobo sauce, chopped
    1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

    Preparation:

    Vegan calamari:

    Cut the king oyster mushrooms into round slices about 1/2 centimetre thick. Cut these slices into rings with a round cookie cutter. These rings should also be about half a centimetre thick. This works best if you use round cutters in different sizes.

    I usually keep the remaining round mushroom pieces and the mushroom hats in the refrigerator until the next day. Then I just fry them as a side dish or I fry them with onions and scrambled tofu for breakfast. They also taste very good in a creamy sauce.

    For making calamari, add about one litre of water to a sauce pan. Add both types of seaweed and bring to a boil.
    Let the mushroom rings simmer in that broth for about 10 minutes. Take the sauce pan off the stove and let the vegan squid cool down in the hot seaweed liquid for 20 minutes. Sieve and remove the algae from the mushrooms.

    Pour the apple cider vinegar into the soy milk, do not stir in, but let it sit for a few minutes. Until the vegan milk gets a little flaky.

    Mix the flour with the smoked paprika powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

    Stir through the soy milk and add all mushroom rings to it. keep the vegan calamari rings in the soy milk for about 15 minutes.
    Then take them out, one by one and batter them with the flour mixture.

    Finally, heat about half a liter oil in a saucepan to around 170 ° C. Fry the battered calamari in the oil.

    Chipotle Aioli:

    Puree the chipotle with the vegan aioli. Then just stir in the chopped parsley.

    Put the freshly fried, hot vegan calamari on 2 plates, then sprinkle with a little parsley and serve with the chiptle aioli and a few lemon wedges.

    Enjoy your meal!

  • Ceviche – vegan – with two kinds of ‘fish’

    Ceviche – vegan – with two kinds of ‘fish’

    Ceviche, with two kinds of vegan fish. One tuna version made from tomatoes and one white fish made from palm hearts. Delicious!

    Ceviche is a fresh delicacy from Central and South America. Popular from Mexico to Peru. It consists of different types of raw fish and lime juice. The remaining ingredients vary, depending on the region and recipe.

    Ceviche is a wonderful snack. It can be served rather simply with crunchy tortilla chips or in a soft taco.
    Due to its fine acidity, the various herbs and flavors, my ceviche is also ideal as a starter or as a fish course in a vegan fine dining menu.

    Lately, ceviche has been on everyone’s lips outside of South America. Therefore it was time to create a cruelty-free, vegan version. Without harming animals, but with full flavor!

    Have fun with my vegan ceviche recipe!

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    Ingredients for approx. 8 servings of ceviche:

    Vegan tuna:

    3 large tomatoes
    150 ml soy sauce ( gluten-free, if prefered)
    2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
    3 teaspoons of nori flakes
    1 tsp wakame seaweed
    2 tbsp rice vinegar

    White fish:

    4-5 palm hearts (approx. 250 g), from the jar or can

    Marinade:
    200 ml of oil
    2 teaspoons nori flakes
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    1/4 teaspoon parsley, dried
    1/2 teaspoon dill, dried
    1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds, ground
    1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

    1 small red onion, finely diced
    1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
    3 tbsp coriander, chopped
    1 tbsp mint, chopped
    1 jalapeno, fresh, finely chopped
    4 limes, the juice
    1 orange, the juice
    1/2 cucumber, diced
    1 avocado, finely diced
    15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
    2 tbsp olive oil
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper, black, ground

    Preparation:

    Vegan tuna:

    Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) top and bottom heat.
    Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Score the tomato skin in a cross shape at the bottom of the tomato, dip the tomatoes in the water, preferably with a slotted spoon, until the skin loosens.
    Peel, cut in half and core with a knife or spoon. Cut the halves into 4 strips each.

    In a small baking dish, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, nori flakes, wakame seaweed and garlic. Turn the tomato strips in it and put them in the oven for 3-4 minutes.
    Let the tomato tuna cool in the stock and remove the pieces of garlic and algae when putting together the dish.
    The tuna can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

    Cut the tuna fillets into pieces about 1-2 cm in size.

    White fish:

    Mix all ingredients for the marinade. Cut the palm hearts into 1 cm pieces and place them in the marinade. Let it rest for 24-48 hours. Then remove the vegan white fish from the marinade.

    Put both kinds of fish pieces in a small bowl and add the lime and orange juice. The vegan fish should be covered in the juice.
    Let it sit for one hour.

    Salt the finely diced red onion generously and let it sit for one hour. Rinse the onions and dry them a bit with a kitchen towel.

    Transfer the vegan fish to a larger bowl and mix it with the remaining ingredients for the ceviche and the rinsed red onion.

    Serve the vegan ceviche in tacos, with tortilla chips, with an avocado dip or with bread.

    Enjoy your meal!

  • Gourmet garlic mushrooms from the oven

    Gourmet garlic mushrooms from the oven

    Here is my recipe for gourmet garlic mushrooms from the oven. It’s so easy to make from the simplest ingredients, that everybody has on their kitchen shelf. All you need to get from the store are fresh mushrooms. And basically all you need for the preparation is an oven an a simple casserole dish. Absolutely tasty and fun to make!

    I roast the mushrooms in a sour and spicy garlic marinade with herbs until they are soft and baked. That is how the become a a very special, spicy taste experience. Prepared quickly and easily!
    A great side dish for seitan dishes! But also an awesome snack when the mushroom hunger gets to you!

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    Ingredients for 4 servings of garlic mushrooms:

    1 kg (6 cups) rather small mushrooms, cleaned
    1 tbsp oil (vegetable oil, rapeseed oil or sunflower oil)
    3 tbsp dark balsamic vinegar (Aceto Balsamico)
    2 tbsp soy sauce
    3 cloves of garlic, very finely cut
    1/2 tsp thyme, chopped, dried
    1/2 tsp paprika powder
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper

    Optional: fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, dill or basil for sprinkling

    Preparation:

    Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390°F) top and bottom heat.

    Mix the tablespoon of oil thoroughly with the balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme, paprika powder, salt and pepper.
    Put the mushrooms into the marinade and turn them over, until they are fully covered. Place them in a large casserole dish or lasagna dish. The marinated mushrooms should be sitting close to each other, but not on top of each other.
    Roast in the oven, for about 25 minutes. Turn the mushrooms once after 10 minutes.

    Enjoy your meal!

    Do you fancy more hearty recipes?

    Also try my Crispy vegan chicken drumsticks on veggies, Cauliflower or broccoli baked in herbal dough on red wine shallots, Meatball sandwich, with homemade subway bread or Thüringer Brat – the best German sausage!

  • Beetroot apple soup with light crème, cilantro and green polenta hearts

    Beetroot apple soup with light crème, cilantro and green polenta hearts

    Pretty in pink with hearts! It is autumn, nature is colourful! And you can get seasonal and local root vegetables everywhere.
    Here is the recipe for my delicious, creamy, healthy beetroot apple soup with light crème, cilantro, green polenta hearts and roasted beetroot cubes.
    The soup gets its special kick from added cider. Which harmonises fantastically with the apples and the earthy vegetables. The light cream is spiced with blue fenugreek, which gives it a wonderful touch. My green polenta hearts taste always a little different, depending on wich green pesto I use.

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    Ingredients for 5-6 servings:

    Beetroot apple soup:

    8 red beets, peeled and roughly diced
    3 apples (rather sour, like Boskop), peeled and roughly diced
    3 onions, diced
    1 medium potato, peeled and diced
    1 small piece of ginger, finely chopped
    1.5 cup vegetable broth
    2 cup cider
    1 teaspoon vegan Worcestire sauce
    1 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
    salt
    pepper
    oil

    Light crème:

    150 ml of vegan sour cream
    1 tsp blue fenugreek, ground
    1/4 tsp salt
    1 pinch pepper

    Green polenta hearts:

    150 g of corn semolina
    500 ml vegetable broth
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    1 tablespoon of yeast flakes
    2 tbsp green pesto
    vegan butter

    Roasted beetroot cubes:

    1 red beetroot, diced
    salt
    pepper
    vegan butter

    Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

    Preparation:

    Beetroot apple soup:

    Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions. Add beetroot, apples and potatoes and fry them slightly.
    Add the broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Now add the cider, mustard powder and Worcestire sauce and simmer for another 15 minutes. Afterwards, purée the soup, coarse or fine, depending on your taste.
    Season with salt and pepper.

    Light crème:

    Mix all ingredients for the cream together.

    Green polenta hearts:

    For the polenta hearts, bring the broth to a boil with 1 tbsp vegan butter and turmeric. Then slowly stir in the corn semolina. Continue stirring until the mixture binds. Now stir in the yeast flakes and the green pesto.
    Pour into a greased casserole dish and chill. Allow to cool for 2-3 hours.
    Put the dish upside down on a cutting board and let the polenta fall out of it. Cut out the hearts with a cookie cutter.
    Heat some vegan butter in a pan and fry the hearts from both sides in it. Then put them on little skewers.

    Roasted flower beds cubes:

    Heat a pan with some vegan butter, sauté the beetroot cube in it. Salt and pepper, then set aside.

    Garnish and serve the beetroot apple soup with the light cream, the green polenta hearts and the roasted beetroot, and some coarsely chopped coriander.

    Enjoy your meal!

    You enjoy vegan soups?

    Also try my Sopa De Ajo – Mallorca’s garlic soup, served with a maritime tofu skewer and croutons.

  • Vegan salmon spinach roll with cream cheese

    Vegan salmon spinach roll with cream cheese

    My delicious recipe for vegan salmon spinach roll with cream cheese. The perfect starter of a barnstorming menu or for a wonderful intermediate fish course. Also lovely at a brunch or buffet.

    A spinach salmon roll seems to be totally not vegan. And with my smokey salmon and the vegan cream cheese it also tastes like that. Nevertheless it is fairly easy to prepare and you can surprise your guests with a delicious treat.

    Preparing the roll, a few waiting times must be scheduled, this recipe needs a little patience.

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    Ingredients for 1 salmon spinach roll:

    Vegan Salmon:

    3 carrots
    2/3 cup oil
    1 tbsp soy sauce
    1 tsp rice vinegar
    1/2 tsp liquid smoke
    1/2 tsp nori flakes
    2-3 cups salt

    Salmon spinach roll:

    450 g chopped frozen spinach, thawed
    2 tbps gram flour (chick pea flour, garbanzo flour) or soy flour, mixed with 6 tbsp of water
    1 pinch black pepper
    50 g grated vegan cheese
    150 g vegan cream cheese, room temperature

    2 tbsp sesame seeds

    Directions:

    Vegan salmon:

    I prepare my salmon always in a salt crust. That adds a wonderful, delicious aroma and the perfect consistency.
    Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F) on upper and lower heat.
    Wash the carrots, but do not dry them. Put about one third of the salt into a small casserole dish. Place the wet carrots on the salt. Cover them with salt, until the carrots are fully coated.
    Bake for 1.5 hours.
    Let the carrots cool of a bit, take them out of the salt and rub off the remaining salt. Peel the carrots carefully. Use a sharp knife to cut them into small, long stripes.

    Place the carrot stripes into a small bowl. Secondly mix the oil with liquid smoke, nori flakes, soy sauce and rice vinegar. Pour the liquid over the carrots and mix well. Cover the bowl and let it rest in the fridge over night. One whole day or two days are even better.

    Salmon spinach roll:

    Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) on upper and lower heat.

    Take the thawed spinach and press it in your hands or a fine-meshed sieve, so the water comes out. Mix it with the gram flour and pepper.
    Spread the mix on a baking tray with baking paper. Shape it into a rectangle.
    Sprinkle the rectangle with vegan grated cheese.
    Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes.

    Meanwhile heat up a frying pan without oil. Roast the sesame seeds in the pan, stirring thoroughly. Be careful, it burns easily.
    Put the sesame into a bowl and set aside.

    Spread the vegan cream cheese on the warm spinach. Afterwards place the vegan salmon on top of it, so it is evenly spread. Small holes are not a problem.

    Carefully roll up the salmon spinach roll now. Use the baking paper to assist you. A bit of the spinach will stay sticked to the paper though.
    Wrap the roll in cling film and put it into the fridge for at least one hour.

    Unpack from cling film and roll it in the roasted sesame.

    Cut the salmon spinach roll into 1-2 cm thick slices.

    Serve with bread and vegan dips. I like to make an avocado yoghurt dip to it and serve it with a bit of vegan caviar.

    Enjoy!

  • Sopa De Ajo – Mallorca’s garlic soup, served with a maritime tofu skewer and croutons

    Sopa De Ajo – Mallorca’s garlic soup, served with a maritime tofu skewer and croutons

    In this recipe I’ve veganized Sopa de Ajo, the famous garlic soup from the Spanish island Mallorca. Including the curdled egg. That adds the wonderful texture to the amazing, aromatic taste of the soup.
    Served with a crispy, coated maritime tofu skewer (fried tofu fish) and crunchy croutons.
    Some fresh parsley on top and all parts of this dish come together for a fantastic and perfect experience of flavours.

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    Ingediences for 4-6 servings of Sopa De Ajo:

    Sopa De Ajo:

    20 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
    4 slices of toast, diced
    5 tbsp olive oil
    4 tomatoes
    1 l vegetable stock
    1 bay leaf
    1 tsp oregano
    1/2 tsp paprika
    1/4 tsp chilli powder
    salt

    1 tbsp parsley, chopped

    Vegan curdled egg:

    2 tbsp gram flower, mixed with 6 tbsp of water
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    1/4 tsp kalak namak (Indian black salt)

    Croutons:

    2 slices of toast, diced
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp paprika
    3 tbsp olive oil

    Maritime tofu skewer:

    200 g tofu
    1 sheet nori
    Marinade:
    1 lemon, the juice
    6 tbsp olive oil
    2 tsp nori flakes
    1 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp pepper
    1 tsp dried dill
    1 tsp dried parsley
    1/2 tsp mustard powder
    1/2 tsp fennel seeds, grounded

    Panade:

    2 tbsp gram flour, mixed with 6 tbsp of water
    1/4 tsp nori flakes
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    breadcrumbs or panko

    oil for frying

    Directions:

    Sopa De Ajo:

    Cut a small cross into the skin of the tomatoes. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. Leave them in the hot water for 1-2 minutes, until their skin comes of. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into dices.

    Heat up some oil in a medium sized saucepan. Fry the garlic and bread until it becomes crispy. Add the skinned tomatoes and let everything cook for a few minutes. Now add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, oregano, paprika and chilli.
    Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. Take out the bay leaf.
    Use a stick blender to blend to a smooth purée. Add salt to taste

    Vegan curdled egg:

    Mix the gram flour, water, kurkuma and kalak namak and stir well.
    Bring the Sopa de Ajo to a boil and pour in the gram flour batter. Take the soup of the stove.

    Croutons:

    Heat up the olive oil in a pan and fry the diced toast until it becomes golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with salt and paprika.

    Maritime tofu skewer:

    Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) on upper and lower heat.
    Cut the tofu into 1.5-2 cm large dices.
    Stir together all ingredients for the marinade. Add the marinade to a small casserole and turn the tofu in it.
    Bake the tofu inside the marinade for 20 minutes. Turn over the tofu and bake again for another 20 minutes

    Use a pair of scissors to cut the nori sheet into stripes. They should have about the same width as the tofu cubes. Wrap the stripes around the tofu cubes. Wet a finger with a bit of water to glue the end of the stripe to itself. Just press the wet part onto a dry one.

    Mix a batter with the gram flour, water, nori flakes, salt and pepper.
    Dunk the tofu cubes into the batter and cover them from all sides. Roll them in breadcrumbs or panko immediately.
    Heat some oil in a pan. The bottom of the pan should be fully covered and the oil shoul be 3-4 mm deep.
    Fry the coated tofu cubes from all sides, until they become crispy.
    Put them on little skewers.

    Serve the sopa de ajo in bowls with a tofu skewer, croutons and garnish with parsley.

    Enjoy your meal!

    More vegan recipes with tofu?

    Try my recipe for scrambled tofu, delicious egg salad for sandwiches or borek with spinach and feta stuffing.