New Years Eve party food w/recipes

Went to a good friends’ for NYE as usual. This year they added an appetizer contest. Of course I would have brought food anyway to ensure there was plenty for me to eat, but I wanted to win!

Here is what I brought:

Cucumber Rounds with Rummy Hummus (recipe below)

Watermelon Jello Shots

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (recipe below)

Proud to say the cookie bars won me a great movie themed basket J

Cucumber Rounds with Rummy Hummus

Source: Tipsy Vegan cookbook

1 (14-ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained thoroughly
1 canned chipotle pepper, stemmed if necessary, with a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from can
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white rum (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 large English (seedless) cucumber
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet just until golden brown

In a medium bowl, place the chickpeas, chipotles, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, white rum, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Puree with an immersion blender, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Or use a standing blender.

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber skin lengthwise at 1/4-inch intervals to create a striped pattern around the circumference of the cucumber and slice it crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds. If the cucumber skin is tough, peel the entire cucumber. Arrange the cucumber discs on a platter.

To assemble, just before serving, lightly salt the cucumber rounds. Top each round with a generous teaspoon of hummus. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Source: www.Ohladycakes.com

1/2 c. vegan butter (my favorite brand if Earth Balance as it is not hydrogenated)
1 c. cane sugar
2 tsp molasses
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. unbleached flour*
1/2 c. whole wheat flour*
1/4 c. vegan mini chocolate chips (QFC brand is vegan friendly as well as some others that aren’t marketed as vegan, just read the label)

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, sugar, molasses, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Sift in the pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda and flours; mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press dough into the prepared baking pan and level with an offset spatula. Bake at 325˚F for 26-28 minutes.

* I was out of whole wheat flour so I used 1 ½ cup all purpose.