When entertaining friends and family, the challenge for me is putting together drinks and meals that are vegan-friendly yet also appealing to my non-vegan guests. Having a theme to work with is always helpful, as having too many options leaves me feeling scatter-brained and directionless.
I have come up with several pairings here to give you some ideas for upcoming get-togethers (big or small) in the fall season. These pairings are all vegan (but if you really want to, you can use conventional ingredients – I won’t be upset) that are perfect for fall entertaining and include a complimentary flavour of Smucker’s Jam.
Think you need lots of time and tons of ingredients to serve your friends and family delicious treats? Think again: all these pairings have 5 or fewer ingredients and the total prep/cooking time is less than 15 minutes! Last- minute company? No problem. I know you can handle it.
A drink is always welcome when a guest first arrives, whether it’s hot or cold outside. Providing a drink that goes beyond just water lets your guest know that you appreciate them being there and that you can spare a little time to focus just on them. This Wildberry Spritzer is easy to make, only uses 3 ingredients and can be adjusted with additional liquids (you know what I mean), as you see fit. This quick and easy drink is ideal for larger get-togethers (such as a party where people will be standing and chatting), but also smaller gatherings, and can be served after dinner as well.
Wildberry Spritzer
3 ingredients. Much less than 5 minutes.
-Soda water
-1 teaspoon Wildberry Jam
-Sprig of mint
Pumpkin Apricot Dip
5 ingredients. 5 minutes.
-1 can pumpkin purée
-1 small container cream cheese/soy cream cheese
-2 tbsps Apricot Jam
-1/3 cup dry sweetener of your choice. (I used brown sugar, because I like the molasses-y flavour of it)
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix until smooth. Serve with fruit slices, graham crackers or ginger snaps. Total time to put this together is about 5 minutes!
What do you think of when you think of fall entertaining? I think of pumpkins! I’ve seen some cute pumpkin-shaped serving dishes, and think they would be perfect to serve this Pumpkin Apricot Dip.
Tomato Strawberry Savoury-Sweet Bread Bites
5 ingredients. 15 minutes.
-Baguettes sliced
-Olive oil
-3 Roma tomatoes
-Strawberry Jam
-1 or 2 cloves of garlic
Toast or grill baguette slices. While bread is toasting, cut up tomatoes and put them in a small bowl. Remove bread and rub slices with garlic cloves. Drizzle bread with olive oil to taste. Serve on platter with bowl of tomatoes and Strawberry Jam.
The combination of tomatoes, garlic and Strawberry Jam is a little surprising — but I love the way the sharpness of the garlic, the sweetness of the jam and the tart or bitter taste of the Roma tomatoes balance well together. This is an appetizer best served for larger gatherings, or as a quick snack for when you have unexpected guests in the afternoon.
Apple Pear Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
5 ingredients. 10 minutes.
-Apple of your choice
-Pear of your choice
-Raspberry Jam
-Olive oil
-Apple cider or other vinegar (rice wine vinegar is nice and mild)
Cut apples and pears (half of each per person is a good amount). Drizzle fruit with olive oil. Mix Raspberry Jam (to taste) with vinegar, and pour over top of fruit (or put in serving bottle).
This sweet and tart salad works well when served at a small sit-down dinner party or luncheon. As an alternative, you can put the apples/pears in a large bowl and have the vinaigrette in a bottle on the side, for buffet-style dining.
Hot Cocoa with Raspberry
5 ingredients. 5 minutes.
Per cup:
-1 cup soymilk
-2 tsps brown sugar
-Vegan marshmallows
-1 tsp Raspberry Jam
-2 tbsps cocoa powder
Heat soymilk on stovetop in saucepan on low to medium heat. While milk is warming up, add Raspberry Jam, brown sugar and cocoa powder in a mug with a tbsp of the soymilk. Mix with a fork or small whisk so that a paste is formed. When the milk is warm (but not boiling), add it to the mug and stir well until everything is mixed. Serve with a few vegan marshmallows.
I’ll be sharing the recipes and more images on my Instagram account (@beingtazim) using the hashtag #PairingIdeas so look out for more fall entertaining ideas there.
I’d love to know — do you have go-to recipes for different kinds of fall entertainment?
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Smucker’s Pairings for Fall Entertaining are a simple, easy way to create delicious food combinations with jam and other ingredients, designed help you discover how Fall flavours mingle together for mouthwatering results. Each pairing has 5 ingredients or less, and is ready in less than 15 minutes. Because with a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good. For specific information on our jam flavours and varieties, please visit www.smuckers.ca
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Smucker’s Foods of Canada via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Smucker’s Foods of Canada.
