Looking for a great vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free appetizer option for the holidays? Try the simple, fast, tasty "Cheesy" Vegan Tomato Pesto Bites!
Going dairy-free has been fairly simple. However, We've had the hardest time missing real cheese. Do you know how hard it is to be a food blogger and avoid cheese at all of these amazing food events, especially the wine events? There is always, always GOOD cheese! It's crazy difficult, and sometimes We do indulge and then pay for it for the days after.
One of the fave dairy-free cheeses
Luckily, there are brands like Daiya Foods, who work hard to constantly improve their plant-based products. Some pizza places even use their Shreds (similar to shredded cheese) as dairy-free cheese options. All Daiya products are dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and free of eggs, peanuts, fish, and shellfish. That's quite a feat to create products that are allergen-free!
Recently, We had the opportunity to try the new and improved Daiya Cheddar Style Slices and the Daiya Swiss Style Slices. We was admittedly impressed! They were more flavorful and had less of a processed factory taste than other vegan "cheese" alternatives.
We've enjoyed the slices to be tasty in grilled cheese sandwiches, and have used them to create some tasty party appetizers. We hope you enjoy the recipe We'm sharing today — and that you enter to win today's Day 9 of the 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways: a panini press and a
Step-by-step instructions
These are SO super simple to make because We use a lot of shortcuts. You start with wheat bread slices, and you could definitely use gluten-free bread slices if you want.
Using a cookie cutter, cut out bread circles and then cut out Daiya slices with the same cookie cutter. Top the bread slices with one Daiya slice.
Look how cute the Daiya Swiss style slices are: they have holes in them simply like regular ol' Swiss cheese slices do!
Then you top each bite with a small teaspoon of pesto. We use store-bought pesto, but you could also use your own homemade pesto made without any cheese. The creamy avocado pesto would be great for this appetizer – simply make it without parmesan cheese for a 100% vegan dish!
Finally, top each bite with a spoonful of sun-dried tomatoes. Again, you can totally use jarred sun-dried tomatoes – or you can make your own.
Pop into a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, simply until the Daiya slices have melted. Serve and impress your guests!
"Cheesy" Vegan Tomato Pesto Bites
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 8
These "Cheesy" Vegan Tomato Pesto appetizer bites are so simple and fast to make, and are perfect for any party!
Ingredients
- 8 slices white or wheat bread
- 4 Daiya Cheddar Style Slices
- 4 Daiya Swiss Style Slices
- 1 jar pesto
- 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Using a circle cookie cutter or pastry cutter, cut out 2 circles from each slice of bread
- Using the same circle cutter, cut out circles from the Daiya slices
- Top each slice of bread with one Daiya circle slice, then top with about a teaspoon of pesto sauce, followed by a teaspoon of sun-dried tomatoes.
- Place each appetizer bite onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, simply until the slices have melted.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 107 kcal, Carbohydrates: 12 g, Protein: 6 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 8 mg, Sodium: 148 mg, Potassium: 85 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 76 IU, Vitamin C: 0.1 mg, Calcium: 122 mg, Iron: 1 mgNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
