I agree with chi83 that falafel and hummus are good choices, but egg rolls are not vegan unless you substitute rice paper or egg-free pasta for the traditional wrappers. You can also make Vietnamese style lettuce wraps and omit the fish sauce. Here is my recipe for a bean dip, which I developed while I was living in Texas. It was a big hit there: Texas Bean Dip Ingredients 1-1/3 cup dried pinto (or red) beans (about 2 cups cooked) 1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp cumin 1 bunch of cilantro, large stems removed, about 2/3 cup chopped 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (10 oz.) or similar tomatoes, diced with green chilies, drained, liquid reserved 3-4 Serrano chilies, coarsely chopped 6 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tbsp dried oregano) 1 tbsp vegetable soup base Place dried beans in large pot and cover with water to about 3-4 times original depth. Bring to a boil and boil for two minutes, cover, and remove from heat and allow to soak for one hour. Discard the soaking water and rinse and sort the beans. Cover with fresh water, with about two inches above the soaked beans, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for one hour, or until done, and discard the cooking water. Place all of the ingredients except the beans in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the beans, and check for flavor - you may not want to add all of them. If needed, add a bit of liquid from the canned tomatoes to aid in processing. I remove some of the seeds from the chilies - you can remove all the seeds, if you like it mild. Serve warm or cold with tortilla chips. These days I boil the beans with a few epazote leaves that I tie into a bundle so that they can be removed after cooking. This is a traditional way of cooking Mexican beans, and I do it partly because I always have a lot of epazote in my yard, and it also eliminates the need for cilantro, although I still add that as well if I have it. Potato empanadas might be another good choice. Lars

Bumblebeez, Yes I have frozen them after assembling and before baking. They turned out wonderfully! I always use fresh shrimp when I am going to freeze them however, so yes if you are using already frozen shrimp then I wouldn't freeze them. I always make the stacked filo pizza when I make the shrimp stick recipe as there is just enough filo in a package for both. Although next time I may just double or triple the shrimp stick recipe. Here are some ideas for punches that I found in my files. This is far and away the BEST lemonade I have ever had-it comes from Taste of Home and everyone that has had it, loves it: (not this was quoted by person posting recipe, not me, I haven't tried it). Aunt Frances'Lemonade 5 lemons 5 limes 5 oranges 3 quarts water 1 1/2-2c sugar Squeeze the juice from 4 of each fruits; pour into a 1 gallon container. Thinly slice remaining fruits and set aside for garnish. Add water and sugar to juice mixing well. Store in refrig and serve over ice with fruit slices. Yield:1 gallon (12-16 servings) Hot Weather Punch 8 tea bags · 3 quarts boiling water · 3/4 cup sugar · 1 bottle ginger ale -- 32-ounce · 1 can lemonade, frozen 12 Steep tea in water for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and mix tea with remaining ingredients. Chill. Ginger ale may be chilled and added just before serving if a more carbonated punch is desired. Serves 15 Summertime Cooler 1 bottle (64 ounces) cranberry-raspberry drink, chilled 2 cups water 2 large lemons 2 large limes 1 medium nectarine 1/2 pound seedless green grapes 1/2 cup raspberries lemon leaves 5 tea bags 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar 1 bottle (34 ounces) lemon-lime diet soft drink, chilled 1 can (6 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed Mix 3 cups raspberry-cranberry drink and 2 cups water. Pour 3-1/2 cups of this mixture into a 6-cup ring mild and freeze. Refrigerate remaining 1-1/2 cups. Cut a continuous 1-inch wide strip of peel from each lemon and each lime. Set aside. Squeeze juice from lemons and limes to equal 1/4 cup each. Refrigerate to use in punch later. Trim white membrane from lemon and lime peel strips. Form each strip into a rose by rolling it tightly, skin side out, around finger. Secure with a toothpick. Cover and refrigerate. When juice ring is frozen, cut nectarine into wedges and separate grapes into small clusters. Discard toothpicks from lemon and lime roses. Arrange roses with nectarine wedges, grape clusters, raspberries, and lemon leaves on frozen ring for garnish. Pour in half of remaining drink mixture; freeze about 1 hour to set garnishes in place. Add remaining drink mixture; freeze. In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, pour boiling water over tea bags to equal 4 cups. Let steep 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Cover and refrigerate tea until ready to complete punch. Just before serving, mix 2 tablespoons sugar, soft drink, undiluted lemonade, tea, remaining cranberry drink, lemon and lime juices, and 1 1/2 cups cold water in a 6-quart punch bowl (large enough to hold ice ring). Taste, adding more sugar if desired. Unmold the ice ring into your hands, not on a place because it might break. To loosen the ice ring from mold, place mold in a hot water bath about 30 seconds (do not immerse). Add the ice ring to punch. Tips Lemon leaves may be purchased at a florist shop. Sunny Spring Lemonade 6 cups white grape juice, chilled 1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed and undiluted 5 1/2 cups club soda, chilled Stir together all ingredients in a 1-gallon pitcher or punch bowl. Serve over ice. Yield: 3 quarts Shelley

Deviled eggs Pinwheels (either tortilla or puff pastry) Hummus and pita chips artichoke and red pepper squares (recipe below) Crispy bread with bruschetta Crispy bread with a smear of goat cheese, a few toasted walnuts, fresh thyme leaves and a drizzle of honey Tapenade on crackers, bread, pita, etc Artichoke Heart and Red Pepper Bites 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Makes @60 1” bites. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 35 minutes Cooling Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour

We have made this many times using Kraft's Old English jar cheese; it's a little less competition for the crab than Cheez Whiz would be, and the crab needs to be the star here in Baltimore. Also here in B'more, we use fresh cooked "canned" crabmeat, not what is available in the canned fish aisle. CRAB MUFFINS 6 English muffins ½ cup butter or margarine 1 5-ounce jar Old English cheese ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 Tablespoon minced onion 1 7-ounce can crab meat Paprika (some use Old Bay instead) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split the English muffins. Beat together butter or margarine and cheese. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and minced onion. Drain crab meat well and squeeze dry. Gently add crab meat to cheese mixture. Spread on muffins and sprinkle with paprika. Cut into sixths or eights for appetizers, or leave as open halves for sandwiches. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 2 minutes. When crabmeat is not in the budget, we do make these with canned tuna, and they're still good, but please don't tell any Maryland natives.