Last week our friend Andrea hosted a surprise birthday lunch for our friend Denise. We did succeed in surprising her and Andrea prepared an amazing spread with fresh mozza boards, a fresh kale salad with chicken, almonds and pomegranate seeds and the most delicious panzanella….watch for that on the blog soon!
Andrea asked if I could bring a veggie platter. I was inspired by the crudites appetizer at True Food Kitchen….fresh, colorful, crisp veggies served on a bowl of ice with tzatziki and black olive dips. I never would have ordered a “veggie platter” for an appie, but Lo’s father-in-law ordered it for the table and it was amazing! So yummy and guilt-free!
I couldn’t serve the veggies on ice as I was prepping a bit in advance. I did use a very large white bowl and heaped it full of colorful things…and I served it with an avocado hummus and tzatziki. It took a bit of effort to find some out of the ordinary veg, but I think it was worth it! And I didn’t get lazy on the prep…I bought the carrots with the tops on…not the prepped ones, and man, they tasted sooo much better!
Here’s what I included…
- purple cauliflower (I found it at Kin’s Farm Market)
- orange cauliflower (also from Kin’s)
- green beans, blanched
- asparagus, blanched
- radishes…next time I’d like to find some unusual varieties
- carrots
- peppers
- baby cucumbers
- red “grape” tomatoes
- orange “grape” tomatoes
It really goes to show that putting a little bit of extra effort into something ordinary can make it quite special! Wouldn’t this be the perfect compliment for a barbecue? I think so! Now go on and enjoy those veggies!
