A crudite board or platter is always a treat, whether you need to get rid of excess produce or if you are planning the soiree of ages! Build it, put it out, and watch it slowly disappear. Who knew eating your veggies could be so much fun? The veggies from our last grocery run weren’t getting used as fast as usual, so I looked in our fridge and put this crudite board together to enjoy during our Sunday Funday streaming marathon.

PREPPING FOR YOUR CRUDITE BOARD

Well, before we get started – “What’s crudite?”

Crudités (kroo-di-tay) are French appetizers with sliced or whole raw vegetables. The name Crudité comes from the word’s definition of “rawness,” going back to its Latin origins.

Sometimes the beauty in creating a crudite board is simply using up what you have in your fridge for a fun take on healthy snacking, which is how this bad boy was created. However, if you are thinking ahead, you’ll want to make a list before going to the store! Some common crudité vegetables are:

• Carrots
• Celery Sticks
• Cucumbers
• Bell Peppers
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Radishes

• Tomatoes
• Endive
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Olives
• Pickled veggies (I used okra)

BUILDING YOUR CRUDITE BOARD

Now this is the fun part. Put on some music (maybe our #SocialDistancing playlist?) and get to work creating your crudite board!

Pick Your Surface

The surface of the crudite board can be just as important as the contents of it. 🙂  First, you want to think about how many people are going to be enjoying the board. Now, if you’re going to be entertaining, you will probably need a few platters, but a simple cutting board will do the job for you or you and the family to nibble on! Don’t be intimidated by the size of the board. If you are going to be enjoying this yourself, personal-sized crudités are just as delicious – and you can get creative with presentation.

Add Your Little Dish(es)

I add my ramekins and dishes to my board before I place the veggies on it. This allows me to build around them, and place the appropriate pieces and dips in a container next to the perfect veggie complement.

Some of my favorites additions are hummus, greek yogurt dip, guacamole, and preserves.

Start Working from the Outside In

I always start building my boards from the outside in and I start with the vegetables that take up the most real estate like sweet peppers, asparagus, and any kind of sphered veggie – pretty much any pieces that have a stem or are easy to pick up! The key is to group like items and not having the same color next to each other (without something breaking it up).

Need to fill in gaps? Here are my suggestions: 

There may be some holes that need filling when all is said and done! Some items I’ve added to my boards before are:

• Nuts
• Herbs
• Citrus wedges
• Flowers
• Shot glass for toothpicks

Don’t Be Afraid to Add Other Foods!

I tend to err on the side of tradition, but you can absolutely make a board to incorporate other snacks, like smoked salmon, poached shrimp, pork rinds and/or jerky. You could also make a deluxe cheese and charcuterie board with a crudité complement.

I can’t wait to hear how you dress yours. Need a beverage accompaniment? Let me suggest a classic: Aperol Spritz!

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