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Do you cry a little inside when you go to someone’s home and see a sad looking veggie tray for game day? You know what I am talking about, don’t you? Those pre-packaged veggie trays where the baby carrots are drying out with cracks and white spots and the broccoli and celery are starting to either go bad or they seem to be saying, “please, pleasssssse put some ranch dressing on me, I’m dying over here.”I mean, I’m a huge fan of vegetables and all that, but c’mon. It only takes a few minutes of effort to make a cute veggie tray. It’s easy!
What makes a cute veggie tray?
I believe that there is an easy and simple trick and it starts with abundance. No, no, no. I don’t mean buying all the vegetables and spending a fortune in the produce section Let’s face the facts… most people will fill up on chicken wings and gooey treats. By abundance I mean it all comes down to a small serving tray and arranging a variety of vegetables, yet not worrying that you have to have tons of vegetables. It’s about presentation, really.
Tell me more about that serving tray.
Okay, here’s the deal. From this day forward, you are going to keep your eyes open for cute and charming serving trays. The emphasis is small, about the size of a dinner plate. In fact, you can even use a dinner plate. I do that all the time. Ideally, you will want a serving tray that has a bit of a lip around the edges to keep the veggies tucked neatly inside.
Exactly how should I arrange the vegetables so they are cute?
In a nutshell, it’s about having fun with it. It doesn’t have to be all perfectly lined up or even all together. Think about those cute grazing trays and tables that are all the rage right now. Essentially you are doing the same thing by packing tightly all the veggie varieties that you can think of. Split them up, by all means. Cute cherry tomatoes come in all sorts of colors and sprinkle them throughout. The goal is to make your veggies look like eye candy.
So, tell me again how many veggies should I have?
As many or as little as you want! The emphasis is on a variety of abundance, not quantity abundance. Does that make sense? For instance, 3-4 mushrooms thinly sliced won’t break the bank. 3-5 asparagus spears are all you need. And less means that you have less spoilage to throw away afterward because people passed on the veggie tray. Annnnnnd, now you have vegetables for salads, snacks, soups and dinner side dishes for the rest of the week. Go, you!
In case you need a little encouraging push to help you along, feel free to use my recipe and photos as a guide.
Wait, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you…
You absolutely must take the time to make a great dip. Yes, yes, yes. Ranch dressing will always be love and let’s face it… there will be some available with the chicken wings. Yet for your super cute veggie tray add a special touch with the dip. I promise you it won’t take any more effort than a second or two and the addition of some key ingredients.
It’s all about balance. Remember, you’re serving a cute veggie tray full of well, vegetables. You’ll need some protein. The dip can be all about adding a subtle bit of protein with sour cream and yogurt as the base. And you’ll feel good knowing that cows who made the milk that makes the sour cream and yogurt ate their meals with high levels of protein. That’s right, soybeans! Soybeans are composed of 36% protein and you guessed it, they are part of the legume family… so that means your veggie dip was actually sourced from a veggie source. Go #Arkansassoybeans!
Look at you, all smart like that!
Now, go have fun with your family and friends, enjoy the chicken wings, cheer on your team and strut your stuff when it comes to the veggie tray. Your people will be so impressed and * shock * might actually eat some veggies!
Do you have a favorite veggie dip for your veggie trays? Do you have any suggestions that you want to add for making a pretty veggie tray? Let’s hear it!
Happy serving,
Eat well, my friends.
Lyndi
Easy and cute veggie tray for game day
Ingredients
Dip
½ cup sour cream
½ cup plain whole yogurt
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
¼ red bell pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup, fresh parsley, minced
1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion power
Vegetables
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
3-5 asparagus spears, trimmed
3-4 white button mushrooms, washed and thickly sliced
3-4 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 small cucumbers, sliced
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the dip, transfer to a pretty bowl and refrigerate.
- Boil water in a 4-quart soup pot. Add carrots and asparagus and let boil for 5-7 minutes, remove from water and plunge into a bowl of ice water.
- Find a pretty tray and place the dip bowl in the middle of the tray. Arrange all the vegetables in a pretty manner.
- Admire and then serve!
