Friday, January 25, 2013

Vegetable tray and fresh Dill and herb dip

Who doesn't love a nice tray of fresh cut vegetables and a dish of creamy herb dip to go with them? It's perfect for entertaining guests and it's a great snack for watching movies or sporting events. It's no cooking and no fuss and something anyone can put together no matter what their kitchen experience level may be. You can customize your vegetable try with any of your favorite vegetables and I encourage you to be creative with the dip recipe as well. Add some fresh herbs that you might like and see what you come up with! A grocery store would way overcharge you for a vegetable platter like this and you can make this right in your own kitchen with little effort and half of the cost! Vegetable platters are perfect for any event throughout the year. Here is what I use to serve anywhere between 6 to 10 people.

2 Broccoli crowns cut and washed
1 Red bell pepper sliced and washed
1 Orange Bell pepper sliced and washed
4 - 5 Carrots peeled and cut
4-5 stalks of celery sliced and washed
1 English cucumber sliced
For the dip
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of Mayo
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped dill
3 scallions finely chopped
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper

For the dip - mix all the spices and 2 of the finely chopped scallions together with the sour cream and mayo and make sure everything is combined very well. Cover and chill the dip in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving. Garnish the dip with the reserved scallions and a sprig of fresh dill.

To assemble your veggie platter, arrange your vegetables in an orderly fashion along the platter. I like to bunch them together as best as I can. Another tip I like to give is spread the colors out on the tray. Don't bunch all the green veggies right together - place some red or orange next to them so the platter is more eye appealing.




19 comments:

  1. Why do you prefer your dip to prepackaged dips?

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    1. I like to control the flavors in my dip so that is why I prefer to make dips from scratch.

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  2. What are you thoughts on adding fruit to this plate?

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    1. I really don't see any fruit complementing this platter or the dip very well. I'd stick with vegetables for this one.

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  3. What else do I need? Silverware? Plates? Napkins?

    How do I properly put out and serve this dish?

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    1. No offense. This is a really odd question. The answer should be pretty obvious.

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    2. You can serve this anyway you like. You don't need plates and silverware, it's meant to be more of a figure food type dish but it's up to you. I always have napkins out when I serve any kind of food.

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    3. Thank you. I am learning new ways and customs. I appreciate your answer.

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    4. Of course I meant "Finger food" and not "Figure" although a plate of veggies is figure friendly ha-ha. Apologize for that typo :)

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  4. Do you use the whole scallion of just the green part?

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  5. Helpful Tip: Use the baby carrots instead of peeling and cutting carrots.

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    1. Personally, I like to control the shape and thickness of my sliced carrots so I rarely use baby carrots. I also think they look better when you arrange them on the tray.

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  6. Your dinner parties must be fabulous!

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    1. Thank you very much - I like to think my friends always enjoy themselves. It's important to remember when you host guests to have fun yourself and not slave in the kitchen. A veggie platter is a great way to get things started.

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  7. What does an english cucumber look like? It doesn't look there are any cucumbers on the plate.

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    1. I figured someone would catch me on that. The cucumber was a little late to the photo shoot and by the time I added it to the platter my guests had already began to enjoy themselves. An English cucumber is slightly thinner and longer than a typical cucumber, is mostly seedless, and has a very tender skin so there is no need to peel. They usually are wrapped in plastic wrap in your store's produce section.

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  8. This is a great addition to any party!! Thanks for the plating tips!

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    1. Thank you very much, I'm glad I was able to help!!

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