Plant Based Appetizer Board Recipes

Chef Reyna Venegas and her kitchen staff offer this wonderful Plant-Based Appetizer board with recipes you can make at home for a fun and flavorful twist to a party charcuterie board. You can add or substitute your favorite veggies and dips to showcase your own healthy flair. Read how to transform a fat-bomb charcuterie board into a healthy and delicious appetizer from our nutritionist.

The recipes are below and included for download here:

Colorful Beet Hummus

Berries Compote

Butternut Squash Compote

Caramelized Pecans

Kale-Artichoke-Cashew-Dip

Nuts, Seeds & Cranberries Spread

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Sautéed Olives

Beet Hummus

Makes 2 ½ cups

Ingredients

1 medium beet, roasted

2 cups cooked chickpeas or beans

3 garlic cloves, peeled and cored

1 tablespoon tahini or 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Juice of 1 large lemon

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F (190C).
2. Remove stem and roots from beet and wash.
3. Drizzle a little of the olive oil and wrap in foil.
4. Bake till tender when poked with a knife, about one hour. Let cool.
5. In a blender or food processor mash the cooked chickpeas with the rest of ingredients until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Place the hummus in a medium bowl and create swirls on top. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika.
7. Serve with pita, tortilla chips or raw vegetable slices or sticks.

Berries Compote

Ingredients

2 cups berries, clean

1 cup apple or cranberry juice

Method

1. Place the berries in a pot, pour the juice and cook until they are soft, mash softly to keep some texture.

Butternut Squash Compote

Ingredients

2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 cup apple juice

1 tsp cinnamon

½ teaspoon all spice

¼ cup molasses or piloncillo

Method

1. Place the squash, apple juice, cinnamon, allspice, and molasses in a pot and cook until the squash is soft, add some water if needed to prevent it from burning.
2. Mash softly to keep some texture in the compote.
3. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for a week.

Caramelized Pecans

Ingredients

2 cups pecans

1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch fleur de sel

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 325 F and line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or spread with avocado or coconut oil.
2. Place the pecans in a bowl, add the syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Toss until well combined and pour on top of the lined baking sheet.
3. Spread the nuts over the baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until caramelized and golden brown.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before touching them. If they start to cluster you can separate them with the help of a spatula to prevent from burning your hands.
5. Keep in an airtight container in your pantry.

Kale, Artichoke & Cashew Dip

Ingredients

2 cups cashews, soaked 30-40 minutes

2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup capers

1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

2 cups kale, chopped

¼ cup parsley, chopped

½ cup water

1 lemon, juice, and zest

Salt and pepper, to taste

Edible flowers, to garnish

Method

1. Heat up a pan and pour some oil, sauté the shallots, garlic, capers, and artichoke hearts. Add the chopped kale, parsley, salt, and pepper and remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Remove the water from the soaked cashews and blend with ½ cup water until having a creamy and smooth texture. You can add more water if needed, just be careful to keep a thick consistency.
3. Pour the cashew cream in a bowl and combine with the kale and artichoke sofrito, season with lemon juice and zest and rectify the seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
4. Place the dip in a bowl and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can garnish with edible flowers or kale chips.

Nuts, Seeds & Cranberries Spread

Ingredients

1 cup cashew, soaked

1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon chipotle adobo

2 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup parsley, minced

¼ cup chives, minced

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Edible flowers, to garnish

 Method

1. Drain the water from the cashews and sunflower seeds and place in the blender. Add the mustard, lemon juice, melted coconut oil, paprika, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, chipotle adobo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour the spread into some food wrap and form a ball. Place in the freezer for 1 hour or until firm.
3. In a bowl combine the chopped parsley, chives, cranberries, and walnuts.
4. Remove the spread ball from the freezer and gently remove the plastic wrap.
5. Gently roll the spread ball in the nuts and herbs until fully covered. Place the ball in a plate and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
6. Decorate with edible flowers and enjoy with your favorite crackers, toast, or crudités.

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Yield four 16-oz jar

Ingredients

4 16 ounce canning jars

2 ½ pounds of assorted seasonal vegetables, trimmed, and peeled

1 ½ ounces ginger, peeled and sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 teaspoon peppercorns or seeds (cumin, fennel, coriander, or mustard)

4 dried red chiles

2 cups vinegar

2 cups water

2 inch- piece kombu seaweed or shiitake mushroom

½ cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons sea salt

1 orange peel

6 springs of thyme, dill, and bay leaf

Method

1. In a large pot bring water to boil and lace the jars and lids to boil for 10 minutes. Remove with the help of a pair of canning tongs and place upside down on a clean cloth until cool.
2. Slice the vegetables into bite-size pieces. Root vegetables should be blanched first for 1 minute before placing in jars. Pack the vegetables and herbs in the sterilized jars tightly.
3. Combine the ginger, garlic, peppercorns, chiles, vinegar, water, kombu, sugar, salt, thyme, dill and bay leaf along with the citrus peel in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
4. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables in the sterilized jars. Let cool, then seal the jars and refrigerate. You can start eating the pickles after 1 day. They will keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

RLP Sautéed Olives

Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup green manzanilla olives, pitted

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped and stir-fried in olive oil

1 tablespoon tamari sauce or coconut aminos

1 bunch of fresh or dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano)

¼ tsp chili flakes

Method

1. Heat a pan with olive oil and sauté the olives, add the fried garlic and herbs, finish with the tamari sauce and a sprinkle of chili flakes.
2. Serve warm on a platter and enjoy. You can store it up to 1 week in an airtight container with some extra virgin olive oil on top to preserve it.