CRUDITE, CHEESE, AND CHARCUTERIE APPETIZER PLATTERS

For dinner, I often grab hummus, some veggies, olives, nuts, and some cheese (of course!) to make a quick and delish meal of random items in my fridge and pantry. It's such an easy way to sit down and eat a healthy meal after a long day with minimal prep. I've been to a number of events where a platter, or even a spread of them, were laid out in such a beautiful way. They most likely are not as easy as they appear, taking some artful skill to achieve balance and interest. So, I gathered some inspiration to model after. And, in turn, I am certainly inspired to add some different types and flavors of items to my repertoire! I was curious to know what the difference is between the different boards I was seeing. Turns out... 

CHARCUTERIE REFERS TO THE MEAT PORTION OF THE PLATTER, CRUDITES ARE THE CHOPPED VEGETABLES. AND, OF COURSE, A CHEESE PLATTER IS JUST THAT - MADE UP OF CHEESE. OF COURSE YOU COULD HAVE A MIX OF ALL OF THESE AS WELL - IN ADDITION TO JAMS, FRUITS, NUTS, ETC TO ADD COLOR, TEXTURE, AND FLAVOR!

Below are some of my favorites. The bright boards would be perfect for Summer and I love the assortments with deep hues and richer flavors for Fall! I also included a platter, which is technically a nicoise salad. This originated in France and is traditionally made with tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies or tuna, and dressed with olive oil. Additionally, there were some boards comprised of items that could be layered together to make fajitas or the like. The sky seems to be the limit! 

via Crowded Kitchen



via Always Order Dessert



via Anett Velsberg

via Yummy Yummy Kitchen 

via Freut Cake

via Wholefully

via The Little Epicurean

via The Every Girl

via The Modern Proper

via The Every Girl

via What's Gaby Cooking

via Cupcakes and Cashmere

via Taste Spotting

via Saveur

via Dennis the Prescott

via Dennis the Prescott

via The Pioneer Woman

via Dennis the Prescott

via Half Baked Harvest

via Half Baked Harvest

via Foxes Love Lemons

via Half Baked Harvest

via Honest Cooking

CHICKPEA CURRY SALAD SANDWICHES

I love the internet, pinterest, instagram, blogs...  

BUT, I HAVE A LOVE FOR PAPER MAGAZINES AND BOOKS EVEN MORE.

So, yes I still tear pages from magazines and cook from them or collage them in my many binders of inspiration.  I tore this recipe for Chickpea Curry Salad Sandwiches from Parade magazine and whipped them up this past weekend.  They were a welcome change from all of the avocado toasts I have been addicted to the past year or two.  Although, I felt they needed a dash more flavor from an additional green onion.  What do you know, when I went to the original recipe from Sarah Britton's in her cookbook, Naturally Nourished, the only variation was two green onions vs one! 

I MIGHT BE GETTING GOOD AT THIS WHOLE COOKING THING!

The recipe below is the original from Sarah Britton.

Chickpea Curry Salad Sandwiches

Makes: 8 to 10 sandwiches

Ingredients:
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper
3 cups (2 15-oz cans) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 oz raw pecans (approx. 1/8 cup)
3 tbsp raisins
1 stalk celery
2 spring onions
6 to 8 slices whole-grain bread
crisp lettuce or sprouts
sliced red onion or shallots (optional)

Directions:
1) Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Season with more salt, if necessary.
2) in a food processor, pulse the chickpeas to roughly chop them - do not overprocess or you'll end up with chickpea puree.  You can also do this step by hand.
3) Chop the pecans and raisins, then dice the celery and onions.
4) In a large bowl, combine the chopped chickpeas with the dressing.  Add the pecans, raisins, celery, and onions and fold to combine.  Season with salt.  Enjoy the salad on bread with lettuce and onion slices, if desired.