Putting The ‘Cute’ In Charcuterie
We talked about how reducing meat consumption is beneficial for the environment and your health in our Meatless Mondays post. Well, now we want to help you start applying the choice to eat less meat in your everyday life by sharing our vegan spin on a classic favorite - the charcuterie board! Check out some tips below!
Tip 1: Start with a center spread and work your way out. This will give you a focal point you can then extend all the rest of your accouterments around. We like to give ours a Mediterranean flair by including either hummus or baba ghanoush.
Tip 2: Know how many people you were serving and select the corresponding number of (vegan) meats and cheeses to include. The general rule of thumb is 3oz. of meat and cheese per person.
“But what kind of vegan meats and cheeses should I include?” If you’re wondering this, we recommend basing your choices off your personal tastes and likes. For meat, do you like spicy? Try Green Slice’s Veggeroni. Prefer pâté? We recommend the vegan Pâté from Plantcraft. As for cheeses, we generally like to include different textures and flavors. For a classic, softer cheese, check out Follow Your Heart’s Dairy-free Mozzarella Blocks. Or, for a harder, nuttier cheese, we love the Parmesan Wedge from Violife.
The awesome thing is, vegan substitutes are now more prevalent than ever. With all of the options these days you are sure to find something that you will love.
Tip 3: Don’t forget the carbs! Whether it be crackers, fresh bread, or even pretzels, make sure you have something you and your guests can transport all of the charcuterie board goodness on.
Tip 4: Add something salty, sweet and spicy. There are so many options here, feel free to get creative! For salty, we love including nuts, cornichons, olives, or really any type of pickled vegetable. For sweets, we tend to stick to natural or dried fruits. We especially like the classics, such as grapes, apples, pears, or dried craisins. However, you can never go wrong by including some chocolate on your board as well! Lastly, we like adding a bit of spice with sliced radishes and stone ground mustard.
Tip 5: Finish off with your favorite beverage of choice! If you’re looking to pair with a vegan wine, you are most likely able to find a selection at any budget in your local wine store, but even stores like Trader Joe’s carries vegan wine. If you’re not a wine drinker, think about pairing with beer or even a tonic or sparkling water.
We hope you are now inspired to go out there and try making your own vegan charcuterie board! Let us know if you do, and what a must-have on your board is!
Stay savvy 💞
