There are more exciting ways of serving a vegetable platter.
Serving a vegetable and dip tray is almost a given at parties, but why not change the presentation of this favorite appetizer to make it more eye-appealing and festive? The more eye-catching your vegetable tray is, the more likely party goers will partake. Start with your favorite dip recipe and fresh vegetables then choose your presentation style.
Kabobs
Serve bite-sized chunks of vegetables such as carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes and bell peppers threaded onto kabob skewers. Arrange the skewers in a pyramid shape on a platter next to the bowl of dip. Kabob skewers are available in metal or bamboo from cooking supply stores. Use the most decorative ones you can find for extra flair.
Paint with Veggies
Use a variety of vegetable chunks to create a design. For a Fourth of July, Labor Day or Memorial Day picnic, arrange chunks of purple cauliflower or purple potatoes; red bell peppers or cherry tomatoes and white cauliflower or jicama chunks on a large platter to resemble the American flag. Place the purple cauliflower or purple potatoes into a square shape in the upper left corner of the platter. Add small white cauliflower florets at even intervals in this purple area for the stars in the flag. You will likely not have enough room for putting 50 stars, just get as many on as possible. Create red and white stripes to the right and below the purple area. Make a line with white cauliflower or jicama at the top, then create a row below it with red bell pepper strips or cherry tomatoes. Alternate the stripes to finish with 13 stripes. Serve the dip in a star-shaped bowl on the side.
Edible Serving Bowl
Instead of a bread bowl, serve the dip inside a hollowed out pumpkin. This is ideal for autumn parties, but you can also use hollowed melons, large tomatoes or acorn squash, based on the produce availability in your area. To hollow out a vegetable or fruit, cut off the top and scoop out the seed cavity and most of the flesh, leaving at least 1/2 inch for the walls. Do not cut through the bottom of the vegetable. Arrange the vegetables around the edible dip bowl. Aside from the platter, there will be no dishes to clean.
A Shot of Veggies
Add dimension to your vegetable tray and provide single servings of dip and veggies for your guests. Serve celery, carrot or bell pepper sticks standing upright in shot glasses with a spoonful of dip in the bottom. Reserve some shot glasses without dip for those who want to eat only the vegetables. The guests can grab a single shot glass and not have to block the serving line by scooping dip onto a plate.
Tags: cherry tomatoes, vegetable tray, white cauliflower, your vegetable tray, bell pepper, bell peppers, cauliflower jicama