The Veggie Platter Plus

Thanksgiving Traditions

As Thanksgiving nears, many of us begin to prepare.  We prepare menus, make grocery and to do lists, guest lists, travel plans and reservations. It can be quite a lot of work getting everything pulled together for this holiday.  Many of us truly enjoy doing all the prep work involved in hopes of having that perfect Thanksgiving holiday.  A time to be with family and friends to celebrate our lives together and express our gratitude for all the good things in them.  We may also find ourselves taking a walk down memory lane.  Regaling each other with tales of past Thanksgivings that may include hilarious food mishaps, the crazy weather or guest that made the day memorable or simply enjoying memories of loved ones who are no longer with us.  Sometimes it’s not only the stories that are told that remind us of those we have lost, but the traditions that continue to have a stronghold on the events of the day.  Traditions like where and when the gathering will take place and what will be served.  There is comfort and security in traditions because they are predictable and steadfast.  They stand the test of time and link one generation to another. 

Memories 

Not unlike anyone else, over the years I have lost many family members who I still love dearly.  Family members who were an enormous influence on who I am today. These people showed me the importance of having a good moral compass and impeccable manners, instilled confidence and taught me the practice of humility. My grandmothers, aunts and uncles unselfishly gave of themselves by investing their time and energy into me.  Hugs and kisses, words of encouragement, timeless wisdom, tear drying and lots of smiles and laughs are many of the fond memories I have of these people. I do think of them often, but holidays such as Thanksgiving, bring back so many of the best memories I have of them all.  It also provides the perfect opportunity for me to honor their memories by including some of the Thanksgiving traditions I grew up with. Carrying these traditions forward, I get the opportunity to share the tradition itself and the stories that accompany them.  Linking one generation to another.

The Food

The main focus of Thanksgiving celebrations is usually the food.  The appetizers, drinks, salad and sides,  main course and desserts are the center of attention.  My family was no exception.   Growing up, just about every Thanksgiving tradition was related to food.  Recipes for cranberry sauce and rolls that had been handed down from generations past always had a place at our table.  The delicious and generous pie assortment made by my grandmothers and aunts was predictable, because it followed tradition. 

Even though pie has always been my favorite part of my Thanksgiving meal, my favorite food related tradition has to be the crudité. Crudité was referred to in my family simply as veggies and dip.  I still get a chuckle out of the plainness of the title, veggies and dip.  The word crudité is melodic and sounds so much nicer than, veggies and dip, but I guess we just called it as we saw it.  I still do the same now.  No crudité here.  Veggies and dip it is.  My grandmother would put together our veggies and dip platter which included the standard carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower with the onion soup packet dip in the center. It sounds simple, but it always tasted so good and we were always excited to eat the platter clean.  

 Because the veggies and dip platter is still my favorite Thanksgiving tradition, I include it as part of my holiday celebration with my husband and children.  While still honoring the long standing tradition of the four veggies and dip, I have adapted my veggies and dip platter to meet the needs of my family and what purpose I want the tray to serve on Thanksgiving.  Growing up, the veggies and dip platter was an appetizer.  For my family, my veggies and dip platter serves as a light lunch that I can make ahead of time and have ready to go.  I do all the cooking for our celebration.  Yes, all of it.  Appetizers, salads, the main course and the pie.  Because I do all of the cooking, and we eat our Thanksgiving meal at our regular meal time of 5 pm,  I need to have something I can make ahead of time and is ready to go for lunch on Thanksgiving day.  The veggie platter makes a fantastic lunch.  It also provides the perfect opportunity for me to honor the memory of my grandmother further by sharing a few stories about her with my husband and children and we enjoy the contents of the platter.  It’s one of the best parts of my day.  

I consider my veggie platter to be The Veggie Platter Plus.  My veggie platter is more of a lunch board.  It includes more than just the four traditional vegetables and dip, although, most of the time I do keep the four traditional vegetables but I make a different dip. To make the platter more of a lunch than an appetizer, I include things like bread slices, pita wedges, crackers, graham crackers, tortilla chips and pretzels.  I usually have 2 or three dips such as a vanilla plant based yogurt as the fruit dip, salsa and my recipe for Maple Mustard Dip, which you can find below.  I often put the platter together in a large casserole pan because it holds and stores everything nicely.  I line the casserole pan with pretty cloth napkins for visual appeal and arrange the food and dips to please the eye.

The Veggie Platter Plus

Ingredients:

• Vegetables you can include: broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, celery and carrot sticks, green beans, bell pepper strips, cucumber slices and mushrooms.
• Fruits you can include: pineapple, melon, berries, mandarin orange slices, grapes, peach slices, cherries, dates, kiwi slices and mango slices.
• Nuts and Seeds you can include: cashews, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
• Other Items you can include: bread slices, pita wedges, tortilla chips, crackers, graham crackers and pretzels
• Dips you can include: Salsa, Vanilla Plant Based Yogurt, Dip/Salad Dressing such as Maple Mustard (recipe below).

 Directions:

1. Wash and chop or slice all fruits and veggies.
2. Arrange the food on a platter, casserole pan or large dish with the dips.

Maple Mustard Dip/Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• ⅓ Cup of Pure Maple Syrup
• ¼ Cup of Yellow Mustard
• ¼ Cup of Apple Cider or White Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice (fresh juice from a lemon will taste great)
• 1 Garlic Clove
• ¾ Cup of Safflower, Sunflower or Vegetable Oil

 Directions:

Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend.

 This dressing will store well  for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Show Us Yours

If you make this we would love to hear about it!  Send us a pic on Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct Messaging at Grow Your Lunch Oh.  Who knows, your picture could be featured (with your permission of course)  in one of our upcoming posts, emails or newsletters!