I would consider a board like this to be a holiday staple. They are easy to make, they look pretty, and it’s such a great way to give people a chance to sample some things. Also, find recipes for roasted rosemary almonds and maple cashews. Plus all my best tips to make your appetizer board wow worthy!
This blog post is going to be a bit different. There isn’t too much of a recipe for this aside from how to make the nuts which I will have below. Instead I am going to give you my top tips and tricks for making the best holiday appetizer board. Explain my thought process, give you some ideas on how to organize yourself, and make a stunning appetizer board. The best part about these boards is they are so easy to customize and take what you like and leave what you don’t.
Homemade Elements
I personally think adding a little homemade element to your board makes a big impact, like the homemade nuts. This will wow your guests and make them feel special. Since everything else on this board is just going to be store bought it adds something special to an appetizer board. Roasting nuts is extremely easy to do and you can really add any spices or seasonings you like. I decided to make one savory and one sweet. It only takes a few ingredients and about 15 minutes in the oven. I used almonds and cashews but feel free to play around and use whatever nuts you prefer.
Vegan Cheeses
We are so lucky to have so many options for vegan cheeses these days! I try to incorporate a few different kinds so there are a variety of textures and flavors. For this appetizer board I had intended to use 4 kinds of vegan cheese but only ended up using 3. Leading me to another point don’t feel inclined to shove everything on the board. If you don’t use something it isn’t a big deal, save it for another time. On this board I had: Kite Hill Ricotta, Whole Foods 365 Plant Based Gouda, and Miyokos Vegan Mozz. I had also thought I was going to use Trader Joe’s Vegan Feta but in the end as I was building the board I felt I different need it.
I like to have a cheese that is spreadable, the ricotta, and a way to step that up is by adding a little lemon juice and garlic powder to it. Adds a little extra flavor to the item. I like the plant based gouda because it is smokey and the vegan mozzarella is creamy and is easy to cut into cubes.
Cookie Cutters
I am going to assume one of the first things you noticed on the holiday appetizer board was the cute vegan cheese shapes. Grab some festive cookie cutters and have some fun. I used the Teddy Bear, snowflakes, and star shapes. It only takes a few extra moments and adds a lot to the board. You don’t have to use a whole bunch of shapes either, even just one shape will look nice. Take any vegan cheese scraps and place them in a little bag and use them throughout your week. I find it best to do this with vegan cheese slices so I used the plant based gouda.
Vegan Meats
I know it probably sounds like an oxymoron vegan meats but just like the vegan cheeses we’ve come a long way and there are endless options these days! Just like with the vegan cheeses I picked out a bunch but ended up not using some along the way while I was creating my board. Again, always trying to think of different flavors, textures, and how they work with the vegan cheeses on the board. I used Plant Based Mia Carpaccio, Plant Based Mia Prosciutto, and Field Roast Pepperoni Slices. While, I had also bought Tofurky Slices but in the end those didn’t feel right for this board, so they went back in my fridge and I will use them for sandwiches.
Another cute thing to do is to roll the vegan meat up into little roses. It is very easy to do and again just adds something small but impactful to the board. You just need to lay 3 to 4 slices on top of one another so that they overlap on the ends, then fold it up halfway from bottom to top, and roll it up. So so easy, it may be easier to watch the video to just see how to do this I promise it took me about 1 minute to make 3 roses.
Add Greens
This is my tip for anything in life but add some greenery to your boards. I went with little pieces of rosemary because they look very festive and smell great. It is great for filling in blank spaces. I also used the olives here as well to add some pops of color, fill in spaces, and add a different ingredient. To add an extra crunch I used little cornichons but I like to place those in a small bowl separate from the board because it has a brine and that could get onto the other elements of the board.
Small Bowls First
Before I do anything to my board I lay out my little bowls to organize myself. I use the little bowls for things like the nuts, vegan ricotta, and pickles. This helps to separate things and create height and depth. Also, always put spoons in the bowls so people can easily serve themselves and no one tries to use fingers. Don’t forget to place a fork on the board so people can easily pick up the vegan meats and cheeses.
Have Fun with Your Appetizer Board
This is really all about having fun and making some creative! Don’t worry about making it look amazing, once you start layering and adding elements it will come out just gorgeous. If you want more decorating ideas just look online theres plenty of inspiration to gain. Have fun and play around, if you don’t like something you can always pick it up and move it again!
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Homemade Rosemary Almonds & Maple Cashews
Ingredients
Rosemary Almonds
- 1 cup (112g) raw almonds
- 1 ½ tablespoons (22ml) olive oil, light preferred
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Maple Cashews
- 1 cup (120g) raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, light preferred
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Sea salt for garnish on both
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C).
- Prepare Rosemary Almonds: in a small bowl combine the oil and spices for the rosemary almonds, mix together well then add almonds and toss to coat. Place on a small baking sheet and set aside.
- Prepare Maple Cashews: in a small bowl combine the oil and spices for the maple cashews, mix together well then add the cashews and toss to coat. Place on a small baking sheet.
- Be sure to scrape the oil and spices from both bowls really well so everything is coated and nothing is left in the bowl.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, until the nuts are a richer color.
- Let them cool before serving. Only let the cashews cool for about 1 minute then use a spatula to break them up once they harden. Do this very quickly after they come out the oven otherwise they will stick to the pan.
- Place on the holiday board and enjoy.
Video
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