Tuesday 30 July 2019

FOOD // Vegan Smorgasbord

Having had to get creative with a vegan meal recently, I wanted to share a great VEGAN starter!


I absolutely love plate sharing! I know it is a nightmare for most and to be honest can often lead to arguments, but a good platter to share.....yum yum!

For my Mum's birthday this year I gave her meal vouchers which entitles her to a meal at our house whenever she wants. The food is also themed so she can choose from all sorts of options; one being Vegan. She picked this first as she knew it would be the hardest for us. She lives a very plant based diet already even though she is not full vegan or vegetarian; she uses it for health benefits. For the meal, Rob was head chef {we had ratatouille} but I came up with a vegan Smorgasbord and as it was so pretty I thought I would share it on here!


The vegan lifestyle is not one I am interested in. I see the benefits and I understand people's choices, but making this Smorgasbord taught me one thing; I could never give up dairy. The phrase "Cheese, please Gromit?" {from Wallace & Gromit} was said a lot in the creation of this as I really discovered I can't think of alternatives that would fill the hole cheese would leave!
However now you don't have to develop any kind of specialist method to creating vegan alternatives as lots of supermarkets are now offering so much more.
In fairness, I didn't want to just replace like for like on my Smorgasbord; I wanted to create something that everyone could enjoy vegan or not.

The Shopping List For My Vegan Smorgasbord

Roasted whole Almonds
Olives
Sweet orange British Tomatoes
Figs
Nectarines
Sliced almonds
Balsamic vinegar
Raspberries {ours were home grown}
Rocket
Organic local honey
Cream Cheese alternative {Waitrose have a home brand one}
Pecans

The Recipe:

So for me it was about creating a colourful pallet. I think that is really important when you are making food look appetising. Use the rainbow as your basic plan!


Tomatoes, sliced almond and balsamic salad.
Halve your tomatoes, drench in balsamic, throw in a handful of sliced almonds, mix, done! The longer this sits the more the tomatoes become infused with the balsamic vinegar.


Nectarines with cream cheese, pecans and local honey.
This is a really nice snack with classic cream cheese but Waitrose have a Vegan alternative which I used instead.
Quarter your nectarines, smear some creamy goo, add a pecan, drizzle with honey!


Fresh figs with honey.
Figs are a beautiful fruit but drizzle them with a bit of honey and they taste NAUGHTY!!


Raspberries in balsamic vinegar.
To be honest this is a byproduct of putting raspberries on the board but a raspberry in balsamic is an awesome combination. You can dress before hand, but placed on top of the rocket with a drizzle over both is delicious!


Roast almonds and Olives.
When making a smorgasbord I find that you need fillers between the main events so that is when nuts and olives comes in. I personally love them so pile the up on the board and enjoy!


At this point I just want to say that when it comes to actually building a board, don't stress. I would work in blocks and use a bed of rocket to start you off. It is very much about using colour to show off each item so group them together one at a time and build from there.

The joys of a sharing platter

Creating food to share brings a wonderful element to cooking. When you are prepping for other people {in a relaxed way} I find it can be quite therapeutic, a nice experience, and very much feel creative whilst doing it. I know its not the same for the everyday dinner but this, I really enjoyed and found that I enjoyed eating it even more.

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1 comment

  1. Thanks, author for sharing helpful articles for vegans. I guess every vegetarian like these Vegan smorgasbords. If any vegans want more veg and plant-based diet then visit Here - Jahal Jani | Health and Wellness Professional

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