To create your own ultimate no-cook vegetable tray, choose an assortment of colorful vegetables and serve with our easy to make lemon bean dip.
Healthy & delicious
A raw vegetable tray features a variety of fresh-cut uncooked vegetables that are arranged on an attractive platter. They are typically served at parties as appetizers and feature creamy dips as an accompaniment. Unfortunately, many store-prepared vegetable platters feature slimy, unattractive, or yucky tasting vegetables. Making your own ultimate vegetable platter allows you to choose the freshest vegetables in season, go organic, and create your own combination of favorites. Making your own dip allows you to control or omit the salt and focus on healthy ingredients that taste great!
Vegetable tray ingredient suggestions:
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Broccolini
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Fennel
- Green beans
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Snap peas
- Optional edible base: Sturdy kale leaves, or Swiss chard leaves, or Romaine lettuce leaves (Pick one – wash/dry whole leaves thoroughly before using as a base.)
Vegetable tray directions: Wash, cut & dry your selected vegetables. Arrange lettuce leaves on the bottom of your platter as a base. Prepare your vegetables by cutting them into desirable shapes such as matchsticks, quarters, or slices. Arrange your prepared vegetables on the platter in a pleasing manner, leaving room in the center for the dip bowl. Prepare the dip using the recipe below. (Note: Dip can be eaten straight away or made one day ahead, covered, & refrigerated until serving time.) Put the dip into a small serving bowl and place it in the center of your platter. Serve immediately.
Tip: Keep extra precut veggies in zipper-closure bags in the refrigerator. Replenish your platter as needed.
Creamy lemon-rosemary bean dip
Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ½ ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 medium-size garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling on top
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly finely minced rosemary, plus extra ½ teaspoon for topping
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Place a lightly damp paper towel on a plate. Lay the drained and rinsed beans on the paper towel. Cover the beans with another lightly damp paper towel. Gently roll the top paper towel back and forth to remove the skin. (Take care not to crush the beans.) Discard the skins and reserve the beans for the recipe. (Note that this step is optional – but it’s worth the time and effort to create a creamy dip.) Place the peeled beans, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until the beans are roughly chopped. Slowly pour in ¼ cup olive oil through the feed tube until the mixture becomes creamy and smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Fold in the rosemary and lemon zest until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place bean mixture into your serving bowl to enjoy. Or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Just before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over top of the dip and sprinkle with remaining rosemary.
Why you should make the ultimate vegetable tray & dip!
Vegetables are a vital source of nutrition and thus are an important part of a healthy diet. This dip is nutritious! Cannellini beans offer protein, fiber, copper, and iron – plus they are low in fat. What’s not to love!