A simple guide to putting together a Healthy Platter

Who can go past a good platter at social events? Platters are perfect to snack on when you have people around and there are so many delicious foods that can go onto them.

I’m always talking about the importance of variety for a healthy diet and platters are a brilliant way to incorporate all sorts of great foods and ingredients. I’ve put together a list of the best foods to include and my favourite tips to make your platter look amazing.

What to include on a healthy platter:

• Cheese

A good quality cheese makes a great addition to any platter. From a creamy brie, classic cheddar or a tangy blue cheese, to goat’s cheese or anything in between, there is no shortage of choices.

There are also some great vegan alternatives and the brands I recommend include Botanical Cuisine, The Vegan Dairy, Kehoe’s Kitchen and Damona. From cashew cheese to almond feta, there are a great range of vegan cheeses available to enjoy for those who don’t eat dairy products too.

• Dips

No good platter is complete without some delicious dips. With options like hummus, guacamole, beetroot, pesto, sweet potato or eggplant dips, they’re a great way to diversify the flavours on your platter.

If purchasing dips, it’s important to check the ingredients list because many dips are full of vegetable oils, preservatives, stabilisers, thickeners etc. Homemade is always best, but there are also some good dips available to purchase.

Here are two of my dip recipes for you to try: chilli hummus and basil pesto & butter bean dip.

You can also make an easy guacamole by mashing up avocado with some lemon juice, with the option to add some diced up red onion and/or tomato. For a simple beetroot dip, blitz some cooked beetroots, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in your food processor. This one is also delicious with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

• Crackers

These days there are more and more nutritious crackers coming to the market, which is great news for all platter lovers. While there are many crackers that don’t belong on a healthy platter, there are now some great options. Some that I recommend are the ‘Super Seed & Grain Crackers’ from Carman’s, ‘Flats’ from Fine Fettle and the ‘Brown Rice Crackers’ and ‘Brown Rice Bites’ from Ceres Organics.

Corn Chips are another great option when it comes to a crunchy addition to your platter.

You can even make a homemade cracker from nuts and seeds as a super nutritious option. Might be time for me to add a healthy cracker recipe to the blog.

• Vegetables

There’s always a place for vegetables on a healthy platter, or in any meal really. Some ways I like to incorporate veggies is through vegetable sticks, sundried tomatoes, olives and artichoke hearts. When I say veggie sticks, this is simply chopped up carrot, cucumber, capsicum and/or celery. You can also pop veggies like snow peas, green beans or cherry tomatoes on there.

• Fruit

Some of my favourite fruits to add to a platter are berries, dried figs, medjool dates and grapes. These all add a burst of sweetness and are a great part of a balanced platter.

• Nuts and Seeds

With so many different options that fall under the categories of nuts and seeds, these make great options to snack on from a platter. They’re high in protein and healthy fats, which means they’ll keep you fuller for longer and they accompany the diverse flavours on your platter well. Why not add a handful of almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds (pepitas) onto your next platter?

How to make your platter look amazing:

The key to a beautiful platter is using lots of different colours. This is easy to do when you’re following all of the above guidelines and using lots of fresh produce. When you assemble different ingredients in a range of colours, you’ll have a great end result no matter where you place them.

Top tip: place the bigger items on your platter first, e.g. your cheese or dips. You can then surround these with the smaller items

Time to get creative and build a delicious platter for the next time you have friends or family visiting. They won’t even think twice that it’s ‘healthy’ because it all tastes so good - Enjoy!

Make sure you snap a picture and tag me @projectnourish, so I can see your beautiful platter creations.