Penguin Veggie Platter Recipes

ROASTED VEGGIE PLATTER

Steps:

• Place the vegetables in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with salad dressing and sprinkle with herbs; toss to coat., Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

PENGUIN VEGGIE PLATTER

Steps:

• Chop a fourth of the red pepper; set aside. Cut a piece of red pepper into a bow tie shape; slice remaining pepper and set aside. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, salad dressing mix and chopped red and green peppers; mix well. Refrigerate until serving., Cut a thin slice off the bottom of the eggplant to make a flat surface. Cut the removed section into two slices for flippers. Break a wooden toothpick in half; press one piece into each side of whole eggplant and gently press flippers onto toothpicks., Cut yellow pepper in half; cut one piece into two feet. Place at base of eggplant. From remaining yellow pepper, cut out a 1x3/4-in. triangle for beak; attach to eggplant with a toothpick. , Place cream cheese in a pastry or plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner. Pipe two 1-in. ovals for eyes and a 2-1/2-in. 2-1/4-in. oval for belly. Press a raisin into the center of each eye. Attach red pepper bow tie below the beak with a toothpick; pipe a small amount of cream cheese in the center of the tie., Arrange sliced red pepper and other vegetables around the penguin. Serve with dip.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGGIE TRAY (PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO EAT)

Steps:

• Make it fun. Mix in a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, and consider your budget as you go along.
• On a budget? Veggies such as carrots, celery, and cucumbers are crowd-pleasers and easy on the wallet, while peppers, tomatoes, and jicama are fun for more adventurous eaters or when you want to go all out.
• Easy to eat. The most important thing is to select finger-food-friendly vegetables that are easy to eat.

VEGGIE PLATTER

Steps:

• Wash and dry your vegetables.
• Place the dips on a large cookie sheet, platter, slate board or wooden cutting board.
• Arrange the vegetables around the dips.
• Add crackers or crispy snacks.
• Fill in gaps with fruits and nuts. Use small bowls or cups for extra dimension. Top with fresh herbs and flowers for a pop of color. Enjoy.

FRUIT PLATTER

Steps:

• Arrange the fig leaves on a platter. Place the pineapple and cantaloupe on top of the fig leaves, and artfully arrange the blueberries, strawberries and raspberries over the top of the pineapple and cantaloupe.

VEGGIE PLATTER

Steps:

• Halve the artichokes and mozzarella and arrange on a platter with the other ingredients, allowing all the marinades to intermingle. Scatter with fresh basil leaves and serve with the bread.

HEALTHY VEGGIE PLATTER

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Peel a strip of zest from the lemon and finely chop it. Rub the pepper and courgette with a small drizzle of olive oil, then arrange in a single layer on a baking tray (the pepper should be skin-side down). Scatter the the chopped lemon zest over the pepper, then roast for 30 mins, turning the courgettes over halfway through.
• Meanwhile, tip the butter beans into a bowl with 2 tbsp of the liquid from the can. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon that you pared the zest from, then add the tahini, 1 tbsp oil and the garlic, and blitz with a hand blender until smooth, adding more liquid from the can if it's too thick. Taste and add a little salt, if needed.
• Spoon the mixture onto plates, then top with the beetroot, dill and onion, then the courgettes. Drizzle over the yogurt, then sprinkle with paprika. Scatter over the peppers, olives and mint, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, if you like.

CREAM CHEESE PENGUINS

Steps:

• Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
• Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.