Vegetable Party Recipes

VEGETABLE PARTY SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Dissolve gelatin in water according to directions.
• In a large bowl, mix dissolved gelatin with carrots, celery, cucumber, onion, lemon juice and mayonnaise. Refrigerate for 25 hours.
• When ready to make sandwiches, if mixture is too jelled to spread well, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup more mayonnaise.
• Using an electric knife, trim crusts from bread edges. Spread vegetable mixture on bread and make 28 sandwiches. Cut into quarters.
• Layer cut sandwiches in a large plastic container with damp paper towels between layers until serving time.

VEGETABLE PARTY BOUQUET

Steps:

• Cut the ends off each radish.
• Slice half way down on four sides to make petals, leaving the biggest part intact in the center.
• Place in a bowl of ice water.
• Core bell peppers.
• Cut into vertical leaf-shaped slices.
• Make carrot tulips by slicing toward the pointed end of the carrot with the tip if a sharp paring knife; do not cut through.
• Form two more petals around the carrot.
• Angle knife tip to seperate tulip from the rest of the carrot.
• Place in ice water.
• Cut off the bottom of the green onion stalks leaving about 3 inches of the onion and part of the top.
• Reserve the upper part of the tops.
• Cut close vertical slits from the cut end down to an inch from the base.
• Place in ice water to frill.
• Trim skewers to various lengths.
• Place reserved onion tops over some of the skewers like a sheath.
• Insert top of covered skewers into bottoms of all florets, bell peppers, cucumber slices, radish and carrot flowers, tomatoes, prepared green onion frills, celery stalks, endive leaves and chicory leaves, creating a"stem" on each piece.
• Insert uncovered skewers into asparagus spears and breadsticks.
• Cut cabbage in half; place in the bottom of the basket, cut side down, as a base.
• Create a bouquet by inserting ends of skewers into cabbage, balancing shapes and colors of the vegetables.
• Place vegetables on shorter skewers along the outer rim of the basket.
• Insert breadsticks just before serving to prevent them from getting soggy.

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.