Fruit and Chocolate Board
Have you seen these amazing vegan charcuterie platers and appetizer trays and wondered how anyone could put them together? It can seem overwhelming but it’s something anyone can do. It’s just about filling the space and trying to balance foods.
For this board I chose to limit myself to fruits, nuts, and chocolate for a sweet paring. By limiting myself to this theme I am already making my tray more cohesive. Start with the one thing you really want to shine and build the board around that.
I wanted to use this vegan fig salami that I just bought online. It is from Hellenic Farms. It’s naturally sweet but the orange zest and pepper flavor shine through.
I placed the fig salami at and interesting angle and then placed my second item right next to it to build on. I added apricots because the color and flavor seemed to match well. Then I added some walnuts to add a different texture.
Next I jumped to the other side of the board to balance that flavor and color. To match the orange zest in the fig and the color of the apricots I added some fresh orange segments.
Now I just have to close the gap in between. So I added another crunchy element in front of the walnuts. I love these Dang coconut chips! They are great for snacking on so I already had these in my pantry.
Next I added in some chocolate. I bought these dark chocolate covered almonds from the bulk bins at Sprouts. I don’t know if they are vegan or not. The oranges were pretty juicy so I didn’t want the chocolate touching too much.
How about another dried fruit? Dried blueberries added right in front of the orange segments. The board is really starting to come together now!
Up next mini dairy-free chocolate chips loosely placed in front of the salami and tying together the two halves of the board.
Now I just need to fill in empty space so I added more chocolate. Another treat I picked up from the bulk bins at Sprouts. Chocolate covered blueberries. Again sorry I don’t think these are vegan.
Behind that I finished with dried cranberries.
Many of these items I already had on hand in my pantry. Poke around your kitchen and get creative. You don’t have to use the same things I did but I hope this gave you some ideas. Use the foods that you love!
