From Ronda’s Front Porch to Yours
Like many people, you have probably been cooking at home and trying to keep your menu plan fresh and healthy. And while takeout from your local small businesses is a great solution, it can also get pricey.
Even though your favorite restaurants offer healthy options, you have more control over your ingredients at home and are not tempted by larger portion sizes.
That is where the dinner board or charcuterie plate comes in to shake things up. Use what you have and save some prep and cleanup time. The benefits of these large platters full of proteins, fruits and veggies, breads, spreads, and salads are that they are quick, fun ways to eat healthy any night of the week. Plus, you are not cooking, just assembling.
Charcuterie plates are generally large plates or cutting boards loaded up with a variety of foods in smaller, shareable amounts and there are no rules how to put them together. The idea is that everything is bite size, grab-able and shareable that you just open, unwrap, assemble and enjoy.
Grab a few small bowls and a couple of spoons and spreading knives for dipping sauces or small salads.
Because this is technically dinner, try to make your dinner board with a balanced representation of all of the nutrients you need — proteins, vegetables and the recommended amount of carbs, fruits, low-fat dairy and healthy spreads, sauces and salads.
Following are items that lend themselves well to a healthy dinner board that can be assembled in minutes. Any combination is a good one, so try different combos on different nights.
• Canned or jarred: olives, dill pickles, artichokes, stuffed grape leaves, roasted red peppers, fermented vegetables or kimchee.
• Fresh: tomato, cucumbers, red onion, radishes.
• Sweet: raisins, prunes or figs, grapes, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apricots, pears or apples.
• Proteins: leftover cold chicken breast, cold salmon drizzled with olive oil, salt and lemon, nuts, chick peas, edamame, ham, turkey, canned tuna with salt, pepper and rosemary, canned sardines, trout or herring, cooked shrimp or boiled eggs.
• Grains: nut and seed-based crackers, brown rice cakes, thin wheat crackers, whole wheat pita wedges, bagel chips, pretzels or crackers.
• Spreads: seasoned hummus, mashed eggs, avocado.
• Low-fat cheeses: skim mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, feta, gouda, swiss or cheddar.
• Mini salads: Arugula drizzled with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper; whole chickpeas tossed with lemon, salt, pepper, tomato, feta, red onion and olive oil, mozzarella pearls and tomato sliced with basil or cilantro and olive oil.
• Condiments and dips: low-fat cream cheese dip, avocado mayo, whole-grain mustard, fruit preserves or white bean dip.
All these options are healthy in moderation. Now that you know the best things to put on a charcuterie dinner board, all you need to do is assemble, place in the center of the table and enjoy.
The benefit? Fewer dishes.
For more resources and recipes on assembling a Charcuterie board or dinner tips visit us on our Facebook page at Scurry County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.