Crudités Plate (gf) Recipe

Wash and dry

Rinse all vegetables under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Drying helps dips stick and improves presentation.

Trim and prepare carrots & celery

If using full-size carrots instead of baby carrots, peel and cut into 3–4 inch sticks. Trim celery stalks, remove tough strings if present, and cut into 3–4 inch sticks.

Slice cucumber

Trim the ends of the English cucumber. Cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out large seeds if watery, then slice each half into 1/4-inch half-moons or sticks about 3 inches long, depending on desired look.

Prepare bell peppers

Slice mini sweet bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes. Leave as halves or quarter them if pieces are large.

Trim radishes

Trim radish tops and root tips, then halve or quarter radishes to make bite-sized pieces.

Prepare tomatoes and snap peas

Leave cherry or grape tomatoes whole. Trim the stem end of sugar snap peas and remove any string if present; leave whole.

Cut broccoli and cauliflower

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized florets (about 1–1.5 inches). If florets are large, halve them so they’re easy to spear.

Choose or make dips

If using store-bought dips, transfer each dip into a small serving bowl. If making dips from scratch, prepare them now (simple options: mix 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, 1 garlic clove minced, 1 tsp lemon juice and salt for quick tzatziki-style dip; or use prepared hummus and ranch).

Season and finish dips

Taste each dip and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lemon juice or olive oil as desired. For hummus, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika look nice; for tzatziki or ranch, finish with a few chopped herbs.

Arrange vegetables on a platter

Choose a large shallow platter or board. Arrange vegetables in groups by type (color and texture contrast helps): place broccoli and cauliflower near each other, fan cucumber slices, create a neat pile of carrot and celery sticks, nestle radishes and peppers, and add cherry tomatoes and snap peas in small clusters. Leave center space for dips or place dips spaced evenly around the platter.

Place dips

Set the bowls of ranch, hummus and tzatziki in the center or spaced across the platter so they’re easy to reach. If you have more dips than room, use a second small plate.

Garnish

Scatter fresh parsley leaves over the platter. Lightly drizzle up to 1 teaspoon olive oil over broccoli and cauliflower if desired. Sprinkle a small pinch of coarse sea salt and a grind of black pepper over tomatoes and cucumber for extra flavor. Place lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.

Serve

Serve immediately at room temperature. Provide small forks, toothpicks or napkins for convenience. Leftovers can be stored in airtight containers refrigerated for up to 3 days; keep dips separate.