The New Crudité Platter

Guys, let’s talk appetizers today!!

I feel like I almost never share appetizers. And I know, I say this every time I share an appetizer, but Ugh, I need some new material!

Anyway, no time for chit, chat, we have a SERIOUS Crudité Platter to talk about today. I mean, I mean?!?

Do you guys see this thing? I am in love.

Snacks on snacks on snacks. 🙂

Alright, so when it comes to Crudité platters I pretty much love them all. Veggies and dip are so my thing.

SIDENOTE – When I was a kid, I would come home from school, grab a bag of baby carrots and munch and munch while watching Gilmore Girls. Carrots were my thing. No joke, I would go through a bag of baby carrots in one sitting. I was never the hugest fan of ranch though (unlike my brothers), so I’d just eat them plain. Weird I know, but whateves, I was a healthy kid…with a very orange skin tone and super orange hands… for real…the carrots totally turned my skin orange. At first I thought it was weird and I laid off the carrots, but then I needed my crunchy after school snack and I got over the whole “oompa loompa” skin tone thing. Also, I feel like I should mention that I really don’t love celery. You’d think if I was that into carrots that I’d also be into celery, but nope, just not my thing.

ANYWAY, weird childhood snack obsession talk over. I have new grown up snack obsessions now, and one of them comes in the form of this gorgeous platter. Yes.

I’m not sure if you guys know this, or to be honest, if I even really knew this about myself, but like I love the idea of entertaining. Creating a menu, working on appetizers and drinks and basically just creating one gorgeous spread. I used to think this was not my thing because, to be completely honest, I’m not the worlds most social person (thanks Dad), but I love the planning and creative process that goes along with entertaining.

So this spring I’ve decided to work on my skills a bit. Think fun light menus and tons of appetizers….and drinks.

This platter is one of my most favorite creations yet. Unlike other crudité platters, this one is LOADED and has a really great mix of fresh and fried veggies.

Oh yeah, I went there. I’m talking about you fried asparagus and fried mozzarella stuffed zucchini blossoms. Like YUM!

Personally I love creating variety with appetizer platters, and honestly, a crudité platter of veggies and hummus can get a little boring. So I thought, why not create some textures, layers of flavor and just a little something different. Fried veggies with a light avocado ranch… SOOOO good, and way better and healthier than anything you could ever buy in the store. It’s also much faster to make, beats a quick trip to the store every time!!! This platter is still super healthy, but yet there’s a trace of indulgence coming off those fried veggies.

The perfect balance. 🙂

If you can’t find fresh zucchini blossoms (check Trader Joes, Whole Foods or your local farmers market), you can just simply use sliced zucchini rounds. Then add just the mozzarella cheese to your platter… DON’T leave the cheese out!

Also, don’t be afraid of frying the asparagus and zucchini. It’s just a simple shallow fry, super easy and totally not scary. The one bummer part is that once you fry the veggies they really need to be served right away. Once they sit too long, they just get kind of soggy. The good news is frying only takes a few minutes and the rest of the crudité platter can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge.

Thinking this would be super cute for Mother’s Day? Or really any upcoming spring or even summer party!! Bring on entertaining season, I am ready for you!

But really, isn’t this so pretty!?!? Promise it tastes even better! 🙂