Both Cunningham and Faux are on the road for the winter season. For instance, a vegan charcuterie board for a Super Bowl party where there will be lots of children might focus on fruits, nuts, nut butters, carrot sticks and bean dips, while a more adult gathering might warrant a board with hard vegan cheeses, plant-based cold cuts, oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, fig preserves, castelvetrano olives, pickled beets, cornichons and slices of fresh fennel. The flip side, though, is that the abundance of options can present its own problems, as I've learned through trial and error.
"Detail needs to come first, then the refills come last, " she said. Diversity and color are the name of the game when it comes to putting together a visually attractive board, and vegan boards excel in these areas. "Cooking with Plant Based Meat: 75 vegan and vegetarian recipes for all your meaty cravings, " by America's Test Kitchen, $27. He also delivers vegan versions of Taco Bell's crunchwrap supreme, White Castle's slider, Panera's white cheddar mac 'n cheese, Subway's meatball sub and Panda Express' kung pao chicken and many more. When I assemble my Super Bowl charcuterie board this year, I'll follow Faux's space-saving advice. Veganize them, of course. "Then fill in around the board with your fruits and veggies, nuts, pickled things, sweets. Tip expert advice crossword. In the end, only a guest with sharp eyes could have detected the state outlined in carrot and celery sticks, pea pods and vegan pepperoni, because my design was crowded in by a crush of bowls and plates filled with nuts, pickles, vegan cheeses, tofu dips, olive tapenade, pretzels and crackers. Bickford said her go-to fruits in winter are citrus and pomegranates, and she also leans on jams and fruit preserves. These two cookbooks offer plenty of other ideas. Finger foods (Wendy's chicken nuggets, Red Lobster's cheddar bay biscuits) and breakfast items (McMuffins, French toast sticks) are covered, as is dessert (Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Cinnabon's classic roll and Dairy Queen's Oreo Blizzard). The beauty of a vegan charcuterie board is that there are no recipes or size requirements and that any plant-based finger food – from sweet to savory – is in play. Avery Yale Kamila is a food writer who lives in Portland. Last fall, national gift basket retailer Harry & David began selling vegan charcuterie ingredients, highlighting a plant-based trend that plenty of Mainers had already embraced.
Fast food lover turned vegan Brian Watson has figured out how to replicate the sauces, seasonings and textures of meaty fast food favorites using plants. Vegan charcuterie boards are just one way to inject more plants into your Super Bowl party. After delivering product recommendations (the testers preferred Impossible ground meat and Beyond Sausages), cooking tips and flavor-boosting suggestions, the book shares ample recipes ready-made for Super Bowl parties, including pub sliders, Jamaican meat patties, meaty chili, mapo tofu, tamale pie and sheet-pan Italian sausage. When a fast food lover goes vegan, what does he do about the Big Macs, Whoppers and Baconators he loves? When Super Bowl Sunday arrives on Feb. 12, I'll be among the Mainers who plan to make vegan charcuterie boards for their annual parties. Send questions/comments to the editors. The company is known for its charcuterie boards, both vegan and non-vegan. Placing the crackers off to the side is a technique I've used many times, including once when I set out to create a Maine-shaped charcuterie board. A bit of expert advice crossword. "I do the hard things first. The range of foods is what distinguishes a charcuterie board from a cheese plate or a fruit platter.
Shanna Bickford runs At My Table catering in Westbrook with her mother, Shannon Bickford. Many vegetarian charcuterie boards feature vegan meats, but others focus on vegan cheeses, tapenades and pâtés. Vegan charcuterie boards feed a crowd but also keep party-goers feeling peppy and light, unlike much traditional football fare. Whether simple or gourmet, homemade or store-bought, a vegan charcuterie board is a guaranteed touchdown with Super Bowl party guests. Biggest to smallest and hardest to easiest. Bickford shared her system for building charcuterie boards. Vegan Fast Food: Copycat burgers, tacos, fried chicken, milkshakes, and more!, by Brian Watson, Harvard Common Press, $25.
In addition to using a lot of microgreens to plate charcuterie boards, Bickford and her mother sometimes feature hot items, such as stuffed pasta shells and raviolis or vegan phyllo tarts. "Throw all the rules out the window, because vegan food is a balance of texture, flavor and color, " Cunningham told me. The Boston-based TV, cookbook and magazine mini-empire experts serve up everything needed to successfully cook with realistic vegan meats. Color is a big deal for me. She can be reached at [email protected]. Non-dairy cheeses, plant-based meats, hummuses, cucumbers, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, pickles, olives, salsas, chutneys, tapenades and jams are standard fare on many vegan charcuterie boards, but the creative possibilities spiral in all directions.
My own challenge is that I often gather too many items to fit on the board.