Plant Based Charcuterie Board

I’ve been fiddling around with recipes for as long as I can remember. I love great food and I love entertaining. But as people’s diets change I find it can be difficult to please everyone so I turn, more often than not, to delicious plant-based alternatives to compliment everyone’s palette.

I came up with this all plant-based Charcuterie Board and it has been a huge hit!

Try my true, tried and tested Charcuterie at your next get together and I guarantee the board will be left empty.

My board has Hummus, Roasted Artichokes, Marinated Tofu and is finished with Olives, nuts, diced cucumbers, blood oranges, crackers and plantain chips.

Marinated Tofu “Fresh Mozzarella” (Vegan / Gluten Free)

1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
1 jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes, sliced
2-3 sprigs fresh oregano or ½ tablespoon of dried oregano
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced or 1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like a good kick!)
Coarse ground Pink Himalayan sea salt

1. Place all of the ingredients (except the tofu) in a mason jar or quart size sealable bag and toss or mix well.  Be sure to include the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes as well.
2. Add tofu, making sure it is well coated.
3. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Serve with cracked sea salt to finish.

Roasted Artichoke with Candied Nuts (Vegan / Gluten Free)

1 Fresh Artichoke, trimmed and halved (see step 2)
1 large lemon
Olive oil to coat
½ c candied nuts (see my recipe for Spicy Candied Nuts)
Coarse Sea Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Trim and prepare artichoke by cutting and peeling the stem of the artichoke.  Remove all loose leaves near the stem and trim off the pointy tips from all of the leaves.  Slice about an inch from the top of the artichoke and finally, slice the entire artichoke in half, vertically.
3. Coat with olive oil and lemon juice.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place nuts in between the leaves throughout the entire artichoke.
6. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes then remove and cover with aluminum foil and continue roasting for another 35-45 minutes.   You’ll know when it’s done because the leaves will pull away easily.

Spicy Candied Nuts (Vegan / Gluten Free)

1 tablespoon Vietnamese Cinnamon, ground
½ tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Pink Himalayan sea salt, coarsely ground
¼ cup Coconut palm sugar
1 ½ tablespoons Maple syrup
1 ½ tablespoon Coconut oil
1 8 oz bag of Pecan Halves, raw and unsalted
½ cup Almonds, raw and unsalted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices with the sugar.  Set aside.
4. In a larger bowl mix maple syrup, coconut oil and nuts together.
5. Toss in spices and sugar; making sure all the nuts are well coated.
6. Place on parchment paper in single layer then bake for 7 minutes.
7. Turn nuts over and bake for another 7 minutes.
8. Remove and finish with a little more sea salt.

Roasted Red Sweet Potato and Ginger Hummus

1 large red sweet potato or purple potato
1 can organic garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp cayenne
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 ½ tablespoons honey OR maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons of cold water
Ground sea salt to taste.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Roast sweet potatoes for 35-40 minutes, until fork tender.
3. While the sweet potato is roasting, prepare the garbanzo beans by placing the garbanzo beans in a medium size bowl with hot water for about 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove skin from garbanzo beans as much as possible for smooth and light consistency.
5. Place all ingredients except water in a food processor or blender and pulse until blended.
6. Slowly add water in to mixture until it reaches the perfect consistency.
7. Finish with ground sea salt.
   *Garnish with candied ginger

Carmen Reddy is a Private Chef and Caterer from Houston, Texas.  She and her husband, Eric Reddy, have had the privilege of catering many weddings and events of close friends, family members and local businesses.  Carmen’s love of cooking and entertaining is done full-heartedly and genuinely with the sole intention of pleasing her guests and clients.

Follow her instagram at @olivesandcherries