How to Make a Vegan Cheese Plate

Friends! Long time no see!

I hope you had a fab week last week and a wonderful Mother’s Day Weekend.

I have been totally insanely busy, and there just wasn’t enough time in the week last week. So I decided to take the week off from the blog and social media. I want to always always always give my best to you, and I know that if I tried posting last week, it definitely wouldn’t have been my best.

But I am back, babes! Back with delicious flavor.

You see, Mark and I have “cheese plates” for dinner more than I care to admit. They are SO EASY, and perfect for busy nights. Plus, we are both total “appetizer” people, so we’d much rather sit down to a bunch of little things, rather than one big thing for dinner most of the time. Most of the time.

Vegan cheese plates fit that bill perrrrfectly.

And I mean, hello. So pretty, right?

SO. Cheese plates are fun because you can totally customize them based on seasons, your favorite flavors, and/or whatever’s in the fridge.

Got some apples? Cut ’em up. Have some tortilla chips? Perfecto. How about some carrots? Put them on there! Literally anything and everything can work on a cheese plate; it is 100% impossible to screw up.

Tip for winning the cheese board game: I suggest mixing colors, textures, and flavors. On this particular cheese plate, we have:

Hummus: tan, creamy, garlicky
Cucumber: green, crunchy, refreshing
Pistachios: green/purple/tan, crisp, nutty
Craisins: red, chewy, tart
Dates: brown, chewy, sweet
Tomatoes: red, juicy, acidic
Walnuts: tan, crunchy, nutty
Grapes: green, juicy, tart
Vegan Ricotta: white, creamy, garlicky
Marinated Olives: green, juicy, herby
Homemade crackers (coming soon!): tan, crunchy, salty

I really couldn’t pick a favorite part of this cheese plate. Each item works so well with the others. If I had to pick, however, I loved the marinated olives (which I marinated myself!), the grapes, and the ricotta/cracker combo. But it really is all so good!

Other delish ideas: sliced apples, carrots, figs (dried or fresh), dried apricots, lupini beans, pesto hummus, french onion dip, jams, candied nuts, pears, sun dried tomatoes…the possibilities and combinations are really endless. I don’t think we’ve ever had the same vegan cheese plate twice!

This is my ideal dinner for the summertime. Light, full of flavor, super satisfying, and crazy simple to throw together. Throw in a glass (or two) or rosé, and I’m set.

This is going to be the best summer yet, friends. Enjoy!