The traditional party appetizer tray just got a bit more exciting!

A crudité platter is a straightforward way to serve seasonal vegetables in a simple and beautiful way. The word crudité means raw in French. That describes the ingredients on board: tons of raw veggies for snacking on.

The beauty of a crudité platter is that it can be as fancy or as simple as you want.  It’s the perfect way to showcase seasonal veggies [which are better for you anyway] and with the homemade green goddess dip, it’s the perfect party pleaser!

The best crudité platters contain so much more than carrots and celery. Try red pepper, radishes, baby carrots, zucchini, snap peas, asparagus—the choices are endless! Take a walk through your local farmers market to check out what’s in season and local.  Remember: Bright and colorful means pretty and nutritious! 

Why We Love These Ingredients

Radishes are a fiber-rich, cruciferous vegetable as well as a superfood that’s packed with antioxidant flavonoids.  Eating radishes help lower blood sugar, protect against cancer, and help detoxify wastes and toxins from your system.

Digestive-enhancing Dill improves overall digestive function and also acts as a gentle laxative to keep things moving through your digestive tract.  Its elevated levels of antioxidants protect your cells from inflammation and chronic disease.

Cucumbers are a gut health superstar!  They help improve digestive function and promote regular bowel movements. And since Cucumbers are over 95% water, they prevent dehydration and replenish fluids in the body

Broccoli is another fiber-packed superfood. It contains compounds called glucosinolates which help protect against certain types of cancer. Broccoli is also known to help reduce cholesterol, support your blood pressure, and make your heart strong.

Pro Tips to Get You Started

When it comes to a party tray, you’re the boss.  Use as many or as few of the suggested ingredients as you would like.  But whatever you use, keep it bright and colorful.

And why not get an extra bell pepper to use as a dip bowl? Slice off the top of the pepper, clean out the seeds, and pour the dressing inside. It makes a nice presentation, saves you a bowl to clean and you can munch on the pepper when the dip is finished.

Summer Crudité Platter with Green Goddess Dip

INGREDIENTS: 

Crudité: A mix of the following

• 1 each red and orange/yellow peppers seeds, removed and sliced into strips
• 1 watermelon radish, peeled, quartered, and cut into slices
• 1 small zucchini, blanched and cut into sticks
• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and blanched
• 1 bag of Persian cucumbers, trimmed and quartered
• 1 head of broccoli or cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces,
• 1 bunch of small carrots with tops attached, peeled, and cut into sticks
• 3 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced into 4” pieces

Green Goddess Dip:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup dill, chopped (set aside a sprig for garnish)
• 1/4 cup green onions, trimmed and chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix all of your dip ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Refrigerate for one hour or more before serving to let the flavors meld.
3. Serve your dip in a bowl and garnish with a sprig of dill.
4. Arrange the cut vegetables around the platter and place dip bowl in the center.
5. Enjoy!