Mediterranean Snack Board

Snack boards come in all shapes, sizes, themes and purpose, but one thing is for certain, they’re easy to create and very eye-catching.

I’m pretty sure my mother invented snack boards well before they became popular.  I’m certain she created them out of necessity.  She needed to feed our large family on Sunday night, but didn’t want to make it a big production so just before we’d sit down to watch Walt Disney Wonderful World of Color we’d all gather in the kitchen, empty the refrigerator of whatever was leftover or needed eating and create our Sunday night snack board.

It met all of our needs:  less stress for my mother, nutritional goodness for growing kids, tasty food we all liked and easy clean-up for my dad . . . win, win!

I continue this tradition in our home today and for all the reasons my mother did.  It makes Sunday night so manageable for our big family.  This Mediterranean snack board mimics the board I helped create every Sunday night at my house growing up and now in my home today.

How to Create A Snack Board:  Keep a balance of THREE components:

1. Vegetables and fruits

2. Cheeses and meats (other proteins)

3. Crackers and grains

Vegetables and Fruits:  We emptied the refrigerator of extra carrot sticks, celery sticks, sugar-snap peas, cut up cucumber, bell peppers, fresh berries, grapes, apples, oranges and yes, she always had them on hand.  Of course we did; I grew up in Southern California.  They were available year round.

Cheeses and Meats:  We ate a lot of cheese at my house so blocks of cheese were always around with cool cheese slicers.  My dad loved salami and sliced deli meats and smoked salmon.  But the truly unique features were my dad’s favorite smoked oysters and canned sardines.  Sadly I’m the only one in my immediate family who loves them; they’re a hard sell for my kids so I rarely add them currently.

Crackers and Grains:  Where are you going to place your oysters, sardines, cheese, deli meats?  Crackers and chips of course.  I include whole wheat varieties like Triscuits, Wheat Thins and pita chips because they’re sturdy and wholesome.  Cheese and tortillas often make appearance as well.

Sauces and Dips:  Homemade White Bean Hummus, Greek Tzatziki Sauce and Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Dip for added flavors for the veggies and crackers.  I love these sauces and dips and keep them around for veggie noshing.

Don’t forget foods like pickles, sweet chili peppers, olives and pickled herring!

You might also enjoy:

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

 

 

 

 

 

Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Asparagus

 

 

 

 

 

Pizza-Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer