Are you stressing out about holiday entertaining for guests with a host of different dietary preferences and needs? Let us come to the rescue with a beautiful vegan, allergen-friendly and gluten-free snack board that accommodates everyone!
Sponsored by Martin's Crispy Apple Chips
The holidays are the time for gatherings, when friends new and old, and families near and far, all come together usually over the occasion of food. And such a varied crowd will often bring a varied set of dietary preferences and needs:
- allergies
- gluten intolerances
- vegetarians and vegans
How do you accommodate everyone without spending all night in the kitchen?
The solution: a beautiful, bountiful snack board full of treats everyone can eat!
The key to assembling a board like this is variety. With all the colours, textures and flavours going on, nobody will feel like anything is “missing” from the board.
To serve a board that truly could satisfy anyone, this board was assembled with two specific dietary lifestyles in mind: common allergies and veganism.
The board is completely free of wheat, dairy, nuts and anything derived from an animal.
How did we do it? Here are the steps!
Steps to Creating a Plant Based, Allergen Friendly Snack Board
Step 1: Find a Good Delivery Vehicle For the Board Contents
I believe the most important part of a killer snack board is having the right vehicle to rest all the tasty treats on. Martin's Crispy Apple Chips are the answer to this. With just one ingredient — apples — they're the right balance of crispy, so you get the crunch of a cracker or crostini, and subtly sweet, making them the perfect partner to a savoury spread or dip or to layer other items on.
Step 2: Fill In The Gaps With More Great Dippables
Other great vehicles to hold dips are sturdy vegetables like carrots, broccoli, radicchio and endive. To keep things aesthetically interesting, forgo the pre-peeled baby carrots and choose the ones with the tops on, leaving an inch or two of the greens attached when serving.
A pretty and tasty alternative to regular broccoli is broccoli rabe, a version of broccoli that has delicate leaves attached. While still in the produce department, pick the best looking grapes and some berries for a sweet, juicy palate cleanser. Skewering the berries on toothpicks is a fun presentation idea.
Step 3: Add Some Sweet & Savoury Dips and Spreads
When it comes to dips, make your own or make sure to check the labels to ensure the dip has been processed in an allergy-free facility.
This board offers four hearty dips and a jam that pair beautifully with the Martin's Apple Chips:
- A regular hummus is a creamy, nutty-without-the-nuts complement to the apple chips
- Beet hummus has a bright texture and is just sweet enough.
- For a little heat, there's both a red pepper dip and red pepper jelly. An apple chip topped with a thin slice of dairy-free cream cheese and a dollop of red pepper jelly was one of my favourite bite combinations on this board.
Step 4: Add A Meat or Cheese Free Smoky Element
When you forgo the charcuterie on a board, sometimes you miss the smoky element. We brought that back with the addition of two wedges of smoked tofu.
Step 5: Don't Forget The Fun Extras
Once you have everything laid out where you want it on your board, fill in the holes with some fun extras:
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- some briny olives
- a few rice-based crackers
- Some frosted pine cones and whole fruits like a pear or persimmon make playful and seasonal garnishes.
These will all help round out your board and make it look fabulous!
No matter who you're expecting this season, a bright bountiful board featuring crowd pleasing, all-inclusive components like Martin's Apple Chips is a great way to get through any stress of entertaining.
And the best part is that you can make this board several hours ahead. Because the holidays are about time spent with each other, not just time spent in the kitchen.
More Great Ways to Make Martin's Apple Chips Part Of Your Day!
Lisa from The Viet Vegan shares what she eats in a given day - including Martin's Apple Chips!
Healthy Snack Ideas with Martin's Crispy Apple Chips
By Food Bloggers of Canada
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Healthy Fruit Dip with Greek Yogurt
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Keep holiday snacking healthy with **[Greek Yogurt Healthy Fruit Dip](https://leelalicious.com/healthy-fruit-dip-with-greek-yogurt/)** from **Leelalicious**.
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Caramel Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Dips and chips go together like caramel and pumpkin! **Caramel Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip** from **Spaceships and Laserbeams**.
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Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars with Martin's Apple Chips
By Food Bloggers of Canada
For snacks on the go try these** [Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars](https://kokoskitchen.com/apple-crumble-cheesecake-bars-with-martins-apple-chips/)** from **Koko's Kitchen**
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Adventures With Beau
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Martin's Crispy Apple Chips are easy to throw in a backpack for a snack on the go or an **[Adventure with Beau](https://xoxobella.com/2017/11/adventures-with-beau/)** - from** xoxo bella**.
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Three Reasons To Snack on Martin's Apple Chips
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Need more reasons for healthy snacks like Martin's? Visit **[Chef Sous Chef](https://www.chefsouschef.com/martins-apple-chips/)**!
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Apple Chips and Dip!
By Food Bloggers of Canada
There's four varieties of Martin's Crispy Apple Chips to try - head on over to **My Kitchen Love** for more **[Chips and Dip](http://www.mykitchenlove.com/apple-chips-dip/)**.
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Snack Ideas For Active Kids
By Food Bloggers of Canada
You can never have enough quick and easy **snack ideas for active kids** and **Delightful Adventure**s has lots to share!
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Kid Friendly Snack and Cheese Plate
By Food Bloggers of Canada
Give the kids their own **[kid friendly snack board](https://www.aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com/kid-friendly-snack-and-cheese-plate/)** at your next holiday party with these great ideas from **A Pretty Life**.
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Apple Yogurt Parfait
By Food Bloggers of Canada
**Mary's Happy Belly** has created delicious **[Apple Yogurt Parfaits](http://www.maryshappybelly.com/martins-apple-chips-makes-a-perfect-snack/)** for healthy snack or breakfast!
More Reading
- On Board in 20: New Year's Eve Seafood Boil
- Canadian Cheese: Creating the Perfect Cheese Plate
- Allergen-Friendly Remix: Dairy-Free Homemade Chocolate
Lisa Bolton is the creator, writer and photographer behind Food Well Said, her blog about thoughtfully prepared, whole food recipes. She lives in the Lower Mainland of BC and you can reach her on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
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That board is sheer insanity and I LOVE IT! Yum to apple chips too!
Lisa creates the most stunning boards! We’re lucky to have her on our team!
Lisa, you’ve done it again! Every time I think you can’t possibly make a more gorgeous board, you prove me wrong! I need to either make one of these or better yet, get invited to party where the host creates a board just like yours.