5 tips for creating a healthy holiday platter

Looking for ideas for healthy platters this season?

HFG dietitian Caroline Trickey shares her tips on how to build a tasty, nutritious platter.

1 Colour

Lots of colour is one of the keys to an impressive platter. Think through the colours you want to add — white (cheese), green (asparagus, beans or frilly lettuce), red (tomatoes, capsicum), and how to arrange the different colours in strips, blocks or circles.

2 Look for shapes and texture

What different shapes or textures can you use on your platter? Long and slender asparagus can look great next to eggplant rollups. Consider baked pita chips, or adding nuts for extra crunch.

3 Plan ahead

Some platter additions can be easily prepared ahead. When you have the oven on, roast a few slices of sweet potato, pumpkin or eggplant. Sprinkle with herbs and store them in the fridge.

4 Use different heights

Bowls of dip or olives that ‘pop‘ above the top of other flatter foods can really help grab people’s attention. You can also angle some foods so they stand up — for example, presenting blanched green beans in a small vase or glass.

5 Remember to garnish

Add extra sparkle to your platter by using garnishes such as flowers, tops of celery, snow pea sprouts, rosemary sprigs, or slices of different-coloured radishes.

Make your own!

Here are some of our favourite combos:

➜ Cherry tomatoes filled with pesto and pine nuts on top

➜ Cherry tomato skewers with bocconcini cheese & basil

➜ Roasted pumpkin drizzled with balsamic & sesame oil, sprinkled with sesame seeds
or pine nuts, or with roasted hazelnuts and chives

➜ Eggplant rolls: grilled eggplant slices filled with ricotta & pesto, walnuts, mint & spinach, roasted capsicum & feta — rolled up and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds

➜ Zucchini rolls: thin slices of zucchini with different fillings like haloumi or goat cheese

➜ Cucumber rolls: spread slices of cucumber with hoummos, sliced cherry tomatoes, olives and feta, then roll them up and garnish with dill

➜ Mini risotto balls (mushroom or pumpkin): let risotto go cold, roll into balls and pan fry.