How to Prepare Veggie Trays
- 1). Rinse all of the vegetables thoroughly to remove any dirt, chemicals or other undesirable substances that remain. Peel any vegetables that need it, such as carrots (use a peeler) or raw green onions (pull off the outer few layers). Cut off any pieces that you do not wish to serve, such as roots on green onions or thick stalks on cauliflower or broccoli.
- 2). Cut or break the vegetables into pieces of the same appropriate size and shape, if necessary. Some vegetables give you options; you can cut carrots into sticks or round slices, for example. Others, such as cauliflower, don't leave you with very much choice. Instead of cutting all of your types of vegetables into one shape, try making some into sticks, some into slices and some into chunks to provide a variety of shapes. Some vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and small pickles, may remain whole.
- 3). Arrange your prepared vegetables on a tray. In general, do not put vegetables of similar color next to each other; space them out to make the tray look more interesting. For example, you could put green broccoli between cherry tomatoes and slices of red bell peppers. Place a bowl of dip or dressing in the center of the tray.
- 4). Serve toothpicks, small plates and napkins alongside the veggie tray.
