Healthy Charcuterie Board Without Meat

HEALTHY CHARCUTERIE

Easy to make healthy charcuterie board is vegetarian (no meat)! It is more nutritious than most cheese boards. Packed with summer fruits, brined veggies, dried fruits, and nuts, this is the only vegetarian charcuterie board recipe you will ever need! The best thing about a charcuterie board is that it is very customizable. So serving a charcuterie at BBQs, picnics, parties, and gatherings is always a great idea! I added Romesco sauce, as it is one of my favorite dips, however, any dip would work!

I intentionally excluded cured meats from this healthy charcuterie board recipe, as I wanted to keep this a vegetarian charcuterie. Feel free to add meats (such as salami, prosciutto, sausage, etc.) if you desire. While a charcuterie board makes a great appetizer or brunch for fun and excellent entertaining. On the other hand, a charcuterie can make a light lunch or light dinner, too! 

If you are looking for a 4th of July charcuterie board or summer charcuterie board idea, I got you! This board has the perfect red, white and blue patriotic colors to celebrate the American Independence. July 4th charcuterie board doesn’t get any better or easier to make than this easy vegetarian one. It has the right amount of cheese, crackers, fruits, nuts, and colorful fresh fruits. Oh, and some chocolates too. This meatless charcuterie board is kid friendly too. My kids enjoyed it.

WHAT IS A CHARCUTERIE BOARD?

Charcuterie – (pronounced char·cu·te·rie –> SHärˈko͞odərē/) is a form of cold appetizer that usually features cured meats, cheeses, and nuts/fruits. Uniquely, you can add anything you desire to your charcuterie board/tray! The term charcuterie originated in France. A typical French charcuterie includes cured meat products from mainly pork such as sausage, ham, and bacon. Also, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit.

Primarily, charcuterie is served on a tray or board, hence the name charcuterie board. However, these days, there are charcuterie cups, charcuterie sticks, and charcuterie roll-ups.

IS CHARCUTERIE HEALTHY?

Are charcuterie boards healthy? Yes! Charcuterie boards can certainly be healthy when you fill them with healthy, nutritious ingredients (like today’s charcuterie)! To make a healthy charcuterie board, add more plant-based ingredients and fewer meats, cheeses, and chocolates. In other words, use less processed ingredients. Remember, most cured meats are highly processed, so definitely do less of those. Use good cheeses as well as great chocolates.

Always remember that building healthy charcuterie boards are easy and actually cheaper!

ARE CHARCUTERIE BOARDS HIGH IN CALORIE?

Unfortunately, most charcuterie boards can easily become unhealthy and loaded with high calories. However, I suggest you fill up your charcuterie with low calories ingredients and ensure to stick to the serving size when serving. The truth is that how many calories are in a charcuterie board will likely depend on the ingredients and serving.

While we all agree that some ingredients have higher calories than others. However, low-calorie charcuterie can become elevated in calories when you double or triple serve, so keep that in mind. I suggest sticking to the serving size.

INGREDIENTS FOR A HEALTHY CHARCUTERIE BOARD:

What you include in a cheese board may differ from board to board. Typically, charcuteries are full of different kinds of meats; however, you can customize them to your preference! Here are the ingredients I used for my healthy charcuterie board. Make sure to check the recipe card for the exact quantity/measurement.

Best Crackers (and Bread) for Charcuteries:

Crackers and bread are excellent choices of carbohydrates that can go on most charcuteries. They keep the board balanced and make you fuller. Crackers and bread are essential if making charcuterie for lunch or dinner because they are filling. However, I used only crackers and skipped bread for this healthy charcuterie board. We love this crackers!

If you wish to add bread to your charcuterie, artisan bread would be a good one. Also, baguettes, sourdough, multi-grain bread, ciabatta, pretzel, and croissants are all fantastic bread to add to charcuterie! Equally, breadsticks, crostini, gluten-free crackers/bread are all great additions to a healthy charcuterie board. For a low-carb charcuterie, substitute bread and crackers with celery sticks, and cucumbers. Add a low-carb crackers as well.

Fresh Seasonal Fruits For a Healthy Charcuterie:

Fresh fruits are a must on any charcuterie (in my opinion)! To keep the price of your charcuterie cheaper, opt for fruits and vegetables that are in season. I like adding seasonal fruits to my charcuterie, especially the no-meat charcuteries.

It is summer right now, so I am adding (all) the summer fruits I can get starting with my favorite watermelon. Berries equally make charcuterie trays pop! Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and green grapes were my choice of fresh fruits on this healthy vegetarian charcuterie board. Additionally, you can add peaches, oranges, raspberries, mangoes, or grape tomatoes. Always add a variety of fruits and vegetables you and your guests enjoy!

Pickled Or Brined Fruits and Vegetables:

I keep it simple when it comes to pickled vegetables or fruits. My choices were good’ olé small cucumber pickles and then black olives! Add pickled carrots, beets, mini sweet peppers, pickled onions, etc.

Dry Fruits and Nuts:

I suggest adding varieties of dried fruits and nuts to give people options. For today’s no meat charcuterie board, my choice of nuts is almond and cashew nuts. Even though I enjoy peanuts, I intentionally skipped them. And for dried fruits, I added only dried prunes and apricots. Prunes are high in potassium and other vitamins and help with digestion. Apricots, on the other hand, is rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene. They are famous for promoting eye health! Both prunes and apricots are heart-healthy fruits. Unfortunately, I rarely see them fresh, so I have to add the dried ones to this healthy charcuterie board!  

Pecans, pistachios, and macadamia nuts are great nuts to add to your cheese board. Additionally, dried mangoes, pineapples, golden raises, and dates are fantastic dried fruits to add to a charcuterie. On the other hand, instead of adding roasted nuts, you could use glazed or honey-roasted nuts. It will bring a different sweetness and saltiness to the cheese board.

Best Cheeses for A Charcuterie/Cheese Board:

Hard aged chunk of cheeses is best when building a charcuterie board (in my opinion). They can hold their shape for the longest time and are easy to pick up. Also, hard cheeses rarely make messes. I used only two types of cheeses for this healthy charcuterie board. First was the crisp, sharp-aged cheddar. I picked the Kerrygold brand because it is from grass-fed cows. Next, I used a grand cru Surchoix cheese; this cheese is handmade in batches and similar to gruyere. This is also a hard/firm piece of cheese and perfect for my healthy charcuterie board idea! Other hard cheeses you may like to include in charcuterie are chunks of parmesan, aged gouda, or asiago.

On the other hand, soft cheeses are also fantastic for a graving board. For instance, burrata, mascarpone, stracchino can all work as a charcuterie dip. They pair exceptionally well with veggies, bread, and crackers. Finally, blue cheese is excellent for charcuterie boards; it adds color and flavor!

Spreads And Dips:

Dips and spreads contribute to a great charcuterie board. Undoubtedly there are several dips, spreads, or sauces you can add to a graving board, aka charcuterie. Personally, I prefer a good old Romesco sauce on almost every healthy charcuterie board that I make.  Aside from romesco sauce, I also add jams and marmalades because the kids like it.

Relatively, you can use pesto, hummus, guacamole, balsamic glaze, whipped feta, or melted cheesy dip to elevate your healthy charcuterie board. Dips greatly compliment the crackers and dry bread; however, you can get away with less dip if you desire. Feel free to use your preferred dips, spreads, and sauces.

Chocolates:

To add a hint of sweetness to this healthy charcuterie board, I added both dark and white chocolate bars. I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate bars; I am sure any brand would work fine! On the other, I kept it very simple for white chocolate as I used kit kat. You can use any choice of white chocolate bar you already love and enjoy! The white added a beautiful white color to this July 4th charcuterie board.

HOW TO BUILD  A HEALTHY CHARCUTERIE BOARD:

TIPS FOR MAKING A PATROITIC + HEALTHY CHARTCUTERIE BOARD:

1. Use the fruits and vegetables that are in season.
2. To keep your patriotic cheese board budget-friendly, use less meat! Add a few/less meat. Listen, charcuterie meats are not that cheap. 
3. Use the dried fruits and nuts that you already enjoy! If you don’t like pistachios, do not add them.
4. Make sure to use different shapes of cookie cutters to make fun shapes. If you are making a patriotic charcuterie board, then a star will be a great shape to incorporate. Cut out a star on a watermelon slice, strawberry, or cheese. Also, add white, red, and blue ingredients to showcase the American colors.
5. You can buy a premade dip/spread/sauce to save time. I like making romesco sauce as it is the best thing to pair with crackers! So good!
6. When serving, be mindful not to overly load up your plate as charcuterie boards can easily rake up calories. Serve lightly if using as a snack or appetizer.

Perfect Light Lunch/Dinner:

Though charcuterie is famous as appetizers and brunch, they can equally make great easy + light lunches and dinners. I suggest adding a combination of food groups for a more balanced charcuterie tray (if you wish to use it as a dinner or lunch)!

HOW TO BUILD  A HEALTHY CHARCUTERIE BOARD WITHOUT MEAT:

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MORE (SUMMERY) PATRIOTIC RECIPES:

Blueberry Watermelon Feta Salad: Healthy and fresh blueberry watermelon feta salad is the best patriotic summer salad! It is refreshingly sweet, savory, and easy to make! 

Watermelon Feta Blueberry Slices: Refreshing and savory watermelon slices topped with feta and blueberry are undeniably delicious! Sweet, salty and revitalizing. Excellent for the summer heat, Memorial Day, or July 4th picnic! These are budget-friendly as well!

BEST Watermelon Iced Tea: Homemade watermelon iced tea is the ultimate thirst quencher! It is perfect for hot days. Also, good for BBQs, picnics, and get-togethers! Luckily, it requires only a very few ingredients!

MORE RECIPES WITH FRUITS/VEGETABLES:

• Berry Spinach Salad
• Frozen Yogurt-Oat Bars with Blueberry Swirl
• Strawberry Peach Smoothie
• 4-Ingredeients Spring Mix Salad
• Blueberry Smoothie 
• Immune-boosting Citrus Smoothie

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