For Thanksgiving, we had a small dinner while watching Harry Potter. I helped myself to some salad, potatoes, veggies, Martinelli’s, and snacked on this amazing tray I had put together.

As the vegetarian of the family, I also have severe food allergies. I’ve not been able to eat any kind of nut or tree nut since 2009 (as well as seafood and shellfish, but as a vegetarian, that’s no big!). I got the inspo, though, from all the cheese and charcuterie (meat) boards I’ve seen on Pinterest. I just had to try my hand at one with the fruits and veggies we had on hand.

Psst! I created a yummy Pinterest board full of cheese and charcuterie boards for extra inspo!

Here’s what I gathered for my makeshift cheese/charcuterie board (aka my fruit + veggie tray) that the entire family loved:

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simple fruit + veggie tray

Time:

20 minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 block of pepper jack cheese
• handful of red cherry tomatoes
• one vine of whole grapes
• 3 Halos (mandarins)
• handful of snap peas
• 8 radishes, cut in half
• 10 strawberries
• 3 celery sticks
• handful of baby carrots
• 1 whole large banana
• 2 pomegranates
• a cutting board or tray for serving

Directions

1. Wash and dry all fruits and veggies.
2. Cut block of cheese in half. Then cut into half a centimeter (one millimeter) pieces. Place on board in S-shape.
3. Put cherry tomatoes in bowl. Place in the cheese S-curve.
4. Cut pomegranates. Place seeds in bowl, place in cheese S-curve.
5. Put down the rest of the fruits and veggies, excluding mandarins and banana.
6. Cut or peel mandarins. Place on board.
7. Chop banana when ready to serve. Place on board.
8. Serve!

Recipe Notes

• Pepper jack cheese is what I had on hand, but you can use any cheese you’d like, so bring out your block of gouda and your block of vegan deliciousness!
• Any fruit and veggies (nuts and meats!) can go in that you’d like.
• Leave mandarins until the end so they don’t dry out. Same with bananas so they don’t brown.
• Make sure you’re aware of any food allergies before serving!
• Use a cutting board or tray you own, or get the ultimate board with knifes and servers!

In a rush? Get last minute fruit and veggies delivered! (And get $10 off your first order!) I use Instacart when I can’t make it to store and highly recommend it!

By the end of Thanksgiving night, the tray was gone!

It may be simple but its beauty is grand. It’s a great idea for gatherings, such as the holidays, but really a staple at any dinner party since it can be adjusted to fit any allergies, intolerances, and lifestyles. It’s also a great way to make sure any fruits and veggies getting ready to go bad get eaten!

You may also like: holiday gift guide for everyone (including the postman!)

Share your thoughts below! Did you make a tray? If you did, send me a photo on Instagram! I’d love to see them!

Until next time!