Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you gotta miss out! Learn how to build this VEGAN cheese board for an effortless kickass gathering with Seeded Teff Crackers!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by The Teff Company. All opinions, as always, are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support Love is in my tummy.

Ok, I’ve always been secretly obsessed with cheese boards since I knew they existed, but was too intimidated to try. They were always too pretty, too loaded and I am rather ignorant about ‘pairings’. What cheese goes with what fruit? Is that a thing? I still don’t know. But I can now hustle a cheeseboard like it’s nobody’s business and all I need is one trip to the grocery store.

I thought my dream of cheeseboards would die with my transition to a plant-based life, but guess again! Vegan cheeses are a reality which puts my dream right back on the table. 

So I figured I’d breakdown the process a little, and hopefully, more of you who find cheeseboards intimidating (and a vegan one at that!) would change your minds. 

Even if you’re doing a regular cheeseboard, it helps to add a few vegan options for your plant-based friends. Be inclusive, my friends. Vegans are people too. 🙂

Ok, enough talk, lets do this!

Dips, Cheeses and other flavor add-ons:

A cheesy dip: I swear by this Truffle Honey Ricotta recipe –

Combine 1 package of Vegan Kite hill Ricotta (made with almond milk), 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, 1/4-1/2 tsp black truffle oil (to taste), salt. Scoop this mixture into a serving bowl, smooth the top and using the back of a spoon, make a well in the center.  In a 450°F oven, roast half a red bell pepper for 20 minutes until charred on top. Remove from heat, let cool  and chop. Place the roasted bell peppers in the ‘well’ made in the Ricotta bowl. Drizzle more honey/maple syrup. Garnish with sliced spring onion and serve.

Hard cheese:  I adore these Violife Cheddar flavor slices, particularly because the cheddar slices have holes in them, like real cheddar, which I find absolutely adorable. It melts great, tastes great. 

Soft Cheese: Use Ricotta again, or try your hand making your own vegan goat cheese. Having a ‘blank slate’ cheese will allow your guests to mix and match with jam, honey/syrup or just pair with some fruit.

Jam: Crackers and jam are a safe bet. Get ultra fancy with your jam or go all basic. Whatever you pick, you can’t go wrong with some jam.

Something to drizzle: Go with honey or maple syrup for this one. Simple and elegant.

Crackers, bread and other things to dip:

Crackers: Seeded crackers have my vote, and you’ll find the recipe for an amazing, yet simple seeded Teff crackers below this post. The flavor of Maskal Teff® is amazing, have you tried it yet? Not only does it enrich your platter with flavor, but its nutrition is simply unbelievable!

Bread: Grab a baguette or your favorite sourdough. Slice them up into bite sized pieces (like below), brush with a little oil, bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until crisp. 

Nuts: Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans and Cashews. Please note any allergies your guests may have and keep allergens separately in a bowl away from the board. 

Dried Fruit: Dates, Turkish figs, peaches, raisins, cranberries will all work.

Fresh fruit: Grapes, apple slices(tossed in a touch of lime juice to prevent discoloration), apricots, cherries, fresh figs, peach slices, nectarine slices, strawberries, . While picking fruit, choose the ones in season, and vary them in texture. Soft, hard, crunchy, fleshy – you get the idea.

Serving utensils

Communal dining situations can be a both a little icky and tricky. So be sure to add several spreaders, spoons, mini tongs, and honey wands around the board so your guests never have to use their fingers to grab anything. You can also place a stack of mini appetizer plates to help your guests assemble their creations without risk of spilling or dropping anything.

Remember, we are all a little clumsy and you don’t want any awkwardness with clean-up and stains. Gatherings are for enjoyment, not for guilt.

Assembly:

Ok, now that you’ve gotten all your VEGAN Cheese Board elements in place, now comes the fun part: the assembly.

You start with a cheese ‘board’ – go with a classic wooden board, or use whatever large plate you have. I used a metal plate and it got filled up so much that you can barely see the handles now. 

Next you need fillers – To me, that’s leafy, green stuff – herbs, arugula, any non-toxic greenery from your garden. Refrain from adding the fillers until you’ve finished arranging the food, so you can creatively. fill in the blank gaps with your fillers. Ideally, a cheeseboard must embody the spirit of ‘bounty’, so the more full it is, the better.

Pick a spot to serve this cheese plate and start arranging. This could be a stand-alone table at the corner of the room, or smack down in the middle of your coffee table.

Start by laying out the dips around the plate. Then stack the crackers and other toasted breads next to the dips and drizzles. Follow-up with the fresh fruit, and then fill in the gaps with the dried fruits and nuts. Tuck in your fillers to add a pop of green, scatter your spreaders and spoons. Place a stack of plates on the side, and you are DONE!

And when you make your own amazing VEGAN Cheese Board with these incredible Seeded Teff Crackers (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!

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VEGAN Seeded Teff Crackers

Yield: 20-25 crackers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Additional Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 36 minutes

Enriched with the highly nutritious ancient Ethiopian grain, these seeded Teff crackers are as simple to make as they are delicious and healthy!

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Ingredients

• 1/2 c Maskal Teff® brown flour
• 1/2 c all purpose flour or substitute with Bob's red mill 1:1 gluten-free baking flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp pine nuts
• 1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1/2 tbsp brown sesame seeds
• 1/2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 1/3 c + 1 tsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
2. In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, oil, nuts and seeds. Using a spoon mix together until clumpy.
3. Adding a little water at a time, knead into a soft dough.
4. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment and roll out as thin as you can. The thinner the better.
5. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes (or you can use a knife and slice into squares).
6. Transfer to a medium baking tray (you may need to bake in two batches) and bake in the preheated oven at 425°F/220°C for 8-9 minutes. Cool on a baking rack and store in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks.

Notes

1. If you don't have three kinds of sesame seeds use 1 1/2 tbsp of the kind you have.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 25 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 287Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 373mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 4gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g

Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.