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Lifestyle

A Charcuterie Board For Every Meal of the Day

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at UCLA chapter.

Ever wonder what it would be like to eat off three different charcuterie boards in one day? Not only do these boards satisfy your hunger palette but they also contain some viral TikTok recipes! Here’s how my day went…

Breakfast, Anyone?

charcuterie boards
Sophia Gao

As we always say, the first meal of the day is almost the most important, and who could go wrong with some waffles? I started the day off strong with my mini waffle maker from Target (a very nice staple to have) and took on various types of waffles. Here was my waffle lineup:  original (of course), chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate chips AND rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate chips and bananas. Not only were they pleasing to the eye, but oh so delicious with their various flavors. And, of course, we need some syrup and fresh fruit to go along with the waffle assortment.

Finally, I added a special guest: a breakfast tortilla. Not just any breakfast wrap but one following the famous TikTok tortilla hack. Click here to check out how I made it. Overall, my breakfast charcuterie board was a success and I was ready to brainstorm for dinner. 

A Bite Sized Dinner

charcuterie boards
Sophia Gao

charcuterie boards
Sophia Gao

Guess what? This board can double as lunch or dinner, so take your pick! This charcuterie board features two viral TikTok recipes, vegan chicken and the tortilla hack (which you can check out here)! However, I put a spin on the tortilla hack and tried adapting it to fit a spring roll. It was definitely an interesting way to eat a spring roll, but nevertheless, it was still delicious.

The star of the board: vegan chicken AKA seitan. This was a surprisingly easy recipe though it did take a while, so I made sure to prep for it at the beginning of the day. I turned the seitan into mini patties, so they would fit on these Hawaiian rolls. I paired them with alfalfa sprouts and the Trader Joe’s Vegan Caesar dressing. The mini “chicken” sandwich hit the spot just right. No joke, these were so good, and I totally recommend trying out the recipe.

The second mini slider I featured was a chickpea avocado mash. Just as it sounds, I just mashed up some chickpeas, avocado, tomato, added some seasoning and scooped it onto the bun. A quick and easy recipe- perfect for the busy life of a college student. I would say this was my best board because something about mini foods made it more fun to eat.  I was also able to experience the many different flavors that were going on. Try it out and surprise your friends with this creative board. You never know who you’ll surprise. 

Can’t Forget Dessert!

charcuterie boards
Sophia Gao

I was feeling burnt out from cooking all day, so I opted to make mini matcha crepe cakes to fill up my dessert board. It may not look like much, but crepe cakes = a thousand layers of thin crepes. It took a long, long time to make, but patience is key! I first cooked half of the batter normally. Then, I added matcha, one of my favorite flavors, to the rest. Once they were all cooked, I used a glass to cut out two circles per crepe, creating a mini sized crepe cake. I made some vegan whipped cream to go in between then I stacked them up one by one, putting sliced bananas between every two layers. The final touch: dusting matcha over the tops. This refreshingly light dessert marked the end of this food filled day. 

Although this day felt like it lasted forever and I was super tired from cooking all day, I was also super satisfied with my end results and was glad that I was able to share everything with my friends and family. Even if you try out just one board or one recipe, I totally recommend doing this. Once you get the plating of the board right, you’ll feel that moment of proudness in your heart and your tiredness will melt away.