The Ultimate Gluten Free and Vegan Snack Plate Dinner

I'd like to think that I'm decently decisive. I applied to 11 grad schools around the country all on my own, and found an apartment nearby my future school a few days into my vacation from work. When it comes to food, though, it's impossible for me to stick to a few ingredients. And why should I?

After all, just picture this: a dinner plate loaded with tender roasted vegetables, creamy red potatoes and avocado, crunchy homemade chips, and a chewy spices black bean mash. Veggies and carbs? Check. Vegan protein? Check. Healthy fats? Check. Addictively delicious mix of different textures and flavors? I think that's pretty obvious. 

When I don't know what I feel like for dinner or want to clean out the leftovers in my fridge, this hodge-podge "recipe" is my favorite meal. Ready to learn how to create your own ultimate snack plate? Here's a celiac's guide!

Instead of listing particular ingredients, I'm listing types of textures or flavors you should include, plus a few options for each. Mix and match to your appetite's delight - and experiment with your own add-ins too, of course.

Non-vegetable carbs: 

Potatoes, from red or golden Yukon potatoes (super creamy), orange sweet potatoes (for a caramelized, sweet bite), or purple regular/sweet potatoes (for an extra pop of color and hardier texture)

Chips, tortillas or (BFree Foods gluten free and vegan) pita bread. These will add a crunchy or chewy component - plus they're freakin' delicious when dipped in avocado or your black bean mash (see below). I make my own chips by pan frying pieces of Food for Life's rice tortillas (no oil needed; just throw the tortilla pieces in a skillet and toast until crunchy on high/medium heat, flipping throughout). 

That quinoa and purple potato!

Alternative carbs. If you have rice, quinoa or another grain that you need to use up, don't feel shy about throwing this in! I've also used Path of Life's Southwestern quinoa mix (that I won in a giveaway) and it was the bomb! 

Vegetables:

Soft, roasted veggies like zucchini, squash, green beans or radishes. If you don't have pre-roasted veggies, you can slice them up, throw them on a baking tray with foil and broil them on high until cooked through. 

'Dem greens. I've talked about how healthy greens are for you before, so we can't forget these! I typically like iceberg lettuce for a crunchy contrast, but use whatever you have on hand! 

Creamy sides: 

Avocado. Do I really have to say anything else? Avocados are packed with vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats...and they also taste unbelievable with pita bread or chips. 

Vegan cheese sauce. When I have a fresh batch of my fave sauce on-hand, it would be silly to not slather it over everything! It tastes especially delish on potatoes or chips...though you can't really go wrong with anything you put it on! 

Spiced protein: 

Mashed black beans with oregano. Okay, I know this is the simplest "recipe" ever (can it even be considered a recipe?), but I've been addicted to it for 2+ months. Basically, I was craving Mexican restaurants' thick and creamy black beans like a pregnant woman a few months ago when I had the brilliant idea of just mashing my own beans into a paste. Add some oregano (or your favorite spice) and slather on everything! I honestly can't decide if I like this better than avocado on chips! (Sacrilegious, I know). 

Since this is your ultimate snack plate dinner, feel free to add other protein sources like chickpeas, tofu, chicken, fish, etc. You do you!  You can obviously also add any goodies hiding in the back of your fridge, like part of a spaghetti squash (delish), leftover three-bean chili (heavenly, as I wrote here) or even that last piece of veggie pizza (livin' it up). 

Basically, this recipe (or should we call it an anti-recipe?) is a reminder that every dinner doesn't have to be perfectly harmonious or complex to be delicious. It can be a mish-mash of scrumptious ingredients - and, trust me, sometimes this messy masterpiece satisfies me better than a 5-star dinner ever could! 

Sometimes, being able to quickly make a decision and stick with it is integral to success. Sometimes, going with the flow and working with what you have is just as successful (and scrumptious). All I know? I love snacks. I love dinners packed with different textures and flavors. 

Served with my fave kale and white bean soup from Whole Foods!

And I hope you'll fall in love with snack plates for dinner just as much as I have! 

*Also found at Melt in Your Mouth, Made by You Monday, Terrific Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, What's Cookin', Running with Spoons, Pretty Pintastic, Snickerdoodle Sunday*

What would you put on your snack plate? What do you like to put avocado on?