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5/14/11

Vegetable Squares (Like a cold vegetable pizza appetizer)


Yesterday I was craving... vegetables!  Cauliflower, red peppers, Jicama, broccoli, celery, green onions; all of it!  And I knew just the thing.  A cold Vegetable Square dish that I've been making regularly since I was about 14 years old.

Our family loves cold, fresh vegetables dipped in a thick ranch dip made with a dressing mix and sour cream.  This is similar except improved and served on a light, flaky crust to make it portable and more of an appetizer or even a light lunch.

Change it each time you make it by adding different vegetables.  You can also add black olives if you wish.  A food chopper makes preparation quick and easy but even if I use one, I like to chop the broccoli separate and into pieces a little larger as I feel it helps with overall presentation.

I used 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, 2 cups broccoli, 1 cup cauliflower, 1 green onion, 1/3 red pepper

Vegetable Squares

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (I like to use 1/3 fat)
1/2 dry package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 clove fresh minced garlic
Various vegetables - chopped
1 can oven ready crescent rolls (the kind you roll out and bake yourself) Low fat is fine.

Open the can of crescent rolls and press the seams together to form one full crust on a baking sheet or pan.  The size can be anywhere from 8X8 to 9X13.  The size of the pan determines how thick you want your crust to be.  Bake at 375 for about 13 minutes as directed on the package.  Let cool while you mix the cream cheese, fresh garlic, dressing mix and mayonnaise with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on the baked crust.  Top by sprinkling a variety of fresh vegetables on top.  Almost any vegetable you would normally dip in a fresh dip or dressing would work.  Carrots, cucumbers, jicama, cauliflower, red, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, celery and more.  Eat immediately or chill to serve ice cold.Print Friendly and PDF