The holidays are wonderful, but they can also be a bit hectic with so many gifts to buy, decorating, baking, and events. It all starts to add up quickly, and so I created an appetizer, with my friends at Good Foods, that’s fit for a crowd, cute, and the best part – it’s easy, and can even be made the day of! A snack board is a wonderful way to feed many different appetites and tastes as you can customize it however you’d like, and include a variety of treats (even offering gluten free and vegan options for different dietary needs).

The precious polar bear food art was inspired by Good Foods Tzatziki Style Dip, and since it’s plant based, I decided to create my own vegan cheeseball for the bear’s head :). It’s beyond simple – starting with store bought dairy-free cream cheese, and then adding in herbs and garlic to make it bursting with fresh flavor just like Good Foods’s dips.

My eye loves a bit of organization within chaos :), so I decided to group the different foods by color (which was an awesome idea I got from the queen of snack boards Ain’t Too Proud to Meg ), but of course you can totally style your board however you would like! Feel free to swap in any of your favorites as well. Since Good Foods Guacamole and Plant Based Dips are all free from preservatives and added sugars, I decided to go with healthier options here (but I will also be making a sweets board for dessert). Now crank up the holiday music and get to building!

Ingredients: (serves as many as you’d like depending on how large you make it)

This post is sponsored by Good Foods. All images and opinions are my own.

Polar Bear Herb & Garlic Vegan Cheeseball:

8 ounces dairy-free cream cheese (I used a cashew based version)

1 large clove garlic, grated

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill

8 large leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons fresh chives

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Polar Bear Decorations:

1 piece non dairy white cheese

1 large black olive

Good Foods Tzatziki Style Dip

2 small raspberries

2 pieces green or red bell pepper

Round cookie cutters

Small round piping tip

Sharp kitchen knife

Plastic wrap

Snowflake cookie stamp or cutter

Guacamole Wreath:

Good Foods Avocado Mash

Fresh parsley

Pomegranate seeds

White Foods:

Cheese (regular or dairy-free)

Cauliflower

Crackers

Popcorn

Red Foods:

Beet crackers

Red grapes

Raspberries

Pomegranate

Green Foods:

Green grapes

Cucumber

Green bell pepper

Sugar snap peas

Broccoli

Granny smith apple

Green olives

Avocado wreath

Directions:

1. We will begin with the cheeseball so that it has time to firm up before moving to the board. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap, leaving enough to hang over the sides, and set aside.
2. Transfer the cream cheese to a medium sized bowl and fold in the herbs, nutritional yeast, seasonings, and garlic (I find it easiest to use kitchen scissors to cut the chives into tiny pieces). Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Use a spatula or spoon to spread the cheese into the prepared bowl making sure to really press it into the shape. Cover with the plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
3. While the cheese ball sets you can work on the polar bear pieces. Use a series of round cookie cutters to cut the ears and muzzle out of the cheese slice . Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut the 4 paws. Cut an olive in half lengthwise. Reserve one half for the nose, and use the piping tip to punch 2 eyes out of the other half, and the knife to cut out a small smile. Set aside all cutouts until ready to decorate.
4. Once you are ready to build your board, you can begin on the wreath. Place a small cup in the middle of a slightly larger ramekin or mini tart dish and transfer the Avocado Mash to a small zip top bag. Cut a corner off of the bag, and pipe the avocado around the glass filling up your dish. Garnish with sprigs of parsley and pomegranate seeds.
5. Cut up any veggies and fruit, and use fun holiday dishes or ramekins to hold small (and round) foods in place on your board. Style as desired adding in the polar bear once you get about half way done. Cut the tops off of 2 small raspberries and place them on the polar bear for the cheeks. Place the Tzatziki Dip below the cheeseball, add the paws, and 2 pieces of bell pepper to form a scarf (lay one across the point where the cheeseball and dip meet, and then cut the other piece in two and place them perpendicular so it looks like the folded part of a scarf). (I used a bowl to figure out the placement of the polar bear before placing it on the board)
6. Continue decorating and adding to the board until it’s full. Use your snowflake cookie cutter to cut shapes out of cheese and place them around the board. Enjoy!     

            

Any leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator. If you try this beary cute snack board please let me know, I would love to see your version!