One of my favourite, go-to meals is a sort of charcuterie-style plate of goodness. It’s not technically charcuterie, but it’s close enough.

**Editor’s Note: immediately upon writing this sentence I Googled “charcuterie”, and to my shock, discovered charcuterie is in fact quite different from what I’ll be detailing here, and does not in fact, traditionally include peanut butter**

My charcuterie food board generally includes a mix of meat, nuts, cheese, fruit, and veg, but with an emphasis in favour of protein. Other than that, anything goes.

Really, it’s just an assortment of finger foods thrown together. It’s like those random plates of healthy snacks you see parent’s try and feed their kids.

Is that a recipe?

This meal is flexible, easy to make, healthy, and delicious. You can whip it together on the cheap, or go all out on quality cold cuts at a nice Italian deli. It’s a perfect meal to prepare on a Friday night with your significant other. Sometimes my wife and I will make a whole event of the thing and take a drive to the nice grocery store (*wink, *wink, Farm Boy!). Part of the fun is picking out the random foods we want to munch on that night. Other times, we opt for whatever we have on hand already at home. Quick and dirty.

The Goods

Below is a list of items I typically include in my mix. Basically it’s every food, ever.

Of course you’re not limited to this list. Should you decide to throw a charcouterie boad together yourself, get creative. Venture into the unknown. And let me know if you do. I’m always open to new suggestions for the mix.

meat

• Salami
• Chorizo, or any Sausage, thinly sliced, cooked well done *chef’s kiss*
• Pepperettes
• Chicken (grocery store BBQ chickens torn up are great for this meal)
• Steak
• Bacon
• Meatballs

fruit & veg

• Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Sliced apple (thinly slice Granny Smith is great with cheddar cheese or peanut butter and salt)
• Cucumbers
• Red, yellow, green peppers
• Carrots
• Celery
• Grapes

cheese

• Cheddar.
• Cream cheese (like Boursin)
• Brie
• Grilled Halloumi

nuts

• Cashews
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Walnuts
• Peanuts

other

• Sliced hard-boiled eggs
• Hot pickled peppers
• Pickles
• Crackers
• Peanut Butter

I’m sure I’ve missed some other foods I typically include, so I’ll add those in the future as I remember them. In the meantime, here’s some more pics.