Eating fruit and vegetables is consistently linked to healthier hearts and associated with lower risk of heart disease. Why not create a grazing board to showcase a delicious rainbow of colours and textures, using both raw and grilled veggies. A baked ricotta is an excellent addition, as well as a no knead spelt focaccia.

Healthy Grazing Entertaining Board

Ingredients

1.Vegetables

• Salad vegetables – we added medley cherry tomatoes, radishes
• Raw vegetable sticks – we added cucumber, carrot and celery
• Char-grilled vegetables – sliced zucchini, capsicum and eggplant, brushed with olive oil and cooked in a non-stick grill pan or on a barbecue grill until lightly charred and tender.

2. Fruit

• Fresh and dried – We added berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries), watermelon and dried apricots. You could also add other fruits such as grapes, cherries or sliced apple or pear.

3.Dips

• We added beetroot dip, hummus dip, balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil.

4. Olives

• We added mixed whole olives.

5. Cheese

• We added a wedge of cheddar cheese, baked ricotta (invert a small round of ricotta on a baking paper-lined tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with herbs, seeds and spices eg thyme, caraway seeds, paprika and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes at 160°C until lightly golden.
• Caprese skewers made from cherry bocconcini, small grape tomatoes and whole basil leaves threaded onto small wooden skewers.

6. Nuts

• We added mixed raw nuts (macadamias, walnuts and almonds) and pistachios in shell.

7. Wholegrain crackers and bread

• We added wholegrain crackers and slices of Heart Foundation wholemeal No Knead Garlic and Herb Focaccia.

Equipment To Serve

• Entertaining board or platter
• Skewers
• Serving utensils eg teaspoons, knife
• Small bowls, plates for dips, olive oil and vinegar, vegetable sticks, nuts and olives.

No knead garlic & herb focaccia

Cooking time 30 minutes (Preparation time 25 minutes + 4 hours proving) Serves 20 (1 piece per serve)

Ingredients

2 cups (300g) wholemeal plain flour 2 cups (300g) plain flour

2 teaspoons instant dried yeast

3 teaspoons Tuscan seasoning blend 2 cups (500ml) lukewarm water

⅓ cup olive oil + extra 1 tablespoon semolina

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs

¼ cup (35g) pimento stuffed green olives, sliced

Method

If you’ve never baked bread before, this is the perfect recipe to start with.

There’s no messy kneading required, and you can prove the dough at room temperature or in the fridge overnight – whatever fits into your schedule. Either way, the result is a light and tasty bread the whole family will love. Before you begin, check out our tips for handy hints and guaranteed success.

1. Combine flours in a large bowl. Stir in yeast and Tuscan seasoning. Make a well in centre. Stir in water to form a so, sticky Drizzle over 1 tablespoon oil and rub over dough, turning it to coat. Cover bowl and rest in a warm spot (see tip) for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge, until doubled in size.
3. Brush base and sides of a 22cm x 32cm (about 5cm deep) baking pan with a little extra olive Sprinkle semolina over base and shake pan to coat evenly.

3. Uncover Drizzle extra olive oil over the palm of your hand. Using oiled hand, stretch and fold the dough over itself about 6 times, rotating the bowl with your other hand.

4. Transfer dough to prepared pan and gently pat into a rectangular Cover with a clean damp tea towel and set aside in a warm spot for 2 hours or until dough expands to fill the pan and has doubled in size.

5. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ¼ cup olive oil with garlic and fresh herbs in a small saucepan

over a medium-low heat. Heat for about 3 minutes or until herbs and garlic are gently sizzling, but not browned. Cool.

6. Spoon garlic and herb oil over dough. Sprinkle with olives, then dimple dough all over with your fingertips.

7. Bake in a 200°C oven for 25-30 minutes, until focaccia is golden and sounds hollow when tapped with fingertips. Remove from Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen edges and slide focaccia onto a board. Cut into slices with a large, serrated knife. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips

Use only lukewarm water as hot water will kill the yeast.

You’ll need about 1 tablespoon of extra olive oil to oil the baking pan and your hand before stretching and folding the dough.

Dough will prove more quickly in a warm spot, like a sunny benchtop. If placed in a cooler place, allow extra time as it will prove more slowly. It can also be proved overnight in the fridge. Next day, remove dough from fridge and proceed with steps 3-6.

Dusting the pan with semolina forms a crust and allows bread to be easily removed from pan. It can be replaced with polenta, if preferred.

Use any combination of Mediterranean herbs e.g., rosemary, thyme, oregano or basil or parsley.

Replace green olives with sliced Kalamata olives, if preferred.

This bread freezes well. Seal in freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or wrap in foil and warm in the

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