Getting people to eat vegetables at a holiday party is all about the presentation and the dip. For the event to remember my father this weekend, my sister-in-law created this gorgeous vegetable platter with a dill sauce displayed in bell peppers. She got the idea from Pinterest when someone posted a dip in a purple cabbage. I think the red and yellow bell peppers are more festive and it worked perfectly!

Over the weekend I read in Real Simple vegetables help prevent a hangover.  ”Chris Meletis, a dean at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, in Portland, Oregon, says high-fiber foods break down alcohol and absorb it, keeping it from reaching the bloodstream as quickly.” They also recommended eating plenty of fruits rich in Vitamin C and vegetables like onions that are high in sugar ”which speeds the body’s metabolism and burns alcohol, and the cheese is dairy, which slows alcohol’s entry into the bloodstream.” I will post a fruit and cheese platter shortly.

Buy Kale to display under all the vegetables to make the platter look like it was catered. You can buy all the vegetables cut and washed at Whole Foods, Trader Joes or your local grocery store.  I highly recommend buying Organic vegetables and dairy products so your body can focus on eliminating the alcohol and not the extra hormones or pesticides on the Dirty Dozen vegetables!

It really is worth it to make the dip from Scratch. Here is the recipe for the Dill Dip from the Ultimate Cookbook. Enjoy!

Dill Dip

Preparation time: 15  minutes          Cooking time: None

1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups commercial sour cream
3 tablespoons dried dill weed
1 tablespoon minced parsley 
Salt, if needed 
Raw vegetables

Gently combine mayonnaise with sour cream and other ingredients. Serve in a bowl surrounded by crisp raw vegetables: cauliflower flowerets, celery curls, carrot sticks, tiny green onions, radishes and raw mushrooms – rinsed, dried and rolled in lemon juice to retain their color.  Yield:  3 cups