So, I decided to dive into making some rainbow party food, the savoury kind. Everyone does sweet rainbow stuff, cakes and candies, you know? But savoury, that felt like a bit more of a challenge, and honestly, I was up for it. Or so I thought.
Getting Started: The Grand Plan
First off, I had to brainstorm what even qualifies as savoury rainbow food that people would actually eat. My mind immediately went to veggies. Lots and lots of colourful veggies. I figured skewers would be cool, visually appealing, and relatively easy to handle at a party. And maybe a layered dip, because who doesn’t love a good dip?
The shopping list was… extensive. I needed:
- Red: Cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers.
- Orange: Carrots, orange bell peppers.
- Yellow: Yellow bell peppers, sweetcorn.
- Green: Cucumber, green bell peppers, maybe some snap peas.
- Blue/Purple: This was the tricky one. I found some purple cabbage, which I thought I could shred finely, and maybe some Kalamata olives for a darker tone. Blue cheese was an option for something else, but not for skewers.
For the dip, it was a bit more straightforward: refried beans, guacamole, sour cream (which I planned to leave white or maybe tint a tiny bit), salsa, shredded cheese, and black olives. Standard stuff.
The Chopping Marathon
Then came the prep. Oh, the prep. I seriously underestimated how much chopping would be involved. I started with the veggies for the skewers. Washing everything, then dicing the bell peppers into roughly uniform squares. Carrots needed to be peeled and sliced into rounds, not too thick, not too thin. Cucumbers, same deal. The cherry tomatoes were easy, thankfully. The purple cabbage, I decided to slice it super thin, almost like a slaw, thinking it could be a base or a garnish.
It felt like I was chopping for hours. My kitchen counter was a vibrant mess of veggie bits and pieces. I had bowls for each colour, trying to keep everything organised. This was the point where I started thinking, “Whose bright idea was this again?” Probably mine, in a moment of Pinterest-fueled optimism.
Assembling the Rainbows
Once everything was chopped, it was time to assemble the skewers. This was actually the fun part, initially. Threading the colourful veggies onto wooden skewers: red tomato, orange carrot, yellow pepper, green cucumber, and then… well, the purple cabbage didn’t really skewer well. I ended up mostly skipping a distinct “blue” or “purple” on the skewers and just aimed for a good mix of the other colours. It was more of a “mostly rainbow” skewer. Getting them all to look somewhat consistent took a bit of patience. Some peppers would split, some tomatoes were too soft. You live, you learn.
For the layered dip, I got out a clear glass bowl so you could see the layers. Started with refried beans at the bottom. Then a layer of guacamole. I mixed a tiny bit of blue food colouring into a small portion of sour cream, just to see. Honestly, it looked a bit unnatural, so I mostly used plain sour cream for the next layer. Then came the vibrant red salsa, followed by a generous layer of yellow shredded cheddar cheese. Finally, I sprinkled chopped black olives on top for the “dark” layer. Getting the layers distinct and not smearing them into each other took a steady hand. It wasn’t perfect, but it was recognisably a layered dip.
The Reality of Rainbow Food
So, after all that chopping, skewering, and layering, I had my savoury rainbow spread. The skewers looked pretty good, I have to admit. The dip, well, it looked like a homemade layered dip, which is exactly what it was.
What I learned:
- Rainbow food, especially savoury, is a lot of prep work. Way more than you think.
- Finding natural “blue” savoury ingredients that are kid-friendly and skewer-friendly is a real head-scratcher. Purple cabbage is pretty, but not for every application.
- Don’t expect perfection. Homemade is charming, right?
The food went down well at the party. The kids actually ate the veggie skewers, which I counted as a massive win. The dip was demolished, as dips usually are. Was it worth the hours of chopping? Maybe. For a special occasion, it definitely adds a “wow” factor. Would I do it every week? Absolutely not. I think next time, I might just stick to colourful napkins.