Ina’s Breakfast Smoked Salmon Platter - vegetarian way!

Ina’s Breakfast Smoked Salmon Platter from episode “Big Breakfast” is drool worthy! Staying to my challeng...I had to come up with version that is vegetarian!!!

And it’s darn delicious! I substituted smoked salmon with thinly peeled carrots that were quickly sautéed in touch of butter, sprinkled with paprika for Smokey flavor! So Easy! I followed Ina’s recipe for making herb cream cheese with dill, parsley, chives. Piled onto bagels with all the all classic fixings, it's just as good as the real thing!

Ingredients:

For Herbed Cream Cheese:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon minced scallions, white and green parts

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon milk

For the Carrot Lox Platter:

2 large thick carrot cleaned and sliced in ribbons using a potato peeler

1 tablespoon of butter

Couple pinches of smoked paprika

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup capers, drained

Fresh dill

Sea salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Herbed Cream Cheese:

1. Place the cream cheese, scallions, dill, parsley, milk, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until blended. Keep in a pretty jar/bowl. This will be placed in the center of the serving platter.

Carrot Lox and the Platter:

1. Heat a large 12” pan and melt butter in it.

2. Add carrot ribbons and toss to coat butter. Quickly toss for 2 minutes till carrots have wilted. Sprinkle paprika, pinch of salt and pepper and toss one more time. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Artfully arrange the cooked carrot ribbons along two sides of a square platter.

4. Arrange the lemon slices down the middle of the platter between the carror ribbons, and spread the red onion slices over the lemon slices.

5. Scatter the capers over the top of the platter, and place a small bunch of dill under the lemon slices at the top. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

6. Garnish with dill sprigs.

7. In the center of the platter, place a small jar/bowl filled with herbed cream cheese.

8. Place sliced toasted bagel in a bread basket wrapped in a pretty napkin.

9. Guest can serve themselves by spreading herbed cream cheese on the bagels, lay carrot ribbons on top, garnish with carrot ribbons, capers, dill sprig, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice all over!

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten via Food Network