What makes for a good picnic? A nice, warm day, good friends and a green space, of course. But as for food, there are certain musts, too.
Green salads are generally a no-go, since they tend to wilt in the sun. And any foods that may get soggy or worse, go off, are also a no-no. Plus, a lot of typical picnic food is pretty stodgy: think potato chips, white bread sandwiches, lumpy potato salad and tub after tub of hummus. The best picnic foods are those which stay fresh for hours, are easy to eat with the fingers, and of course, are delicious and nutritious.
Of course, you don’t really need to cook to do a good vegan picnic. Just pack some basics, like:
- an assortment of nuts and fruits
- store-bought dips
- mixed crudites, crackers or breads for the dips
- mixed olives and antipasti like artichokes and sundried tomatoes
- store-bought cookies, chocolate, cake or muffins
- some water, wine and juice
But while this will keep people from starving, no one’s about to ooh and ahhh over that awesome pack of nuts you brought.
Luckily for us, a bunch of well-known vegan and vegetarian bloggers and chefs, including the fabulous Mira Manek, have offered up some recipes to help inspire all of you with some food and drink recipes to really jazz up your picnic this year in a healthy and yummy way.
All you need to do now is dust off the blankets, grab the picnic basket and pray for a sunny day!
1. Tandoori Tofu Kebabs
If you think tofu tastes like a block of nothingness, then this will simply reinvent tofu for you! And these skewers are so perfect for the picnic. You can either grill them up before and store them in a lock tight container to take alongside with you, or if you’re a modern picnicker who is going to be grilling as well as chilling, you could cook them on the go. And the tandoori edge will give the tofu lots of flavour. You could even jazz them up a little more by adding chunks of onion, pepper and other veggies!
Get the recipe here.
2. Easy & Amazing Vegan Samosas
Following on with a little bit of an Indian vibe, these samosas are another fabulous picnic recipe. They’re super delicious – I defy anyone to tell me they’re not a samosa fan – and a great food to cook up and take along to a picnic. And because they’re baked, not fried, you can eat these with your hands and avoid greasy fingers!
Get the recipe here.
3. Raw Nori Wraps with a Spicy Dipping Sauce
Gone are the days of soggy and bland sandwiches – picnicking is now a time to get a little bit creative. These nori wraps are the perfect substitute for sarnies and they’re way healthier – these guys are packed full of crunchy cabbage, carrot, cucumber and zucchini but feel free to play around with the veggies you like most. Did I mention this also comes with a spicy dipping sauce? Store the sauce in a little jar and take it along.
Get the recipe here.
4. Soba Noodle & Raw Veggie Salad
When we think of salad, we tend to think of a bunch of leafy greens and sometimes we just crave something a little bit more substantial. And this is where soba noodles are a great option. This is an Asian inspired dish, and even has added peanut butter. Can it get any better? Actually yes, because this salad tastes great whether it’s hot or cold, meaning it will be just as enjoyable when you unpack it on your picnic and dive right in. You can take real forks (no plastic, please!) to eat these with, or re-usable chopsticks.
Get the recipe here.
5. Hummus, Avocado & Sun Dried Tomato Sandwich
Okay, how could I not add a sandwich recipe? Some of us just can’t help it; we’re a fan of the old fashion sarnie when picnicking. But that doesn’t mean we need to have boring PBJ or potentially salmonella infested egg sarnies (why parents? why?) does it? No way! This is packed full of fresh and tasty ingredients. Make it the night before and store in a container ready to go the next day.
Get the recipe here.
6. Sweet Potato and Quinoa Falafels
The best thing about falafel balls is that you can either eat them all wrapped up in a pita, stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, sauteed onions, tahini, parsley, and a bit of rocket, or if you’re trying to kill the carbs, just place these tasty nuggets onto a salad, add some tahini based dressing, and enjoy!
Get the recipe here.
7. Cool Refried Bean Wraps
Mexican food was just born to be eaten at a picnic. It’s already in its own ‘wrapper’ – that being a tortilla, normally – and it tastes so good hot or cold. This easy recipe will have everyone saying: ‘Ay, que rico!’
Get the recipe here.
8. Bruschetta with Tomato & Basil
Bruschetta is always a winner for me. Whenever I see it on a menu I have to have me some of that goodness! And what’s not to love? Crunchy toasted bread topped with delicious tomato and basil and a hint of garlic. To keep this picnic fresh, simply store the bread and the topping in separate containers and then put together when ready to eat.
Get the recipe here.
9. Vegan Sushi
The modern picnic includes sushi. Not only because it’s light and delicious, but because it’s totally portable and easy to share. You can include just about any veggies you like, too!
Get the recipe here.
10. Stuffed Mushrooms
Another one that’s easy to share, and you can easily eat these with your fingers, too! Vegetarians can use the cheese based recipe, whilst vegans can opt for the tofu based one. Also – these go down a treat with a nice glass of white wine. Just saying!
Get the recipe here.
11. The Best Vegan, Gluten Free Banana Bread
The best part of a picnic is when you’ve devoured all of the lunch bits and are ready for something a little bit sweeter. Banana bread is a really good thing to bake for a picnic because it’s delicious hot or cold, and is easily stored. The best part is how versatile you can make it. Like it sweet? Add some chocolate chips or raisins. Prefer a little bit of a crunch? Throw is some crushed pecans and walnuts.
Get the recipe here.
12. Raw Lemon Meltaway Balls
I adore anything lemony because I just find it so refreshing, so these raw balls are perfect for a picnic. The best part about them is that they’re raw, so there’s no baking involved. You can literally throw these together for those spur of the moment picnics and go, go, go! You even have options. You can eat them plain, roll them in either shredded coconut or almond flour for a nutty edge, or even dust them with some powdered sugar.
Get the recipe here.
13. Sweet Potato Brownies
This is possibly my favourite Delicious Ella recipe – sweet potato brownies! Who knew you could have your cake (okay, brownies) and quite literally eat it? These are the perfect sweet treat to have on hand for your picnic as the base of them is so healthy – medjool dates and sweet potato. And unlike those chocolate brownies you often buy in shops that are packed full of sickly sweet chocolate, the sweetness is these is down to natural foods, so if you’re giving these to kiddies there won’t be that mad sugar high after eating them.
Get the recipe here.
14. Vegan Twix Bars
Twix bars were always my favourite chocolate bar to snack on. The crispy biscuit layer, the caramel encased in delicious chocolate . . . so good! So I was thrilled to discover we can all still enjoy our favourite chocolate bars, just in a much healthier way! Not only are these gluten free, they’re also free of refined sugar, meaning all of that great sweetness in these bars comes from natural sources such as cacao powder and agave syrup. These are the perfect sweet snack for your picnic, as they'll store pretty well in a container and the best part is that adults and kids alike will rejoice over the fact these are just like a Twix bar!
Get the recipe here.
15. Oatmeal Cookies
Picnics need cookies! But please, not those palm-oil-and-sugar laden, store bought ones that are the cause of so much obesity in this country. Instead, make your own healthy oatmeal cookies like these – totally gluten and redined-sugar free, but tasty as all heck!
Get the recipe here.
This article was originally published on www.eluxemagazine.com. Read the original here.
*Image of “picnic” via www.personalcreations.com/Flickr
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