Picnic lunch ideas?

[Sunflower]

Hi there,

Our friends and us are planning to have a picnic lunch on a lake near our house. All of us are vegetarians (no meat but we consume dairy products and milk) and I was hoping if any of you have any healthy quick & easy recipes/ideas that I can prepare for tomorrow.

I am thinking of making some cupcakes for dessert -- I always think of desserts first , and we're going to heat up some veggie burgers (morning star farms) on the grill.

Any other ideas?

 

[Lizannd]

Since you are going to have a grill why don't you make

grilled vegetable sandwiches? I'm not a big fan of veggie burgers and think that a sandwich made from grilled eggplant, red pepper, onion with some basil and fresh mozzarella beats morning star every time.
This recipe from Foodtv's Sara Moulton is very good for a picnic also.
I cut way down on the chipotle chile and use about 1/2 of one. This way almost everyone can tolerate the heat.





2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
3 fresh jalapeno chiles
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
4 cups drained canned chick-peas (2 19-ounce cans)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice plus additional to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse chipotles. Wearing rubber gloves, separately seed and mince chipotles and jalapenos. Mince onion and garlic. Peel, seed, and chop tomatoes. Rinse and drain chick-peas, and in a large bowl stir together all ingredients except additional lime juice.
Chill the salad, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. Season salad with salt and add additional lime juice. Serve salad at cool room temperature.

 

[GB]

My favorite picnic things are a bottle of wine, a loaf of good crusty bread and a couple of hunks of cheese.

Here is a great recipe though that is delicious and would work well at a picnic.


Cherry Almond Couscous
4 scallions, chopped (save the green part for garnish)
3 cups couscous
2 tbsp evoo
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup toasted almond slices or slivers
3 cups boiling water
salt and pepper to taste

Mix scallion whites, couscous, olive oil, and cherries. Boil water and add exactly 3 cups to the bowl and quickly stir together. Cover immediately with plastic wrap. Let stand for 30 minutes. Fluff with a fork then add almonds and greens of the scallions and check for seasoning.

 

[Sunflower]

I am a fairly new cook.... how do you peel and seed tomatoes?

 

[GB]

To peel then what you will want to do is cut a small X on the bottom. Then put them in boiling water for about 60 seconds or so. Immediately put them into a bowl of ice water (this will stop them from cooking). Let them sit in the ice water for the same amount of time they were in the boiling water. You should then notice that where you cut that little X the skin is peeling away a bit. Take a paring knife and use that to help peel the rest of the skin off. If the skin is not really peeling then leave it in the boiling water a little longer.

To seed them, slice in half and just kind of mush them around. The seed should all come out. Sometimes I will take my finger and just dig them out too.

 

[Lizannd]

The easiest way to peel a tomato is to drop it in boiling

water for about 10 seconds. It the tomato isn't quite ripe then it may take a few more seconds. The skin will peel right off. To get the seeds out cut them half crosswise and either squeeze them out or you can scoop them out with your finger or a small spoon.

 

[Constance]

Here's a recipe from a friend of mine that you may find tasty:

Gran’s Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

2 med roasted red peppers (or jarred)
5 whole wheat buns
5 pieces boston letuce
5 slices provolone cheese
5 slice raddichio or red leaf lettuce

top with baisil vinaigretti:
l/2 cup chopped fresh basil
6 table. olive oil
2 table. red wine vinegar
l clove garlic minced

Whirl together in a blender or mix with hand held blender

Cut peppers into strip and build the sandwich in what ever order you like.
*******************************

If you are going to grill, why don't you do some portobello mushrooms and sliced tomatoes? Either alone or together, they make a great sandwich on grilled French bread.
Here's a good recipe for the shrooms, that includes peppers and onions:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/4426/

And here's one for the tomatoes:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1750,153189-243195,00.html

A nice pasta or grain salad would be a good accompaniment for your sandwiches.

This is one of my favorite cakes...would make a great dessert for your picnic:
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f41/zucchini-cake-12816.html?highlight=zucchini+cake

Or you could just with fruit, wine and cheese...That's always an elegant dessert.

 

[Sunflower]

Thanks all.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Good picknick items include fresh, chilled fruit, especially cherries, grapes, grape tomatoes, whole fruits like plumbs, peaches, apples, anything that doesn't involve peeling. Great veggies for this event could be brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, juliened jicama, cabbage, etc. The jicama and cabbage could be made into a slaw, with the dressing made at the picnick site. For variety, add rasins to the slaw. You might also have some good cheese along with whole grain crackers. I'm a dairy nut so that would be my beverage choice. But fruit smoothies would be great at a picnick. And then there are the mellons. I would personally prefer cantaloupe, but watermellon is always good as well. Oh, and don't forget black olives and cucumber, the long, skin-on kind.

Hope this helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Sunflower]

Constance, thanks for the zucchini cake recipe. I think I'll make this instead of muffins/cup cakes, as I planned. I am planning to bake it tonight. Do I have to keep it in the refrigerator until lunch tomorrow or can I just wrap it after letting it cool and leave it outside?

Grilled pepers sound good too. Hubby doesn't like mushroom so I am going to skip that. Thanks.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Here a couple of ideas for you.

Mozzarella, Pesto and Plum Tomato Sandwiches

​

2 large baguettes
Walnut-Parsley Pesto, recipe follows
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
Olive oil, to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Slice baguettes in half and then lengthwise but don't cut all the way through.
Slather the bottom half of the baguettes with pesto. Top with tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Placing the mozzarella on top will keep the top of bread from getting soggy from tomatoes.
Wrap sandwiches tightly in parchment and slice in half. Pack away.
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 clove garlic
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place walnuts, cheese, garlic, and 1/2 cup olive oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Add basil and parsley, and then with the motor running, gradually add the remaining olive oil until pesto is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups



Pan-grilled Veggie Sandwiches with Ricotta, Arugula and Balsamic
Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman
See this recipe on air Thursday Sep. 08 at 5:00 PM ET/PT.





Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
User Rating:

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Vegetable oil, for brushing
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise in 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise in 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 red onions, sliced into 14/-inch rounds
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 baguettes
1 (16-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 bunch arugula, washed, dried and stems discarded
Balsamic vinegar, to taste
Brush large grill pan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat.
Before grilling, toss veggies with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Grill vegetables in batches until nicely colored and soft, about 6 to 8 minutes per batch.
Cut bread into 6-inch pieces. Cut pieces lengthwise but don't go all the way through.
Spread a thick layer of ricotta on the bottom half of the bread. Sprinkle with salt.
Toss arugula with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Place dressed arugula on top of ricotta layer. Then add the generous amounts of the different grilled vegetables.

 

[Yakuta]

Here are three recipes I use often. They are different but really good. If you are adventurous give it a try.

Chutney Sandwiches

Make the chutney as follows - 2 bunches of fresh cilantro, 1 jalapeno, 3 cloves of garlic, juice of 1 lime, 2 tsps of sugar, salt to taste and handful of fresh mint. Add to a food processor with as little water as possible and blend. Can be made ahead of time.

Boiled and slice potatoes, Sliced tomotoes and thinly sliced cucumbers

On a bread slice spead some butter. Next ladle some chutney and spread it evenly (do it on both sides). Now place the veggies and cut into four squares and place them on a platter. Cover with seran wrap and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature. It's truly simple but delicious.

Chick Pea salad

This one is a huge hit everytime I make it and it's super easy

Canned Chickpeas (2 large cans) - I like to make mine at home but you can make it easy on yourself
2 potatoes boiled and cubed
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 cup of fresh cilantro chopped
1 medium red onion finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
juice of a lime
salt to taste
2 tsp of sugar
2 tsp of cumin powder
2 tsp of corrainder powder (Fresh makes all the difference). If you can get your hands on the whole cumin and corrainder seeds, toast them a bit in a pan and then grind them
red chili powder to your taste

Stir all this together and let the flavors come together for about an hour in the refrigerator. Serve by itself as a tangy and delicious salad.

Stuffed Bread

Large loaf of french bread.
Two large packs of cheese (Swiss cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 cans of mushrooms or fresh would be even better (chopped and sauted with a little garlic)
1 stick of ssalted butter
2 tsp of onion powder

Score the bread diagonally at short intervals deep but not all the way. Stuff the scored areas with the cheese cubes and little bit of mushrooms (stuff it in). Do this for all scored areas on the bread.

Melt the butter and mix in the onion powder and drizzle it on the bread.

Tightly wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until the cheese melts

 

[Sunflower]

You brought back memories, Yakuta! I am from India and the chutneys and chickpea chaats were some of the snacks my mother used to make. Mmmm.. I have to make some.

You guys are so good with helping me out and so many delicious recipes, I am in a fix now!! LOL - always good to have more ideas than none.

 

[Yakuta]

Sunflower it's good that slowly and surely I am seeing some more Indians on this board.

The chaat can be made with tamarind chutney instead of lime juice and sugar. I always try to change things so that you can make it with the things you have on hand.

How about Bhel - It's great picnic food. You get everything in containers and mix it all in a big bowl on the spot and serve. It's fun and delicious.

 

[kimbaby]

I like cold chicken clubs,potatoe salad, chicken salad,green grapes, and a nice white wine... Time for a picnic...

 

[Dina]

Mmm...great ideas here. Some of us at work are throwing a baby shower for a teacher. The menu is chicken sandwiches, chips, dips, fruit and veggie trays. I'm suppose to bring the dips and a "cold" dish but am clueless as to what would go well with the stuff we're serving. Any suggestions for a cold dish that would serve 40 to 50?

 

[BreezyCooking]

This is my signature potato salad that, because of its richness, works well for large groups.




"Danish Blue Cheese Potato Salad"


3 pounds "White Rose" potatoes (or any other thin-skinned
potato of your choice)
1 cup minced red or Vidalia onion - or shallots
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 16-ounce container of sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup crumbled Danish blue cheese + extra for sprinkling over the top for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Cook the unpeeled potatoes in boiling water until tender when pierced with a thin knife or skewer and drain. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, but still warm, cut them into large chunks and place in a large bowl with the onion and the hard-boiled eggs. In another bowl mix the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, blue cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Pour over the potatoes and mix gently. Garnish with the extra crumbled blue cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.


(I doubled the above recipe for the large platter I brought to a tailgate party. The above "as is" would probably serve anywhere from 6 to 8 people depending on what else you were serving and how much they like blue cheese. Multiply accordingly.)

 

[Sunflower]

Constance, the zucchini cake was a big hit! It was yummmmyy!! I may cut back on the amount of sugar next time.