With all this wonderful weather we’ve been having it seems almost an offence not to spend time outside enjoying the sun and clear skies. And what better way to do all that than go out and have a picnic? Grab your friends, family or colleagues, find a green spot with a bit of shade, set down a blanket and enjoy great foods and some cold beverages. In today’s article we’ve got 10 picnic foods for the summer that you can enjoy on a beautiful summer day. Also, don’t forget to bring with you a natural mosquito repellent, because those tiny vampires are everywhere!
10. Pinwheel Sandwiches
Sandwiches are the perfect on-the-road food and the pinwheel ones are fun and delicious. Try making them with pita bread and some nice sauces, such as salsa or avocado. They’re also dead easy to make: put sauce on your pita bread, some cheese, meat or hummus, some greens and spices and then roll the pita and cut it in bite size chunks. Yummy!
9. Healthy Salty Snacks
We know that healthy and salty don’t really go well in the same sentence, but they are possible. The most delicious healthy salty snacks in the world have to be the oven-roasted spicy chickpeas: drain two cans of chickpeas, wash them well and dry them in a towel. Add them in a large bowl, drizzle some olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt, sweet paprika, turmeric and a bit of ground cumin. Mix well and throw in the oven on a nonstick sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, toss around and bake for 5 more. Heaven!!!
8. Watermelon
Summer’s not summer without watermelons and a picnic’s not a picnic without watermelons. Keep them in the fridge overnight so that they are refreshing and also don’t get too warm from sitting in the sun. You could also blend it in a smoothie or freeze watermelon chunks and then blend them for some great raw and healthy ice cream.
7. Pasta Salad
Pasta salads are so delicious and so simple to make that they simply must be in your picnic basket. Try and make it right before you leave the house, but boil the pasta the night before. If you’re using tomatoes, they’ll end up looking pretty badly if you add them in the mix the night before. You can make the dressing in advance, also.
6. Potato Salad
You simply cannot go wrong with potato salad at a picnic. Use low-fat mayo or skip it altogether if you want to have a healthier salad. Instead, make a faux mayo out of avocado and lemon juice. A really awesome potato salad can be made with oven-roasted potatoes. It’s so good that this dish will be better than the whole trip.
5. Grill Food
What’s a picnic without a nice BBQ? Choose lean meats or vegetables and don’t’ forget to add lots of greens to your salad. Also, remember that the better the condiments, the better your grilled food is going to be. Tip: try pleurotus mushrooms, they are a fantastic grilled food. If you don’t want to carry the grill with you, try getting a disposable grilling kit.
4. Fruit and Sweets
When it comes to picnic foods for the summer fruits and sweets should really be number one on the list. A few brownies and some bananas, apples, cherries, kiwis and berries liven up any meal, especially one served in the open. You can add some honey or whipped cream to make the fruits even more delicious, but we suggest you enjoy then as they are.
3. Hummus
Hummus should be in every home and every picnic basket! It’s so versatile! It’s thick and doesn’t spoil too fast, which makes it the perfect on-the-road food, it’s great on its own, on pita bread or in sauces and salad dressings. Make it yourself so you can adjust it to your own taste with some extra lemon juice, garlic or cayenne pepper. The world is your oyster when you’re making your own hummus!
2. Cheese and Bread
Some nice and fancy bread is a must! Also a variety of stinky, yummy cheese to go with the bread and the wine is also very important. You simply cannot go wrong with bread and cheese at a summer picnic. Make sure to have some nice vegetables, such as tomatoes, to go with the cheese.
1. Wine or Lemonade
The best beverages for a nice picnic have to be wine and lemonade. If you don’t consume alcohol, some nice, cold and refreshing lemonade is going to exactly what you need after a few minutes in the sun. Wine is the perfect drink for a picnic because it goes well with all the picnic food we’ve mentioned in this article and it doesn’t make you need to go to the bathroom like beer does.
What other picnic foods for the summer can you think of? Share your favorite picnic foods with us in the comment section below.
