Picnic Like a Rockstar I The Olve

Picnic Like a Rockstar

To be honest I never really picnicked until COVID happened. Picnic was a great way to enjoy the outdoors, eat somewhere either than your house and socialize with friends with safe distance.

After, a whole season of picnicking any chance I had, I have picnicked up a few tips (see what I did there?)

Here are my go-to simple picnic recipes and items:

Love and Lemon's Heirloom Tomato Sandwich

Heirloom Tomato Sandwich

What you will need:

White bean puree:

1 ½ cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the sandwiches:

8 slices of toasted WFM Seeduction® bread
4 butter lettuce leaves
3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
2 avocados, sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh basil leaves
pinch of smoked paprika, optional
sprinkle of hemp seeds, optional

Instructions:

In a blender, puree the cannellini beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to use.
Assemble the sandwiches with the toasted bread, white bean puree, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil, sea salt, pepper, a pinch of smoked paprika and a sprinkle of hemp seeds if desired.

Watermelon Salad

What you will need:

Red onion for a sharp bite of flavor and crispy texture
Cucumber for a cool, crisp addition
Feta cheese for a creamy, tangy element
Avocado for extra creaminess. Plus watermelon + lime + avocado = a match made in heaven.
Mint and Basil, for fresh herbal notes (Mint & watermelon is one of my favorite combos too!)
Serrano pepper, for a little heat (if you like, these are optional)
And a bright lime dressing, to tie it all together.

Instructions:

mix it all together for taste

Don’t like spice? Skip the chile, and this watermelon salad will still be delicious.
Add a little crunch with a handful of toasted walnuts or cashews.
Make this salad a full meal by serving it on a bed of arugula with some quinoa mixed in.
Or change up the fruit and substitute strawberries for the watermelon.

Love and Lemon's Watermelon Salad

Photo by Bon Appetit

The BA Muffuuletta

What you will need:

5 oil-packed Calabrian chiles or 1 fresh Fresno chile, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup Castelvetrano or green Cerignola olives, pitted, chopped
¾ cup Picholine or Spanish olives, pitted, chopped
½ cup chopped drained piquillo peppers or roasted red peppers from a jar
⅓ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped drained capers
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 large ciabatta loaf or other soft Italian bread
¼ pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
¼ pound thinly sliced hot capocollo
¼ pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
½ pound mozzarella
¼ pound thinly sliced mortadella
¼ pound thinly sliced prosciutto serve.

Instructions:

Combine Calabrian chiles, shallot, garlic, both olives, piquillo peppers, oil, capers, vinegar, and oregano in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper.
Do Ahead: Olive salad can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
Split bread in half along the equator line. Divide olive salad, including any liquid, between halves. Lay salami on bottom half of bread, followed by capocollo, provolone, mozzarella, mortadella, and prosciutto. Close sandwich and wrap tightly in plastic. Place between 2 baking sheets and weigh down with a heavy pot or two to flatten slightly. Let sit at room temperature, turning over halfway, 1–3 hours before cutting into wedges to serve.

Photo and recipe from Simply delicious

Melon & Prosciutto Skewers

What you will need:

1 large fresh melon spanspek, cut into cubes
70 g Prosciutto

to serve

Balsamic reduction optional

Instructions:

Tear the prosciutto into thin strips.
Thread the prosciutto and melon cubes onto cocktail skewers.
Place on a serving platter of your choice and drizzle with Balsamic reduction (optional).
Serve immediately (once the Balsamic reduction has been drizzled on top).

Photo and recipe from Jessie Daye

Chocolate Filled Strawberries

What you will need:

15-20 strawberries (the larger the better)
1 bag of Milk Chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Cut the stems off your clean strawberries and carefully scoop out the top of the berry. The deeper you scoop the more chocolate it will hold. I used large strawberries so I scooped about an inch down.

2. Pour the entire bag of chocolate chips in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Make sure to take your bowl out every 30 seconds to stir the chips. Continue until all chips are melted.

3. Place your strawberries in an egg carton so they sit straight up. You could also use little Dixie cups. Now you can either spoon your melted chocolate into the berries or use a funnel or piping bag. I used a little baby spoon and it worked fine. Your choice.

4. Place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until they harden a bit. Enjoy!

NOTE: please wash your egg carton with soap and water and then let dry before use!

And that's not all. Now that you have your food planned, you will also need the ultimate Picnic gear. I love Indigo for this - here are my top must-have for your next picnic:

At the OLVE, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We are not affiliated nor do we have an advertising partnerships with the brands we may feature.

Recipes sourced from: Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Natasha's Kitchen and Delish.com; Picnic banner Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

Picnic Like a Rockstar

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