The Ideal Picnic Date

Spring has sprung so that means picnic season is in full bloom. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Your ideal picnic menu is here! Below I’ve shared a variety of ideas that you can make but it does not mean you have to make all of them. As long as the food can be eaten warm or cold then, it’s foolproof!

Whether you’re in Paris having a picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower or at the state park with the kids, these recipes will be delicious!

Chicken Parmesan Roll-Ups

The original recipe called out spinach tortillas but I actually made these before and used regular flour tortillas. It stilled tasted great. You’re welcome to also use tomato tortillas. You’ll also want to make this recipe a day before your picnic since it requires to be refrigerated for about 30 minutes or so.

Ingredients needed:

1 chicken breast fillet

16 oz of cream cheese (softened)

1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese (shredded)

¼ cup of parmesan cheese

1 cup of red pasta sauce

½ cup of Italian-style bread crumbs

½ teaspoon of dried basil

½ teaspoon of dried parsley

¼ teaspoon of onion powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

4 spinach tortillas

Fresh parsley (chopped)

Before placing your chicken breast on the skillet, cut it in half (butterfly style) to create two thin pieces of chicken. Season both pieces and sides with salt and pepper. You’ll want to cook the chicken until it is no longer pink. Make sure to alternate between sides of chicken breast. Once they’re cooked, place them on a cutting board and let it cool for about 5 to 10 minutes. Next, dice up the chicken which should come out to about 2 cups once it’s all chopped. Then in a medium-sized bowl, use a rubber spatula to blend the cream cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan until evenly combined. In that same bowl, add the diced chicken, pasta sauce, breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper, and mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Place your selection of tortilla on a smooth surface and spoon ¼ of the chicken mixture on it. Then, with the back of the non-stick spatula spread the filling over the tortilla and gently roll one end of it until you made a log. Makes sure when you roll the tortilla, the outside edge of it is sticking out. Repeat this process until you’re out of chicken filling! Place the rolls in the fridge for about 30 minutes, once the time is up, take them out of the fridge and with a sharp knife remove the ends of each roll. Then cut each tortilla into 8 equal pieces. They should be thick enough where it has a decent amount of chicken filling but thin enough to eat with your hands. Place them in to-go containers and they’re ready for your picnic.

Pasta Salad

Ingredients needed:

8 oz dried farfalle pasta

1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 cup of broccoli floret (steamed)

½ cup of carrots (shredded)

¼ cup of red onion (sliced)

¼ cup of fresh parsley

¼ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of red wine vinegar

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

1 ¼ cups of cherry tomatoes

First thing’s first, make the pasta based on the instructions on the box. Once the pasta has been drained and cooled, place it in a large bowl. Place the broccoli in a large saucepan with boiling water covered for about 5 minutes. Then add all the ingredients in the pasta bowl: chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, steamed broccoli, red onion and parsley. Then in a small measuring in a cup add the olive oil, vinegar, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to make the dressing. Whisk everything together and pour it over the pasta salad. Mix everything together until it is all evenly distributed. Place in a big container and store in the fridge or take it to go!

Caprese Sandwich

If you want to make authentic pesto sauce from scratch, then I recommend this recipe from Jessica in the Kitchen. If you’re on a time crunch, no worries! Buying a premade pesto sauce will do just fine. When I made this recipe, I also brushed melted Kelapo ghee on the top loaf to get a golden color when I placed it on the sandwich grill.

Ingredients needed:

1 or 2 loaves of French bread

1 medium tomato (sliced and halved)

3 slices of fresh ball mozzarella cheese (halved)

3 tablespoons of pesto

Kelapo Ghee (melted)

Slice each loaf in half. On one side of each loaf (preferably the top half), brush the pesto sauce all over. On the other side add the cheese and tomato slices. It tastes a lot better if you overlap the slices with the tomatoes than just laying down the cheese and placing the tomatoes on top. With a brush, spread a bit of Kelapo Ghee on the top loaf so you can toast it. You can toast your loaves beforehand, but I like to press them on a sandwich grill (or panini press) after I’ve added all ingredients. Place them in to go containers for your picnic date once they’re done. It’s as easy as that!

Bruschetta

Ingredients needed:

4 tomatoes (diced)

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon of fresh basil

1 teaspoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of pepper

1 baguette (6 inches)

Begin by preheating your oven to 450 degrees. Then in a medium sized bowl add in your diced tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together with a spoon. I like to taste it before, just in case it needs a bit more olive oil. Next, slice up the baguette and brush a bit of olive oil on the top of each slice. Place them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 6 minutes. Once they’re done, they’re ready to be served. If you want to enjoy them at the picnic, store the bruschetta and bread slices in separate containers.

If you’re stuck on what beverage to bring, wine is always a plus! I recommend white since it has a lighter taste. White sangria is a perfect option as well.

If you have any more recipes that are perfect for a picnic date, please share in the comments below.

Peace, love and Kelapo ♥

-Gabriella

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