by Yvette Garfield
If you are looking to beat the heat this summer, pack up a picnic with your family and head to a shady spot at a local park or beach. Plan the picnic menu with your kids and teach them how to pack a basket full of delicious, healthy foods that will keep them cool this summer.
Food writer and creator of the Green Gourmet, Kimberley Stakal, puts on a spin on favorite picnic foods to make at home with a seasonal flair. Enjoy!
Seasonal Picnic Menu:
Sunny Day Slaw
Heirloom Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Corn
Sunny Day Slaw
This cabbage slaw is made for sunny days because it tastes like sunshine. Fresh lemon and orange zest, golden honey, and just a touch of mustard make for a cabbage salad that will lift your picnic up.
Ingredients:
1 small head purple cabbage, shredded
2 small carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon minced peeled, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables, toss well to coat, and refrigerate until picnic time.
Heirloom Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes
This dish is inspired by a dish I had at a lovely café called Forage in Silverlake, Los Angeles. Normally I don’t order side dishes of vegetables, as they tend to be frozen or canned veggies with too much salt and not enough panache, but Forage’s heirloom green bowl looked irresistible — and it delivered. Fresh, tender heirloom green beams and corn sautéed with a mellow base of olive oil and garlic. The flavors softly melt just like the summer afternoon heat.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ pound heirloom green beans (the thinner the better)
1 cup heirloom small or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh corn (from about 1 ear)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add green beans and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes and corn and cook 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Yvette Garfield, author and creator of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Series (www.handstandkids.com). Contact her at yvette@handstandkids.com.
If you are looking to beat the heat this summer, pack up a picnic with your family and head to a shady spot at a local park or beach. Plan the picnic menu with your kids and teach them how to pack a basket full of delicious, healthy foods that will keep them cool this summer.
Food writer and creator of the Green Gourmet, Kimberley Stakal, puts on a spin on favorite picnic foods to make at home with a seasonal flair. Enjoy!
Seasonal Picnic Menu:
Sunny Day Slaw
Heirloom Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Corn
Sunny Day Slaw
This cabbage slaw is made for sunny days because it tastes like sunshine. Fresh lemon and orange zest, golden honey, and just a touch of mustard make for a cabbage salad that will lift your picnic up.
Ingredients:
1 small head purple cabbage, shredded
2 small carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or orange juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon minced peeled, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables, toss well to coat, and refrigerate until picnic time.
Heirloom Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes
This dish is inspired by a dish I had at a lovely café called Forage in Silverlake, Los Angeles. Normally I don’t order side dishes of vegetables, as they tend to be frozen or canned veggies with too much salt and not enough panache, but Forage’s heirloom green bowl looked irresistible — and it delivered. Fresh, tender heirloom green beams and corn sautéed with a mellow base of olive oil and garlic. The flavors softly melt just like the summer afternoon heat.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ pound heirloom green beans (the thinner the better)
1 cup heirloom small or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh corn (from about 1 ear)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add green beans and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes and corn and cook 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
Yvette Garfield, author and creator of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Series (www.handstandkids.com). Contact her at yvette@handstandkids.com.
