How To Make A Good Vegan Picnic

Now that it’s hot, we spend more time on leisure activities outside the home, especially those that are more complicated in winter: going to the beach, the pool, on a picnic, etc.

Most of them involve eating, having a snack or having dinner away from home and preferably in the company of family and friends who will also bring their snack with homemade food to eat and share.

Many times I have been asked if these situations are not difficult, but the truth is that it is more complicated for others than for me. A lot of things come to mind right away and I end up taking care of the bulk of the picnic. I will tell you my basics and how to vary them.

To eat

• Patés and spreads. You can not miss at least one paté or homemade dip in which to dip breadsticks, carrot sticks or nachos. The hummus and guacamole are options like everyone, they are made in 5 minutes and carry comfortably in a plastic box. Other times I make mushroom patés, beans with walnuts, or lentils with mushrooms.
• ” Mountable”. Preparations that we use to mix with others, to use as another ingredient to make toasts at the moment, etc. For example ratatouille. You can take a slice of bread and top it with a little pate, a little ratatouille, some sprouts … Also roasted vegetables if I have or if I made the day before (zucchini, aubergine, onion, leek …). They can also be raw ingredients, for example quartered mushrooms, sprout mix, onion strips, grated carrots or cauliflower in small florets.
• Within this category are also pickles : gherkins, Almagro aubergines, olives, etc.
• Chop and share. Meals that can be cut into portions for everyone to eat. For example , vegan potato omelette, vegetable patty, vegetable or textured soy coca, vegetable and tofu patties, quinoa meatballs, etc. Always choose things that are good cold, such as the tortilla and the empanada. You can also take some sauce in a separate jar for dipping.
• Main dishes”. Some dish that is light and fresh. For example a pasta or rice salad, Russian salad (made with vegetable mayonnaise), vegetable paella, vegetable fideuá, country potato salad, seitan wok and vegetables … Take the opportunity to include some legumes, for example lentils in the salad, chickpeas in the potato salad, beans in the rice salad, etc. Personally, to take away, I prefer the Russian salads and the potato ones. They are very fresh to me and they are not something I eat at home frequently. You just have to make sure that your veganesa (vegetable mayonnaise) is very dense (better than liquid) and that the container is kept refrigerated all the way by putting it in a cooler or cooler bag.
• Breads and complements. You can take nachos for example, which are very good with vegetable patés, crusty bread sticks or crackers, etc. I also like to bring some good slices of whole wheat bread with seeds and nuts, which hold up very well and then are great as a base for making toasts or accompanying the salad. They also serve corn or wheat tortillas, fresh lettuce leaves, kale chips, celery sticks, carrot sticks …

To drink

I always carry water because it is my favorite drink, but I also make a large bottle of gazpacho for those who like to accompany their food with this cool soup to drink.

If you have some fruits at home, you can make a smoothie in a moment (vegetable milk + fruit and beat with the mixer). One of my favorite take-out smoothies (which I use for dessert) is strawberry smoothie with soy yogurt (unsweetened) and almond milk.

Desserts

It is best to bring some fresh fruits, preferably that can be eaten as is. Wash them at home and so it will be just open the bag or the container in which they are and eat.

They are very comfortable to carry cherries, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears and bananas.

If you have a good refrigerator you can bring homemade vegan ice cream or some fruit popsicles.