Recipes for a Summer Picnic With Friends – Here’s Something for Everyone

Going on a picnic with friends? Plan a simple but diverse menu with something for everyone! Instead of reaching for processed ready-made foods, you can use our recipes – you will find suggestions for sweet, savoury, low-carb versions and even treats for children.

Anna Urbańska

Chocolate truffles made of rice wafers

Recipe: gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, for kids, sweet.

Ingredients for 10 balls:

  • 10 rice wafers,
  • 1 ripe banana,
  • 50 g of dates,
  • 80 g of any peanut butter,
  • half a teaspoon of cinnamon,
  • half a bar of dark chocolate.

Preparation:

  1. Put the crumbled rice wafers into a chopper.
  2. Add banana, pitted dates, peanut butter and cinnamon.
  3. Grind until a homogeneous mixture is formed.
  4. From the mixture, form the balls (a portion is about 10 balls).
  5. In a water bath (in a bowl placed over a pot of hot water), melt the chocolate.
  6. Place a toothpick in each ball.
  7. Coat the balls with melted chocolate. You can garnish them with crushed nuts, freeze-dried raspberries, coconut shreds or coarse sea salt.
  8. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  9. Set aside in the refrigerator until the topping sets, for at least 2 hours.

Macronutrients per 1 ball:

  • Energy: 135 kcal
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 18 g

 

Watermelon pizza with whipped feta

Recipe: gluten-free, vegetarian, low-carb.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

  • 2 round slices of large watermelon, about 2 cm thick,
  • 100 g of feta cheese,
  • 3 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt,
  • 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil,
  • a flat teaspoon of grated lemon peel,
  • a pinch of freshly ground coloured pepper,
  • a teaspoon of maple syrup or liquid honey,
  • a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar,
  • a handful of mint leaves,
  • 20 g of pine nuts,
  • optional: other seasonal fruit for garnishing.

Preparation:

  1. Place the feta, Greek yoghurt, olive oil and lemon peel in a blender.
  2. Blend thoroughly for a few minutes until smooth and fluffy.
  3. Season the whipped feta with coloured pepper. Transfer to a take-away container.
  4. Cut watermelon slices into triangles (just like a pizza).
  5. Before serving (at a picnic), spread whipped feta on each slice.
  6. Sprinkle the watermelon slices with maple syrup (or honey) and balsamic vinegar.
  7. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and pine nuts. Optionally, you can also use other fruit for garnishing.

Tip: if you want to adapt the recipe to the requirements of a healthy diet for children, instead of salty feta, use ricotta for the cream. For the low-carb version, skip the maple syrup or honey.

Macronutrients per serving:

  • Energy: 120 kcal
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Fat: 8 g
  • Carbohydrates: 8 g

Low-carb cucumber sushi

Recipe: gluten-free, low-carb, keto.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

  • 1 large cucumber,
  • 100 g of smoked salmon in slices,
  • 50 g of cream cheese,
  • 1 small carrot,
  • 10 g of black sesame,
  • optional: a teaspoon of sriracha sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

Preparation:

  1. Using a wide vegetable peeler, cut the cucumber into thin, flexible and long slices (along the length of the vegetable).
  2. Place cling film on a cutting board. Arrange the cucumber slices vertically next to each other “overlapping” (so that each slice overlaps 1/3 of the previous slice).
  3. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin bars half a centimeter thick.
  4. Spread the cucumber slices with cream cheese so that it reaches about 1/3 of the height of the cucumbers.
  5. Top the cheese with slices of smoked salmon and carrot bars.
  6. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and, optionally, top with sriracha sauce.
  7. Wrap the cucumbers in a “bottom to top” direction, forming a tight roll resembling a sushi roll.
  8. Immediately before serving, cut the roll with a sharp knife into pieces about 2 cm thick. Serve with soy sauce.

Macronutrients:

  • Energy: 194 kcal
  • Protein: 15 g
  • Fat: 11 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g

Yoghurt muffins with berries

Recipe: vegetarian, sweet, for children over 12 months.

Ingredients for 10 muffins:

  • 300 g of spelt flour,
  • 10 g of baking powder,
  • 100 g of any sweetener, such as honey, maple syrup, sugar or erythrol,
  • 2 eggs,
  • 1 pinch of salt,
  • 150 ml of rapeseed oil,
  • 250 g of Greek yoghurt,
  • 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel,
  • 250 g of berries (or other fruit).

Preparation:

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.
  2. Mix flour with baking powder, a pinch of salt and the sweetener of your choice.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: yoghurt, oil and eggs.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix thoroughly to break up any lumps.
  5. Add lemon peel and berries and mix the mixture thoroughly with a spoon.
  6. Place the mixture in muffin cups – there should be about 10-12 of them.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes until browned and “dry stick”.

Macronutrients per 1 muffin:

  • Energy: 181 kcal
  • Protein: 6 g
  • Fat: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 33 g

Tip: any seasonal fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or even currants, will work well for the muffins.

 

Chicken satay with oriental peanut sauce

Recipe: gluten-free, meat-based.

Ingredients for 7 skewers:

  • 200 ml of coconut milk,
  • 300 g of chicken thigh meat (boneless),
  • 2 tablespoons of red curry paste,
  • a teaspoon of curry spice,
  • a tablespoon of honey,
  • 100 g of peanut butter,
  • 25 g of erythrol or xylitol,
  • 20 ml of soy sauce,
  • 10 ml of lime juice,
  • 1 lime,
  • 90 ml of water,
  • 30 g of peanuts,
  • optionally: a handful of coriander.

Preparation:

  1. Divide the chicken meat into smaller pieces about 3-5 cm long.
  2. Mix the marinade ingredients thoroughly: 50 ml of coconut milk, curry spice, a teaspoon of curry paste and honey.
  3. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and coat with marinade. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
  4. Stuff the chicken pieces on skewer sticks previously wet with water.
  5. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Spread the skewers on it and roast in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (until browned). After this time, turn the skewers over and roast for another 10 minutes.
  6. Place 150 ml of coconut milk in a saucepan. Add the remaining curry paste, peanut butter, erythrol, soy sauce and lime juice.
  7. Heat over medium heat until heated through and ingredients are combined, stirring regularly. With the help of water, adjust the consistency of the sauce: add about 90 ml of water. The sauce should be liquid, but thick.
  8. Chop the peanuts and add to the sauce. Mix.
  9. Transfer the chicken skewers (satays) to a box. Pour the sauce into a jar.
  10. Serve the skewers with a dip of peanut sauce, a slice of lime and optionally coriander.

Macronutrients:

  • Energy: 282 kcal
  • Protein: 13 g
  • Fat: 23 g
  • Carbohydrates: 5 g

What to prepare for a picnic with friends?

For a summer picnic, it’s best to bring a few varied snacks. A successful picnic menu is colourful and consists of a variety of flavours and textures. In addition to the previously mentioned picnic recipes, these classics will work well:

  • vegetable and fruit appetizers,
  • sliced colourful vegetables (celery, pepper, carrot, kohlrabi) and a tasty and healthy dip, such as hummus or tzatziki sauce,
  • whole wheat tortilla wraps with your favourite additions,
  • several types of cheese to create an amateur picnic cheese board,
  • buns, brownie or carrot cake – without creams, which will quickly melt in the summer weather.

Don’t forget about drinks. You can serve these at your summer picnic:

  • homemade lemonades in interesting flavours (such as lavender, cucumber, or mango),
  • water with added fruit and herbs (e.g. meat and raspberries, rosemary and grapefruit),
  • homemade isotonic drinks – especially when you’re having a picnic on a hot day,
  • homemade kombucha, which will delight with its taste and provide valuable probiotics,
  • cocktails made of seasonal summer fruit, such as raspberries, currants, blueberries,
  • cold brew beverages, such as tea or cold brew coffee.