Alternative Picnic Ideas: Diet Picnic Food Recipes

 Written by: Mira

This article on alternative picnic ideas is just the thing for those who are concerned about healthy food and would not like to make a dietary sacrifice for the outdoor party. A picnic may not necessarily mean “forget about your diet for the day”. Picnic recipes may sound also as diet picnic food recipes – and it all will be true. Read on and you will discover useful, healthy, and new picnic ideas.

First of all here are five golden tips for your diet picnic food recipes:

1. Stuff flat bread (lavash) or pitta with slices of simmered lean beef, pork, tuna or prawns instead of fat ham and cheese topped with mayonnaise. 
2. You do not need meat pies as well as other pastry types like quiche and flans.
3. Take a box of small portions of many different fruits, berries, citrus (lemons, oranges)
4. Prepare a box of chopped veggies and cherry tomatoes. You will have it with a low calorie dip that will substitute the traditional picnic crisps for you.
5. Instead of pancakes and biscuits, have dried fruits. A small piece of chocolate will do no harm.

Tuna with Dried Tomatoes The recipe is easy and fast to make (10 minutes) and serves for 4 persons. Why we have selected a tuna recipe? This sort of fish has fatty acids and protein that are very positive for human organism.

Ingredients:
2 of 6 fl oz. light tuna in water cans

0.25 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed)

2 tbsp of no fat mayonnaise

2 tbsp of fresh parsley

1 tbsp of pickle relish (sweet)
1 tbsp of red onion

8 slices of bread (whole-grained) or flat bread

4 leaves of lettuce (preferably red)

1 cucumber

salt and pepper

Instructions:
Drain the tuna, drain and mince the dried tomatoes, chop parsley, mince the onion, peel and finely slice the cucumber, and ground the pepper. In a bowl mix tuna, tomatoes, relish, mayonnaise, onion, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use it as a filling for the flat bread or over the whole-grained bread slices. Top the filling with lettuce and cucumber. Use 2 bread slices per sandwich with the filling in the middle.

Apple Herb Picnic Salad

Is ready in 40 minutes and serves for one person.

Ingredients:

1 apple

1 orange

1 pinch of turmeric

1 handful of coriander (fresh)

1 handful of tarragon (fresh)

1 handful of flat-leaf parsley (fresh)

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of red-wine vinegar

50 g (or 1¾ oz) raisins

50 g (or 1¾ oz) pistachios

Instructions:

Peel and slice the apple. Use only the orange juice and zest. Combine all products in a medium bowl. Serve in a cup or a plate – which is more convenient for you.

Picnic Cheese with Risotto and Roasted Veggies

This picnic meal is prepared in an hour and serves for two persons.

Ingredients:

250 g (or 9 oz) of long grain rice

400 ml (or 14 fl oz) of vegetable stock (hot)

25 g (or 1 oz) of butter

1 dash of olive oil

0.5 of onion

75 ml (or 2.5 fl oz) of white wine

leaves of 2 fresh thyme sprigs 

salt and pepper

2 tbsp of fresh chives

85 g (or 3 oz) of grated cheddar cheese

2 tbsp of double cream  

Tomato and Basil Salad 

2 fresh tomatoes

2 tbsp of olive oil

small handful of basil (fresh)

salt and pepper

1 tbsp of vinegar (preferably balsamic)

Instructions:

When the ingredients are prepared, preheat the oven to 180 C (or 360 F, Gas 4)

Risotto: cover the rice in a saucepan with the hot veggie stock. Drain after it boils for 6 minutes. 

In a medium pan melt the butter, add olive oil and stew onion in it till softened. Pour the white wine and let it remain on heat for the next couple of minutes not more. Add the parboiled rice, season with salt and pepper and regularly stirring leave it on the heat till rice is almost cooked.

Mix cheese, cream, and chives. Simmer for a couple of minutes. 

We hope you enjoyed our tasty yet diet picnic food recipes with fish, vegetables, and herbs.

You can find more picnic recipes at http://www.picnicfood-ideas.com/