by Associate Clinician Christa Haines
It’s picnic season again! Whether it is a graduation picnic, 4th of July, or another outside celebration, you probably have an event coming up that requires you to bring a dish. Unless you are asked to bring a certain food, it’s fun and easy to bring a healthy dish to share. The nice thing is, you know it won’t make you feel badly if there isn’t much else to choose from.
This is a good time to try a new recipe as well. There are so many salad recipes beyond the lettuce version; try my Shaved Veggie Salad and Avocado Tomato Salsa below. Healthy appetizers like hummus or guacamole are always a hit; we also have several dessert ideas in our cookbooks.
When going to a picnic it’s a good idea to load up on protein – then you won’t be so tempted to munch on all the snacks and sweets later. Also, try to drink just water!
Shaved Veggie Salad
3 carrots
2 radishes
2 beets
1 parsnip
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon celery seed
¼ teaspoon pepper
Pinch of salt
Julienne the carrots, radishes, beets, and parsnip. Add the celery, pepper, and parsley. For the dressing, combine all the ingredients and pour over salad. This can be done a few hours before an event.
Avocado Tomato Salsa
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small
½ cup diced red onion
1 green jalapeno, seeded and diced small
2 avocados, diced
2-3 tablespoons cilantro, leaves only, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a bowl, mix tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno. Add avocado, olive oil, and lime juice; toss to coat. Season to taste.