Welcome to the First Day of Summer! Once again this week shmoo and I packed our picnic basket and headed to the park, this time with a bright, clear sky over our heads! In the top of our terrific tiffin I packed an apple blossom for shmoo and I to share: cut a fresh apple into wedges and arrange the slices like flower petals around a little mound of almond or cashew butter. Scoop up a bit of almond butter with every slice. I scattered some fresh local cherries on top (it's still cherry season here, and we're enjoying it while we can!).
Just for me I packed an enormous salad of mixed baby greens, spinach, cabbage, carrot, celery, cilantro, pecans, and slivered dates, with a container of Orange Cashew Dressing (scroll down to find the recipe). Tucked alongside the salad is a sliced raw zucchini to dip into some Wild Garden Hummus. This is our favorite hummus to pack for vacations, train rides, and camping trips, so I've been stocking up for summer. It doesn't require refrigeration until opened, contains no oil, and isn't spicy or garlicky, so even shmoo likes it.
For shmoo's hummus-dipping needs I packed one of the homemade bagels I made for my husband's Father's Day breakfast (Papa shmoo likes his bagels topped with pesto and sundried tomatoes).
Verdict: It was such a glorious day at the park! So glorious, in fact, that shmoo didn't want to stop playing long enough to eat, and didn't end up eating his fruit and bagel with hummus until we were in the car heading home. I, however, had no such qualms about eating my lunch, and chowed down heartily. I decided I like raw zucchini with hummus more than my usual cucumber. 5 stars.
I've been in love with raw zucchini for years. Great stuff. Try daiken with your hummus. It's good too.
ReplyDeleteThe apple blossom is gorgeous and such a clever idea.
Thank you.
dear jennifer,
ReplyDeleteyour picnic ideas are making me itchy to leave the office. your food, thoughtfulness, and care in preparation is truly an example.
recent health hiccoughs have been nudging me into veganer pastures; i've been using some of your recipes (like the tahinopita (sp?)) and they are fabbo hits with my friends, who Can't Believe It's Not Rich in Dairy and Sugar!
thanks again,
love from leila
stop, you're making me hungry...
ReplyDeletehummus is the best!
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought of eating zucchini (or courgette as we call it here in the UK) raw, I didn't even know you could! I love hummus/houmous so will definitely be trying this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hummus tip. I think I'll stock up as well.
ReplyDeleteDrooling and wishing I was at the park with my husband and puppy playing!
ReplyDelete: ) Looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you make your own bagels!! I am blown-away, as usual!!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful picnic! I love raw zucchini too. I remember eating whole zucchinis right out of the garden as a child :) Thanks for keeping us posted, and I hope you're all having a great summer.
ReplyDeleteTere
To make a really tasty, easy, baked zucchini dish for summertime thinly slice a couple zucchini, toss with salsa, pour into a casserole and top with veggie cheese. Bake at 325 F until bubbly.
ReplyDeleteWow, homemade bagels! I've been tempted to make my own bagels, but am scared I'll screw up! Any tips?
ReplyDeleteI found your blog in March and have loved it ever sense.
ReplyDeleteIt actually inspired my 8 year old (an on again off again vegitarian) to go vegitarian again. This time I am, as well (I've been hovering on the edge for years.). We're trying to lean more toward the vegan side of things and your blog has been one of the reasons why.
We're planning a picnic dinner this evening for the Summer Solstice, ourselves, and several friends are joining us. We're looking forward to it, but have a few hours to go, as it's a dinner picnic, not a lunch one.
I'm taking cherries (we're in the Pacific Northwest, too!), lettus wraps, corn fritters (not exactly dishes you'd normally see together, but, hey, I'm going with the produce I have on hand) and oatmeal cookies bars.
Happy Summer Solstice!
cherries had a bad crop this year so they're really expensive here.
ReplyDeleteI'm missing them!
Teddy
>>Wow, homemade bagels! I've been tempted to make my own bagels, but am scared I'll screw up! Any tips?
ReplyDeleteI use a great recipe by Peter Reinhart, but I'm not sure if it's from "Bread Baker's Apprentice" or "Crust and Crumb". It's worth searching out if you really want good homemade bagels, as it's the best and most authentic-tasting bagel we've ever made.
You knead and shape them the night before and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning you boil them in baking soda water (1 minute per side), then bake them.
Also, I order special "Lancelot" high-gluten flour from King Aurthur to make the bagels extra-chewy. I think this makes a difference.
>>it was just way too bland for me.
Yep, that's why shmoo and I love it so! Neither one of us like spicy or garlicky hummus. Although the company does make a roasted garlic version.
You should start a summer picnic blog, I think it would be a hit!
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your picnic postings. Here on the other side of the world (New Zealand), 21 June is mid-winter, and a lot of the country has been affected by power cuts and unusually heavy snowfalls. Brrr! At least now the shortest day is over, we're on our way to summer!
ReplyDeleteoooh - papa shmoo's bagel fav reminds me of this bagel sandwich i used to get at one of the chain bagel places - i love their sundried tomato spread!! but it has parmesan in it, so i had to give it up :(
ReplyDeletedo you make your own hummus too?
man, now i'm hungry!
WHAT A FRICKIN AMAZING SITE!!! So I'm only 23 years old and not planning on having little vegan kids for a loooooonnnnnnggggg time, but I feel like I should print out all your ideas now so I can make sure to access to them. This is my new favorite blog and I am so happy you started it.
ReplyDeleteI love your new picnic container. How do you keep it cold? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the terrific blog. We just went on vacation to Oregon and we were in The Dalles and saw the sign that pointed the way to Kennewick and I told my boys that is where Schmoo lives and they thought we ought to go and visit. They have enjoyed your recipes in the last few months.
Barb
>>I told my boys that is where Schmoo lives and they thought we ought to go and visit.
ReplyDeleteLOL! I have an image of tourists stopping at a gas station, asking where the Shmoos lives.
Hi, katelicha, sounds interesting! Are the carrots cooked or raw?
>>How do you keep it cold? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteI've been tucking the container into a picnic basket next to a cold water bottle. Since we usually eat within a couple hours, it hasn't been an issue yet. I would probably wrap an ice pack up and set it next to it or put it into an insulated carrier if it needed to stay cold longer.
I bet you could also sew a little "tea cozy" kind of thing to cover it and hold a little ice pack. Hmmm, wouldn't that be cute? I might have to work on that idea...
Thanks, katelicha!
Hi there! I don't know if anyone is reading this thread anymore, but I just wanted to say that I also love raw zucchini much more than cucumber with hummus and other dips. Yum! So much more filling and less watery.
ReplyDeleteyay, you're back! :-) ...yay, i'm back to checking your blog. i didn't realize how much i'd missed it until i went without it for almost three weeks! hehe.
ReplyDeletethis lunch sounds great. wow, homemade bagels. so practical. my first attempt at homemade dough lead to excessive doughiness to my empanadas. how long have you been cooking and how long does it usually take for you to perfect a recipe?