The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the temperature is rising! I love the spring and summer. Give me all that vitamin D after a long winter. One of the best things to do to really soak in that nicer weather is to enjoy a meal (or all meals) outside. I love BBQ season, I love picnics, and that’s why I wanted to compile a list of my go-to vegan picnic ideas for you to take into your summer activities.
These vegan rice paper rolls with peanut sauce are inspired by Vietnamese cuisine and culture. These rice paper rolls are fresh, delicious, and a great snack, appetizer, or picnic.
Let me introduce you to the ultimate Greek lentil salad that is so tasty, so easy, and so flavorful. This recipe is a great recipe to whip up for your next picnic or even for weekly meal prep.
What’s a picnic without a little dessert? This carrot cake banana bread travels well and is easy enough to make that you can whip it up before heading out to meet your friends in the park.
Who doesn’t love deviled eggs in the summertime? There’s something so nostalgic about them. This vegan spin on these will be a great go-to for your vegan picnic ideas.
Finally, I’ve shared below one of my personal favs for a picnic, a vegan soba noodle salad made with garlic, ginger, miso and tahini dressing. It’s so flavorful and a great addition to any picnic:
This Vegan Soba Noodle Salad is loaded with healthy vegetables and a ton of flavour with the nut-free tahini dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
For the dressing:
3 tbsp. tahini paste
juice of half a lime juice
2 tbsp. cold water
2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce or coconut aminos
1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp. white miso paste
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil, use spicy sesame oil for added heat if desired
2-inch knob of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, grated
For the salad:
130 grams uncooked soba noodles
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp. sesame oil
3 clove of garlic, pressed
1 cup of assorted mushrooms, rough chopped
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
4 pieces of baby bok choy, halved
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled into ribbons
Garnish:
green onion, fine chop
fresh cilantro, rough chop
Instructions
First, let’s prepare the dressing. To a large jar add all the ingredients apart from the water and use a hand blender to combine. * Once smooth, slowly begin to add in the cold water and blend till perfectly incorporated. Taste for sweetness, tanginess and salt. Add more maple syrup, vinegar and soy sauce as needed.
Now, bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles as instructed. Just before the soba noodles have cooked, add in the broccoli florets and cook for 4 minutes, just till soft and tender. Strain noodles and broccoli, and rinse with cold water. To prevent the noodles from sticking together, add them back to the pot and add around 3 tbsp. of water to the noodles. Gently stir and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan for 30 seconds on low-medium heat before adding sesame oil and garlic. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir often to avoid burning. To the pan add your mushrooms, pepper, boy choy and carrots. Sautee for 6-7 minutes with the lid on. You want the mushrooms to reduce in size by at least half. Speed up this process by adding 1-2 tbsp. of water to the pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook with the lid on. Check veggies for tenderness. This is entirely up to you, so cook with you see fit!
Transfer the noodle and broccoli to the vegetable mixture and toss till well combined.
You can now remove the vegetables and noodles from the heat.
Begin pouring in your desired amount of dressing and tossing gently with tongs or two forks.
Enjoy with fresh green onions and cilantro!
Notes
If you do not have a hand blender, simply add the ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Slowly add in the water and blend till smooth.
The dressing will last for 7 days in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge.
The salad will last up to 5-7 days in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.
Keywords: cold, easy, on the go, peanut, recipe, asian
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. That dressing is INSANE. So so tasty, I’ll share it with everyone I know!
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the love, Marta!!!!
I have no words. This dressing is really good. It as really easy too! Thank you Maria!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Lucy!!
This Soda Noodle Salad is amazing Maria! Thank you so much. I will be making this dressing all the time now.
★★★★★
Thank you Nicole!!!!
Yum going to save this for meal prepping!
★★★★★
You’re really going to love this recipe, Lauren!