Forget fast-paced days. Instead, opt for a laid back, impromptu picnic. Pick wild flowers, skip through the countryside and sing the hills are alive with music. After you’ve tired yourself out from those crazy activities, find a sunny spot, lay out the spread and chow down on the yummy portable grub that you made.
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Spicy Black Bean & Barley Salad |
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This salad is made up of hearty barley, spicy cilantro and crunchy bell pepper. The result is a nutritious, slightly chewy and yummy salad. This dish is perfect for picnic fare – it can be served cold or at room temperature.
2/3 cups barley (look for it in the ‘rice & grain’ aisle) 3 ½ cups water 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1/3 cup red onion, chopped ¼ cup white-wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon olive oil ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon salt 1/8 cayenne pepper
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves: 6
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Shero Wraps | Wickedly-Good Chocolate Chip Cookies | ||||||||||||
Hero hoagies step aside for their stylish sister sandwich, the shero wrap. Wraps are your own masterpiece – throw in a little of this and a lot of that. I’ve put together a veggie wrap, but feel free to throw in some real or faux sliced turkey, chicken, roast beef or any other lunch-meat-longing. Wrap it up, and take it!
Four 8-inch spinach tortillas* 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard ½ pound Muenster cheese or favorite soy cheese, thinly sliced 4 red leaf lettuce leaves, cleaned 1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced 8 thin tomato slices 8 thin red onion slices 1 cup alfalfa sprouts salt and pepper
* There are so many yummy flavored tortillas out there. They all work well with this recipe. Try: Jalapeno & cilantro Pesto & garlic Sun-dried tomato & basil Mild chili & peppers Preparation time: 10 minutes Makes: 4 tortillas. May want to make 2 wraps per picnicker |
Sweet, salty, buttery, chocolaty… No, you didn’t die and go to heaven (but close)!
1 ¼ cups flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup chocolate chips 1 cup Heath or Scorn bars, chopped (look for milk chocolate toffee bits in the baking aisle) ¼ cup pecans, chopped (optional)
* I bake one batch/baking sheet at a time – it ensures that they bake and brown evenly, and have consistent results. The recipe yields two batches. Preparation time: 15 minutes Baking time: 10 minutes (per batch) Serves: 19 cookies Can be made up to three days ahead. These freeze well. |
3 Jul
2016
2016