There is something I really love about eating outdoors. A big rug on the grass, a spread of healthy colourful food, plates balanced on knees, the smell of summer in the air, good friends and beautiful nature – it doesn’t get much better really.
I love eating with my fingers, letting time roll by without any need to know the hour, allowing laughter and conversation to flow over the passing of plates and pouring of drinks.
My idea of picnic food isn’t really sandwiches, chips and soda. Instead, these simple raw vegan picnic recipes are vibrant and nourishing, full of the flavours of summer and the colours of all seasons combined!
I like to make simple food that allows the robust flavours of seasonal produce to shine – there is nothing quite like the taste of summer strawberries or biting into fresh ripe cherry tomatoes.
So visit your local Farmers market, grab your favourite picnic rug and head into the wildness to laze about and enjoy the taste of summer goodness. These recipes serve two to four people.
Asian Summer Slaw with apricots, sesame and mint 
What You’ll Need:
Asian Summer Slaw
- ½ a large green or purple cabbage finely sliced
- 2 carrots grated
- 1 spring onion finely sliced
- 1 red capsicum finely diced
- 1 cucumber finely diced
- 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon of raisins
Apricot Sesame Dressing
- ¼ cup dried apricots soaked, plus 2 tablespoons of soak wate
- 1/4 cup of tahini
- 2 tablespoons of tamari
- 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons of raw untoasted sesame oil
Let’s Make It:
- Blend dressing ingredients until smooth, using enough of the apricot soak water to create a smooth consistency.
- Mix the dressing through the coleslaw until well combined, massaging well with your hands.
- Sprinkle with fresh mint and sesame seeds
Quinoa Tabbouleh with mint and sun dried olives
Tabbouleh is a bit of a staple picnic salad! Fresh and full of flavor with mint, lime and parsley, this is a delicious salad on its own or with a dollop of zucchini hummus (see recipe below!) Here the wheat is substituted with quinoa for a light, gluten free alternative
What You’ll Need:
- 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa
- 1 large Cucumber diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup of sun ripened black olives
- 1 handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1 handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
- 1 cup of parsley finely chopped
- 1 handful of pea shoots or sunflower sprouts
- ½ a punnet of cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Freshly cracked Himalayan salt and black pepper
Let’s Make It:
- Chop the cauliflower into large chunks then add them to the food processor.
- Pulse until the texture is a rice-like consistency.
- Place in a bowl and add the cucumber, capsicum, coriander, parsley and mint.
- Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the vegetable mix and top with cherry tomatoes, pea shoots and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Raw Zucchini Hummus
I think it is almost impossible to have a picnic without hummus – they were just made to be together. This hummus uses zucchini in place of the usual chickpeas. You can still make a raw hummus with chickpeas, you just need to soak and sprout them for a few days before making. This one is simple, fast and really delicious!
What You’ll Need:
- 2 large zucchinis peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of tahini
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Paprika and sesame seeds to garnish
Let’s Make It:
- Blend all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender or in a food processor until smooth and creamy. I find grating the zucchini first enables it to blend really easily.
- Taste and season to your liking.
- Serve on top of salad or as a dip sprinkled with paprika and sesame seeds.
Clean Green Nori Rolls with avocado, sprouts and tahini
This was my staple travel food for a while, sometimes minus the fresh sunflower sprouts! I found that if I traveled with nori sheets and macadamia butter or tahini and some good quality salt, I could usually pick up an avocado or some fresh greens somewhere, and this was just heaven.
What You’ll Need:
- 4 raw nori sheets
- 4 tablespoons of tahini
- 2 cups of fresh sunflower sprouts
- 2 avocados
- a dozen sun dried tomatoes
- Himalayan salt
Let’s Make It:
- Lay the nori sheets flat and fill each one with one tablespoon of macadamia butter, ½ a cup of fresh sprouts, ½ of an avocado, a few sliced sun dried tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
- Roll the nori up and eat fresh with your hands!
- You can choose to add any fillings you like, but I find this particular combination so simple and so tasty. Sometimes I will add a spread of miso paste instead of the salt.
Chocolate, Beetroot and Orange Cake with Raspberry Cashew Cream Frosting
This was a cake created in part by one of my all time favourite kitchen partners. How much fun we used to have creating new recipes and going on foodie adventures! This is a light chocolate cake, lightened by the addition of orange zest and coconut flour. It is a brilliant red colour when sliced and always delights dinner guests!
What You’ll Need:
Cake
- 2 ½ cups of Brazil nuts
- ½ cup of coconut nectar
- 1 ½ cups of coconut flour
- 1 cup of soft or soaked dates
- 2 beetroots grated
- 1 orange – zest only
- 1 cup of cacao powder
Icing
- 1 cup of soaked and strained cashews (try to soak your cashew for 2-4 hours)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut nectar
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- ½ cup of fresh raspberries
- 1-2 tablespoons of almond milk
Let’s Make It:
Cake
- Process brazil nuts until they form a fine powder. Add all of the other ingredients and process until smooth and the mixture combines easily. You may need to do this in batches if your food processor is small.
- Press the mixture into a spring form cake tin and refrigerate while you make the icing.
Icing
- Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. You may need to add a little extra almond milk so that it blends easily.
- Spread the icing over the cake and decorate with coconut and pistachios.
Kelly is the brains behind the raw food blog Bella & Bhakti. She was inspired to start creating raw vegan recipes after travelling the world and learning more about wholesome and nourishing food. Byron Bay might be her home, but Kelly has worked in raw food restaurants in Canada, retreats in Bali and permaculture farms in Costa Rica. Her mission is to make raw vegan food decadent and exciting, yet also simple and convenient. She promises that this isn’t just a trend for hipsters or health freaks, but rather a lifestyle that can be embraced by anyone.