Low-Calorie Vegetarian Picnic Recipes

Picnics are so closely associated with American food that it might seem difficult to put together a low-calorie version. No! It's actually quite easy. I'll focus on vegetarian food for the sake of brevity. If you want to include meat, you can substitute lean turkey slices for cheese or add smoked salmon to the salads...

I've tried to stick to a very short list of ingredients, so you can keep your shopping list simple! Every variation on this page can be made with:

Whole-wheat or unbleached white sliced bread, pita bread, macaroni, hummus, Jarlsberg Lite cheese, part-skim mozzarella, feta crumbles, canned beans, roasted red peppers, fresh red peppers, fresh cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, capers in vinegar, fresh onion, fresh garlic, fresh spinach, apples, strawberries, cherries (or raspberries or blackberries), walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil (optional: sesame oil and rice vinegar), cinnamon, mustard, red wine, honey.

1. Cheese Sandwiches

Cheese sandwiches, you say? But cheese is so fatty! Nope. The secret's in the kind of cheese. Now, a lot of low-fat cheese is flavorless and crumbly, so pay close attention. I'll highly recommend two types of slice cheese over all others; they make great workout snacks, too.

* Jarlsberg Lite: This Swiss cheese by Norseland manages to be quite tasty and flavorful with only tiny amounts of fat. At 50 calories per slice, and 7 grams of protein, it wins my award for favorite snacking cheese. I'd say I like the flavor better than the standard Jarlsberg!

* Part-skim Mozzarella: There are many brands of this stuff, and you can get it when you can't get the more specialty cheeses. It's closer to 80 calories per slice, and that's because the slices are usually larger. It's mild, and yummy, and doesn't taste like anything's missing.

Pick up some whole wheat bread, or unbleached white; add your favorite brown mustard for spice, or honey mustard for sweetness, and you're good to go.

Hummus: Hummus is a great condiment that also makes the meal - it's made of garbanzo beans, and is tangy and yummy.

2. Hummus and Pita: Fairly self-explanatory - pita pockets are available at most grocery stores. They're a thin bread with hollow interior. Hummus and pita is one of the quickest sandwiches available: I used to eat it for work lunches daily. A bag of pita pockets will usually have about six, and you can simply grab the bread and the hummus on your way to the picnic: it doesn't require anything other than a spreading knife.

3. Hummus Sandwiches: Hummus also goes on ordinary bread. It'll spice up a slice of whole wheat, creating an enjoyable flavor. You can eat it open-face, or add veggies such as cucumber slices and red peppers if you feel like adding extra interest.

Now, the above is all stuff you can assemble at the picnic. Here are some salads you can bring along for color and flavor:

1. The Basic Green

* Peel and chop one cucumber. Add one half-cup of chopped roasted red peppers, which you can buy in a jar at your local grocery, and one cup of chopped tomatoes.
* Toss with 6 oz. fresh spinach or mixed greens.
* Now, remember those cheeses you read about earlier? Well, they don't only come in slices: you can also get a block of either one and cut it into cubes. You can add cubed cheese to this for protein, if you're so inclined, or low-fat feta crumbles.

Two variations for the dressing:
* Balsamic and olive oil - simple, easy and user-friendly.
* Sesame oil and rice vinegar with a pinch of sugar - an Asian twist.

2. The Fruit Fest

Cantaloupes are often overused in fruit salad. I prefer this combination:
* One pint strawberries, halved.
* One half-pint cherries, pitted (you may also use raspberries or blackberries.)
* Three Gala or Fuji apples, chopped.
* A handful of walnuts, chopped.

Mayonnaise is the traditional dressing for fruit salad, but a little lemon juice (or if you want to get adventurous, balsamic vinegar) and honey will serve just as well while adding fewer calories. Another variation is to blend the apples and walnuts in your food processor with a splash of red wine, cinnamon and a bit of honey, creating the traditional Jewish haroset.

3. The Macaroni Mama

Cook the macaroni to whatever portion you're planning for yourself and your family or friends.
Allow it to cool. Add a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.
Now, some great additions:
* Capers. These are small vinegared flower buds you can buy at your local gourmet store, grocery store or Trader Joe's. Add one teaspoon per serving for an exquisite flavor.
* Chopped fresh red peppers.
* Cubed low-fat cheese or feta crumbles.
* Garbanzo beans, canned, rinsed. If you prefer, substitute kidney beans, black beans or cannelini beans (also called white kidney beans.)

The dressing for this salad should be equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For a strong Italian twist, chop one to two cloves of garlic and steep them in the vinegar before mixing: it softens the garlic "bite" while still imparting great flavor. You can also marinate chopped onions the same way and add them to the salad.