Guest Blog Post: How to Make your Picnic Memorable with Easy Appetizers

This article was written and submitted by a TCFB reader, Katy Cavallero.

For a memorable picnic, prepare unique and mouthwatering appetizers that are also easy to make at home and will transport well.

Ideally, easy appetizers could be prepared the day or night before the picnic so they are ready to go the morning after.

Appetizers are commonly finger foods that need no utensils such as forks and spoons to eat.

Some can be skewered with toothpicks or picked with a napkin, pita bread, or chips. These can include dips, kebabs, skewers, dumplings, pizzas, pies, fries, vegetable sticks, cheese tarts, turnovers, stuffed vegetable, bruschetta, chicken wings, ceviche, cheese puffs, meatballs, pickles, deviled eggs, grilled oysters, clams, or mussels, shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, caviar, nachos, onion rings, quesadilla, chicken nuggets, and tempura.

Cold vegetable soup recipe or hot chili can also make a satisfying appetizer served with bread.

For a fun and festive picnic, make different kinds of dips and spreads for crackers, chips and pita bread. Not only is this super flavourful, the presentation can also be quite colorful and exciting especially if guests are trying out the dips for the first time.

Some delicious dips you can make ahead at home are artichoke lemon dip, guacamole or avocado dip, hummus, baba ganoush or eggplant dip, cheesy beer dip, chili dip, tomato and black bean salsa, sour cream and crab dip, pesto cream cheese spread, caponata or eggplant relish, tepanade or olive paste, caramelized onion dip, chicken liver pate, curried egg salad, edamame dip, fava bean dip with garlic and goat cheese, mushroom caviar, oxtail pate, salmon spread, shrimp dip, and tzatziki or yogurt dip.

You can also make a seven layer bean dip of refried beans, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, chilies, sour cream.

For a very simple yet elegant picnic appetizer, prepare a cheese plate with different kinds of cheese and pair it with a selection of red and white wines.

You can also make a platter of cheese and cold cuts as well as slices of bread and fresh fruits. For a wonderful meze, you can include olives, roasted peppers dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sundried tomatoes.

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Zaatar Chips & Beetroot & Feta Dip

If you’re looking for a quick but DELICIOUS appetiser to serve to your guests, then look no further because I have the perfect one!

I made this delicious zaatar bread and beetroot feta dip for my birthday lunch and everyone seemed to really enjoy it!

It’s pretty easy to make, here’s how:

ZAATAR BREAD

Ingredients:

• 5 Lebanese breads
• Olive oil
• Zaatar seasoning *(you can get it online- try Sam’s kitchen- or from Middle Eastern grocers)
• Salt

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 180C

2. Mix about 1/4 cup of zaatar seasoning with about 1/4 cup of olive oil

3. Spread over Lebanese bread using a brush.

4. Sprinkle with salt.

5. Bake in oven for about 8 minutes.

Note: remember to keep an eye on it as it will burn easily!

6. Break up the zaatar using your hands (scissors won’t work!), into corn chip sized pieces.

7. Serve with beetroot & feta dip (see below).

BEETROOT & FETA DIP

Ingredients:

• 1 small tin sliced beetroot
• 1 tin chickpeas
• 100g feta cheese (I used Danish)
• 1/3 cup cashew nuts (unsalted)
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method: 

1. Add beetroot and chickpeas to a food processor and mix until combined.

2. Add cashews and feta cheese and blend again until just combined (you want it to be somewhat chunky).

3. Add some olive oil and salt and pepper (to taste), then process for a little longer.

4. Serve with zaatar bread, carrot or celery sticks and other crackers.