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.

DISCLAIMER:

This review is a guest review and reflects the reviewers’ own personal opinions on the product. The Casual Food Blogger accepts no responsibility for anything that is said in or caused by this review or anything contained in, caused by, or arising out of, the videos or photos contained in or referred to in this review.

Product Review: Obela Hommus Dips

The product: Obela Hommus Dips- varieties

Where to buy it: Woolies, Coles, IGA and specialty grocers

For more information:
http://obela.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/ObelaAU?fref=ts

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I was super excited when this package arrived in the mail one weekday.

Along with a funky picnic rug, I got 6 delicious flavours of Obela hummus dips to review including:

Who are Obela?

Obela is a brand created through a partnership between PepsiCo and Strauss Group.

It is a Mexican brand which incorporates many South American flavours, including capsicum and garlic, into its products.

The range includes refrigerated hummus dips, and it aims to be a fresh and healthy option whilst also offering variety and flavour.

What is hommus?

Hummus (Arabic for “chickpeas”) is a Middle Eastern spread or dip, which has been eaten in the region for centuries.

It is made using cooked and pureed/processed chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, tahini, salt and lemon juice.

It is generally high in iron, vitamin C, folate, and vitamin B6. It is also a good source of dietary fibre.

It is an extremely versatile spread which can be used on sandwiches, as a snack and as a dip. It is great with crackers, chips and veggies and does not have a very strong flavour.

My review

I tried the dips with two types of crackers:

1. the crackers I got in my Obela delivery; and

2.some Lebanese bread that I cut up and threw in the oven until it was crisp and brown.

Both were great with the dips but I think the plain Lebanese bread was a healthier alternative and really showed off the flavours of each dip.

Crackers

Lebanese bread chips

The dips had a slightly creamy, nutty flavour yet they would still be smooth enough to spread on a wrap or sandwich.

The packaging was great, I loved the beautiful rich maroon and the pictures of the ingredients on the front, which made the product feel more authentic.

I think the presentation is good enough to actually serve the dip straight out of the packaging at a dinner party (less washing up!).

They dips were quite thick and held all the bits of toppings (garlic, capsicum etc) in place even if you shook them up or moved them around (yes, I did). There was also a generous amount of toppings in each packet and I felt that they added some colour and excitement to the dip.

The hummus was very easy to eat with the Lebanese bread and between Wicko, Mum and I we managed to demolish a dip easily within about 20 minutes.

I think this product is versatile and tasty and is a great healthy snack to have in the fridge with carrot sticks, celery or even crackers.

I give it an 8.5/10.

Disclaimer: We tried Obela Hommus dips free of charge thanks to NakedComms. This does not affect the content or opinion of the review as all views expressed in this article are our own.

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.