Picnic Favorites Made Healthier

By Laurie Higgins

Even though they are delicious, oftentimes picnic foods aren’t the healthiest in nature. Sandwiches made with cold cuts are very high in sodium, and salads with mayonnaise are high in fat. But it is possible to lighten even favorite recipes in ways that make them healthier.

Broccoli Salad

My former sister-in-law was from South Carolina, so she introduced some of her Southern favorites into our family’s recipe rotation. One of the most popular ones was her Southern broccoli salad. It had raisins, bacon and sunflower seeds and was tossed with a mayonnaise and sugar dressing. Even though it is a delicious crowd favorite, it has always struck me as a perfect way to take a wholesome vegetable and then load it up with fat and calories.

I wanted to create a broccoli salad that is lighter and healthier, so I experimented with a lemon vinaigrette with a handful of pine nuts for crunch and some shaved parmesan cheese to add a bit of saltiness. It was delicious.

I ran my recipe past Cape Cod Healthcare Director of Clinical Nutrition Sue Hazeghazam and she said the lighter version is much healthier than the original salad. 

“You have reduced the original fat and salt content by substituting olive oil for the regular mayo and bacon; and the flavor looks nice with a vinaigrette dressing and a few pine nuts,” she said.

Potato Salad

Another recipe I lightened up was a new version of potato salad that my family absolutely loved. Instead of the usual mayo and hard-boiled eggs, I made a Greek inspired version with a vinaigrette dressing. To bump up the flavor profile, I roasted the potatoes instead of boiling them. I also added tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, capers and black olives.

When Sue looked over the recipe, her only concern was about the salt content from the last three ingredients. She suggested that I cut the number of olives down, so I reduced them from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup. To ensure there was still plenty of olive flavor in every bite, I sliced the olives instead of leaving them whole. It was an easy fix.

“I think it looked great and compared to what you started with you did a great job cutting it down,” she said.

Both salads are perfect for picnics because there is no mayonnaise to worry about on hot days. They are deliciously light and a welcome addition to our salad repertoire.

If you want to pack sandwiches, veggie wraps are a healthy and flavorful choice. I like to use hummus, grated carrots, thinly sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced red onion on spinach wraps.

For a healthy picnic dessert, Sue likes to pack cut-up fruit.

“If it’s cold and cut up, my kids will eat it,” she said. “They love food that’s already prepared for them so if you can cut up watermelon or other melons and add berries of some sort or grapes, they’ll just eat it up. It’s quick and easy with plenty of antioxidants and it takes care of that sweet tooth that people want after the meal.”

The Recipes

Italian Broccoli Salad with Lemon Dressing

Serves 4 to 6 (can easily be doubled) 

• 1 medium head of broccoli (head of florets only, not a complete head with stem)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon finely minced shallots (1/2 of a small shallot)
• Dash red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/8 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Place broccoli in a large saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for two minutes. Drain the broccoli and shock it to stop the cooking process by placing it in a pan with ice water. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. When the broccoli is cool, drain it again and spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet. Gently pat tops of broccoli dry with another clean paper towel.

In a medium bowl, mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss broccoli in the dressing until well combined. Add pine nuts and gently mix again. Top with shaved parmesan.

Greek Potato Salad

• Serves 4 to 6
• 2 pounds red bliss potatoes, cut into a large dice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 Campari-size tomatoes, cut into sixths
• 2 mini cucumbers, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced chives

Preheat oven to 400. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss cut potatoes with lemon juice and olive oil and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly browned. In the meantime, place all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. When potatoes are done roasting, let them cool to room temperature. Mix with the other ingredients and toss with lemon vinaigrette.

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon country Dijon mustard

Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until combined.

This story originally appeared in Cape Cod Health News.