Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians

Are you ready for summer? I AM! Summer holidays, backyard BBQs, beach days, picnics, and pool parties, here we come! This Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians will get you ready for the perfect vegetarian or vegan friendly picnic. I am super excited to share with you what we’ve learned along the way attending picnics with our plant-based basket in tow.

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians

You know the basics of picnicking. Keep things cold to avoid food spoiling, make sure you have an adequate bag or basket, bring lots of hand sanitizer or wipes, ample trash bags, silverware, and of course the perfect blanket. Now that I’ve painted the picture of the perfect outing for you … let’s get onto how to survive the day as a vegetarian OR how to survive having vegetarian guests at your picnic!

BYO

If you are invited to an outdoor party or picnic, bring food! Small dish, big dish, salad, appetizer, side dish, dessert, whatever. Bring enough to eat and share. The meat eaters tend to want to taste test our enticing plant-based picnic foods.

Meal Prep Your Picnic

Think of packing for a picnic like packing your lunch. Yes, you could make a meal out of watermelon and potato chips.  I agree, that sounds super fun.  However, I have a few vegetarians in my family that would be looking for more food! The meat eaters will have lots of options grilling on the grill, spread out on fancy tablecloths.  As a plant-based eater, what you and your family will eat will be in your basket! Meal prep it! From pasta salads to sandwiches, follow the meal prep rules.  Make the salad and don’t apply the dressing until you are ready to eat.  Keep the bread/pita/wrap/bun separate from what goes inside until you get there and then assemble your sandwich.  This keeps everything from getting soggy and mushy.

Avoid Common Condiments That Are NOT Plant-Based

• Fish sauce (oyster sauce)
• Honey
• Horseradish Sauce (often contains cream)
• Mayonnaise (contains eggs)
• Nutella (contains milk)
• Ranch (contains milk, cream, sometimes eggs)
• Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies)
• Some BBQ sauces (can contain honey or worcestershire sauce)

Be Wary Of Hidden Meat Products

Be wary, there might be meat in it! My philosophy on this is ask or don’t eat it.  Here are some common things to look out for:

• Chicken or beef broth in potatoes or veggies.
• Cross contamination with the meat spoon or knife.
• Fish sauces in Italian or Asian side dishes.
• Bacon in potato salad.
• Hard boiled eggs chopped up in salads.
• Marshmallows are not vegetarian!
• Some store-bought chips contain chicken products, cheese, and bacon.

Don’t Forget The Snacks

My FAVORITE part of this Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians!

When you have food envy of the voluminous amounts of food available to the meat eaters, yummy snacks will usually save the day.  Trail mix, chips, nuts, dried fruit, cookies, brownies, blondies, and so much more.  Put as much of this stuff in your bag or basket that you can fit.  You won’t be sorry.

Look Out For Lard (AKA Pig Fat)

The name speaks for itself. Lard is commonly used to cook with as a replacement for butter or shortening, or recipes requiring fat for consistency or taste. Being that it is made from pig fat, lard is not vegetarian!

Lard sneaks into:

• Refried beans
• Tortillas
• Twinkies
• Jiffy Cornbread Mix

Be Careful Of Eggs

If you eat eggs, be careful of the eggs at a picnic! Dishes containing eggs need be cooked to 160°F. If you cannot ensure that this has been done, don’t eat it! Also avoid foods with raw eggs including Caesar salad dressing and most uncooked cookie dough. If an egg dish has been left at room temperature for more that 2 hours, don’t eat it! Cold egg salads or hard boiled eggs need to be kept cold (40 degrees F or below!) to reduce bacteria growth.  If not, don’t eat it.

Egg-related food poisoning from Salmonella is very real and very dangerous! If you eat eggs, be VERY careful of eggs at a picnic.

A great solution to this is to Make Your Own Eggless Mayo!

Change Tradition

Tradition is a weird thing on holidays and with annual traditions.  We sometimes get into what I call a ‘tradition rut’ and we do the same things year after year.  Then one year something changes, and we fear it. If we are open to it, that small change can evolve into new opportunities, friendships, and ideas. Going plant-based might be new to you. Maybe this is your first picnic avoiding the meat. In the same way, inviting the vegans to the picnic might feel scary. Don’t fear it, embrace it. This Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians will help you embrace the changes and be great at it!

“Change is a challenge & and opportunity, not a threat” – Prince Phillip

Picnic Food Rules I Live By

• Make your own junk food. Homemade goodies are always safe, vegetarian or not.
• Leave your picnic site better than you found it (clean up the trash!).
• Anything goes! Seriously, any food can be a picnic food as long as it is packed and stored safely to avoid spoiling and spilling.
• Bring games.
• Don’t forget the trash bags, hand wipes, and sunscreen.
• Have fun!
• Be present. Slow down and enjoy the outdoors!!!

My Favorite Picnic Recipes

• Oil-Free Vegan Pasta Salad
• Easy Vegan Cuban Sandwich
• Eggless Almond Butter Blondies
• Vegan Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chickpea Veggie Burgers
• Quinoa Upma Recipe
• Avocado Corn Salad (Oil-Free!)
• Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad Recipe
• Vegan Broccoli Salad (No Mayo!)
• Silken Tofu Vegan Mayo
• Dairy-Free + Egg-Free Coleslaw

Happy Summer, Friends ❤🤍💙

All the Best, Tara

⭐Did this Picnic Survival Guide For Vegetarians make your picnicking easier?

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