Chicken Salad with Cabbage.

Chicken Salad with Cabbage, Corn, and Champignons
Preparation time 15 minutes, cooking time 30 minutes. Yields 5 servings.

Ingredients:
17 oz (or 500g) skinless chicken breast (or two halves)
7 oz (or 200g) fresh cabbage
14.5 oz (or 425ml) can of sweet corn
14.5 oz (or 425ml) can of sliced champignons
7 oz (or about 200 gr) mayonnaise
10 spring onions (or 1 small bulb)
Herbs: coriander, dill, parsley
Seasoning: salt and black pepper

Instructions:
Rinse and pat dry the chicken breast halves. Remove the skin. If the breast is with bones needless to remove it. Pour fresh water in the saucepan, put over the high heat to bring to the boil. Once the water boils, reduce heat to low and carefully add chicken breast halves.

Note: Fill the saucepan half with the water, allow enough empty space as the water will go up once you add the chicken.

Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Do not add salt to the boiling water. While the chicken is being cooked prepare other ingredients.

Rinse the cabbage, put on the paper tower to absorb water. Transfer the cabbage to the cutting board and chop it thinly.

Preparing the cabbage.

Open the sweet corn can, empty the water. You may do it either through the can if you make two wholes or open the can incompletely letting the water run out – or use a strainer. Repeat likewise with the can of champignons. If you feel lazy going out to buy sliced champignons and the ones you have are whole – no need to worry, you can always use the whole champignons and slice them yourself. As there are not many preparations needed with other ingredients for the picnic salad you will still have free time left while the chicken simmers.

Salad Ingredients.

You may drop the sweet corn and chopped champignons into a large salad bowl once you empty the water.

Rinse the herbs and the spring onion. If you are using a bulb onion, then first peel then rinse it. Use a paper towel to dry the vegetables. Chop the herbs and the onion.

When the chicken cooks through, turn off the heat, empty the water, and take out the breasts to cool. If you are short of time you may place them into the cold water. Once the chicken is not too hot to proceed, place it on the cutting board, tear parts of the breast and tear further as if in long thin strips. Drop the strips into the salad bowl. When you are done with the chicken combine all ingredients: chicken strips, sweet corn, champignons, cabbage, onion, and herbs. If the mayonnaise is thick thin it with some water (use 1-2 tbsp of preferably warm boiled water). Add the mayonnaise into the picnic salad, mix the ingredients with a spoon to coat well. Add some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Combining the Ingredients.

Tip: This picnic food will taste even more delicious if you place it in the fridge for at least one hour to allow it cool and soak the juices and rich flavors.

Serve the picnic chicken salad with free, grilled chicken or other picnic food. Bon appetite!

The Possible Salad Variation
You can perfectly substitute chicken with boiled beef or pork. In this case you may thinly cut the meat into long strips or into thin wedges. It is important to have the meat tender thus you may need to cook the beef over 2 hours. You will need about 17-18 oz (or 500g) cooked meat.

Tip on how to boil meat:
Rinse and pat dry the meat. Place a pan half full with the water over high heat to bring to the boil. When the water starts to boil, add meat and shortly reduce the heat to low. Simmer the meat till it is tender. You may add salt about 30 minutes before you take out the meat.

Note: all nutrients will be preserved in the meat when cooked at once in the boiling water.

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Red Bell Pepper and Carrot Salad.

Red Bell Pepper and Carrot Salad
This picnic salad will normally have sweetish savor due to the red pepper, carrot and ripe tomatoes. I like it this way and it is one of my favorite picnic ideas especially in autumn. It tastes refreshing and rich. Besides it is a very easy to do and quick picnic food recipe. Preparation time 10 minutes. Cooking time 15-20 minutes. Yields 4-5 servings.

Ingredients:
5 sweet red bell peppers
3 medium size carrots
2 medium onion bulbs
4-5 ripe tomatoes (not cherry tomatoes)
50g vegetable or (premium) olive oil
Seasoning: salt (about 1 tsp), black pepper, hot chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp vinegar
Herbs: celeriac or parsley

Instructions:
Rinse the red bell peppers, carrots, and tomatoes. Peel of thee onions and wash too. Peel the carrots, trim the ends. Remove core and seeds of the bell peppers. Now you will need to dry the vegetables. To do so just lay the veggies on the paper towel – it will absorb excess water drops.

Put the herbs into a bowl with cold water for some 10 minutes. Then rinse celeriac (or parsley) in the running water and shake off the excess water.

Tip: There are different techniques of removing the pepper core. You may half the pepper lengthwise up to the core, break off one half and then remove the pepper core from the second half. You may make a circle cut round the pepper core, press it inside and then pull out. Or there is also another option: divide the pepper widthwise, then cut off the pepper in parts form the core. It is up to you which techniques to use.

Transfer the veggies to the kitchen table. Cut the bell peppers in dices.

Diced Pepper.

Likewise dice the carrots. You may as well grate the carrot using the coarse (or extra coarse) side of the grater.

Diced Carrot.

Also dice or thinly slice the onions. You will also need to remove tomato cores before slicing or dicing them. Chop the herbs too.

Preparing veggies for the salad.

When you are done with the vegetables and herbs transfer them into a medium saucepan. The pan should not be top full. Take a bigger pan if needed. Mix the vegetables.

Vegetable Mix.

Add herbs, salt, black pepper, a bit of hot chili powder (or to taste), stir to coat. Sprinkle with the vegetable (or olive) oil, vinegar, add a bay leaf and put over a medium-low heat. Cover the pan with the lid. Allow the veggies to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

The vegetables, especially the tomatoes will let out enough juices so, normally, you will not need to add extra water. Just in case you see there is not enough vegetable juice in the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of boiled water (or no more than 50g).

When done allow the vegetable picnic salad rest for 15 minutes then take out the bay leaf. Place the pan into the fridge when the salad cools well. You may also transfer the salad into a bowl, cover it with a lid (or a plastic file) and put it in the fridge this way. Leave the picnic food in the fridge for a couple of hours. The salad acquires its special delicate tastes when cold enough and well rested. Do not be surprised to notice the salad is even more delicious the next day.

Bell Pepper Picnic Salad Variation
Instead of using just all red peppers use a couple of green ones. Add more vinegar and chili powder if you like more spicy picnic food. Also you may enjoy adding several cloves and dried allspice berries. Although you may be more for a hotter variation, the piquancy of this salad is the sweetness that naturally the sweet red pepper, carrots and ripe tomatoes give to it. Bon appetit!

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Beetroot Salad as Picnic Ideas

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Gifts need not be expensive. Savory foods and sweet cakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day. The best venue for a romantic dinner date is often at home because of two main reasons: privacy and comfort. Not to mention the huge savings on food and wine. Spontaneity intensifies the excitement when special loved ones are pleasantly surprised.

Picnic Outings are as Romantic as Valentine Dinner Dates

Here are 3 romantic picnic ideas that will bring you and your sweetheart closer to each other.

1. A small barbecue dinner in the patio will give an atmosphere of eating in a side walk café. Decorate the small table with a small tall vase for one red rosebud and a candlestick.

2. An impromptu and very informal dinner on the bed will look more romantic when lighted candles surround the bedroom. Spread a picnic blanket on the middle of the bed and pretend that you’re on some grassy spot in the park.

3. Pack picnic foods and drinks in backpacks and take a morning hike. Join outdoor activities that have a cause like voluntary tree-planting or collection of recycleable materials in the neighborhood.

Bring the usual picnic foods and picnic desserts plus a bottle of very special wine, of course. Don’t forget to pack the picnic blanket, some dining plates and utensils, and a couple of fine wine glasses. Just keep the foods simple to prepare and easy to pack. Spicy chicken wings are quick to cook while tossing a cauliflower salad. A heart-shaped gelatin for picnic dessert can be prepared the night before. Clean drinking water is better than fruit juices or soda drinks.

Spicy Picnic Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

10 pieces chicken wings
¼ cup hot sauce
¼ cup sugar
½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup of beer
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

How to: Combine all ingredients. Marinate chicken wings overnight inside the refrigerator. Over low heat, simmer chicken wings in marinade mixture for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Pour half of marinade on a baking tray and arrange the chicken wings all over the surface; then pour the remaining mix on top. Broil for 3 minutes; then turn the chicken wings. Broil for 7 minutes. Cool completely before packing.

Cauliflower Salad Best for Picnic

Ingredients:

2 cups cauliflower, shredded to bite-sized flowerettes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheese, shredded
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 pc. medium-sized Sausage, chopped

How to: Boil 4 cups water in a deep pot. Add the cauliflower flowerettes and immediately remove from heat. Pour the vegetable in a strainer to drain. Sprinkle salt and ground pepper; then, cool and chill in the refrigerator before packing. Pack the mayonnaise and cheese separately. To serve, toss the vegetables with mayonnaise and cheese right before eating. Note: An alternative is to roast the cauliflower flowerettes instead of boiling.

Heart-Shaped Picnic Gelatine Dessert

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp red powdered gelatin, unflavored
4 Tbsp white fine sugar
1 cup water (add more for softer gelatine)
3 pieces medium strawberries, sliced thinly

How to: Heat water in a pot. Combine gelatine and sugar; then dissolve the mixture in small amount of water. Add the gelatine mix in the hot water. Stir continuously for 5 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly before pouring into a heart-shaped mold, where strawberry slices are arranged beautifully. Refrigerate until firm. Serve with whipped cream.

These simple picnic food recipes will turn your picnic outing as the most memorable Valentine date you’ve ever had by just choosing the best wine for the spicy chicken wings. White wine is usually perfect for chicken dishes but a bottle of fruity red wine can bring the palate alive. An even better suggestion is a bottle of Italian Chianti.

Picnic outings often give us big appetite so add sausage bits and grilled peppers to the cauliflower salad to make it more delicious and satisfying.

Never end a Valentine picnic date without some sweets. The heart-shaped strawberry-flavored gelatine should be just perfect as picnic dessert.

Last but not the least, don’t forget to play your favorite romantic music.

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Romantic picnic : Making Love Sandwiches

Romantic Picnic Ideas for your Romantic Date