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Picnic Perfect

From recipes to a checklist, here’s everything you need

By Liz Hill Food photo by Daniel Lippitt

With the sun now shining and the temperature rising, we thought we’d ask Sylvan Lake-based healthy cooking guru Kathleen Daelemans, who’s appeared on the Food Network and NBC’s Today Show, to help us plan the ultimate outdoor meal. These recipes from her kitchen are good-for-you variations on two traditionally fatty picnic foods – potato salad and barbecue sandwiches.

Kathleen Daelemans’ Healthy Potato Salad

This potato salad is great at any temperature, but Daelemans says to try it warm if you can. Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 2 shallots, peeled and finely minced
• 4 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled (if you prefer) and quartered Coarse-grained salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup loosely packed, finely chopped herbs (parsley and/or chives)

Directions:

Place shallots in a small, shallow dish and cover with vinegar and white wine. Let stand as long as you can, up to 1 hour if possible. Place potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. When potatoes have cooled enough to handle but are not cold, cut them into 1/2- inch cubes or even-sized chunks. Place in serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk olive oil into shallot mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chopped herbs. Taste and adjust seasonings. While potatoes are still warm, toss them with dressing. Serve now or later.

(From Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss, Houghton Mifflin, 2002)

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches With Barbecue Sauce

You can make this recipe using Daelemans’ barbecue sauce recipe, or you can just toss the pulled chicken with store-bought sauce. Just make sure to check the label, because not all barbecue sauces are created equal – some are much higher in calories than others.
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 tablespoons finely chopped onion (about 1 small onion)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 sandwich rolls

Directions:

Place olive oil, onion and garlic in a small saucepan and cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, 10 to 12 minutes. You may need to add a splash of water to keep it from burning.

Add ketchup, water, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire, Tabasco, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper. Whisk until combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.

Use within 4 days.

Place chicken breasts in enough water to cover, in a small pot or skillet. Poach chicken until just cooked, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken and pour off water. Wipe out pan. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into thin pieces with your hands. Resist the urge to chop or dice chicken with a knife; it will look nicer torn. Place chicken back in the same skillet or pot you cooked it in. Pour barbecue sauce over chicken; toss until well coated. Divide evenly among the 4 sandwich rolls and serve.

(From Getting Thin and Loving Food!, Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

MAKE IT PORTABLE

Sure, you’ll bring the main dishes in plastic storage containers and eat them with some sort of flatware. But you’ll also want some picnic snacks that require nothing but your hands, such as:

Fruit. The original on-the-go snack

Tortilla chips or pita bread with salsa, guacamole or hummus. Pop open the salsa (or guacamole or hummus) and suddenly, a lively conversation becomes a cacophony of “mmm, mmm” and “uhmm, hmm, smack.”

Veggies. Try carrots, celery sticks, cut-up broccoli or cauliflower ... get chopping.

Bottled water (or clean, used water bottles filled with iced tea). Your outdoor fun will end pretty soon if you pass out from dehydration.

Don’t forget the …

• big blanket or two
• cooler
• ice
• condiments
• flatware
• cups
• plates
• plastic bag for garbage
• corkscrew, if you’re serving wine
• napkins or paper towels
• sunscreen
• insect repellent
• paring knife (and something to keep it from poking anyone when not in use)