National Picnic Day is this week on April 23. We have finally hit the beautiful spring weather of our dreams all around the U.S. It’s time to get outside for meals to catch some sun and fresh air!
We love picnics! The only problem is that bringing salads can be tricky. It’s fine if you are leaving your kitchen and eating right away. But if you have a long time between packing your meal and eating, a salad can easily wilt. Many vegetables are better eaten freshly prepared and don’t travel well.
But cucumber salads can hold up to being packed in Tupperware and brought to a new location and eaten ages later. Cucumbers are filled with water and low in carbs. They are great for staying hydrated when you are outside and won’t spike blood sugar. Of course, for food safety, it’s best to keep these salads in a chilled cooler after preparing them until you are ready to eat.
This salad is made with a cucumber, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and olives — all vegetables that hold up to being transported. They also stand up to the big flavors of feta cheese and Greek dressing. This recipe isn’t for someone who likes subtle flavors; it’s for people who enjoy the strong tastes of the Mediterranean. A serving has 203 calories, six grams of carbs, one gram of fiber and 19 grams of fat. Get the recipe.
This dish has cucumber as the sole vegetable. It’s all about the spicy dressing. Cucumber is the perfect veggie for this salad as it’s almost a quick pickle. If you leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours, the rice vinegar and coconut aminos will actually turn this dish into a quick pickle. This is great with any leftover Asian dishes — especially meat dishes — you want to eat alfresco. A serving has 54 calories, seven grams of carbs, one gram of fiber and three grams of fat. Get the recipe.
When you’re on a low-carb diet, there are some dishes you generally have to avoid. Cold potatoes have fewer accessible carbs than warm potatoes. But a heaping serving of potato salad isn’t going to help your blood sugar. A creamy cucumber salad like this is a great alternative. You get the same great dressing on a lower-carb veggie. It works as a side with all the same dishes that potato salad would, and it can really scratch the itch. A serving has 242 calories, nine grams of carbs, one gram of carbs and 22 grams of fat. Get the recipe.
While this dish has many of the same ingredients as the first salad — cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions — the avocado and different dressing make it a totally different vibe. It’s a salad that screams summer as the dressing is made with champagne. You can use white balsamic vinegar if you don’t drink! The avocado in the salad and olive oil in the dressing bring healthy fat, while lemon juice brings a punch of acid. This might be the most versatile salad, and we’ll be eating it all spring and summer long. A serving has 244 calories, 13 grams of carbs, six grams of fiber and 22 grams of fat. Get the recipe.
We hope one of these wonderful salads makes it to your next picnic!
