What is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days…
Tomorrow is the longest day of the year—the first day of summer and the day of many ethnic celebrations of Midsummer’s Day. But my idea of a great celebration is to take a picnic supper out to one of the many wayside rests and picnic areas along Lake Pepin on the Wisconsin side. With a mild breeze off the lake and the still-strong sun to warm the air, pests are at a minimum and the true beauty of the summer evening is evident.
I prefer to just lay out a cloth and unpack the hamper and leave the actual cooking at home. I came across what seems like a perfectly delightful picnic—easy to prepare, low in calories and elegantly delicious. And since it’s infinitely more fun to share good food and a beautiful evening with friends, the recipes are for six. (Adapted from Bon Appetit, June, 1996)
Chilled Beet Soup with Chives
Chicken, Arugula and Red Bell Pepper Sandwiches
Broccoli and Cherry Tomato Salad
White Wine Spritzers
Fruit in Spiced White Wine
Low-Fat Almond-Cinnamon Biscotti
Chilled Beet Soup with Chives
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 15-oz cans sliced beets with liquid
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups buttermilk
Chopped fresh chives
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add carrots and onion. Cover; cook until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, cover and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Using inverted blender, puree beets with liquid, sugar and carrot mixture. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until cold, about 3 hours (Can be made 2 days ahead.) Put into a thermos. Serve in mugs and top with chives.
Per serving: 116 calories
Chicken, Arugula and Red Bell Pepper Sandwiches
3 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup chopped fresh arugula
2 large red bell peppers
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (each about 4 ounces)
1 tsp. olive oil
6 5-to-6-inch-long French bread baguette pieces, halved lengthwise
2 large bunches fresh arugula
Mix first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Mix in chopped arugula. Season arugula mayonnaise generously with ground pepper. Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed bell peppers. Cut into ½-inch-wide strips. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush skillet with 1 tsp. oil. Add chicken; sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cool. Cut into diagonal slices. Spread generous 2 tsp. arugula mayonnaise on each cut side of bread. Cover bottom of bread pieces generously with arugula. Top with sliced chicken, dividing equally. Top with bell pepper strips and generous amount of arugula. Cover with bread tops.
Per serving: 290 calories
Broccoli and Cherry tomato Salad
4 cups broccoli florets
1 1-pint basket cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp. dried
Steam broccoli until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool. Add tomatoes. Place mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in vinegar, then oil. Mix in oregano. Add to salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Per serving: 53 calories
Fruit in Spiced White Wine
2 cups dry white wine
4 1/3-inch-thick orange slices (unpeeled), quartered
¼ cup honey 1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 apricots, pitted, sliced
1 ½ pounds fresh cherries, pitted or one 16-oz bag frozen unsweetened pitted sweet dark cherries, thawed and well drained
Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors. Combine apricots and cherries in large bowl. Pour hot wine mixture over. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.
Per serving: 133 calories
Low-Fat Almond-Cinnamon Biscotti
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
½ cup chopped toasted almonds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease baking sheet. Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl of heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat until well blended. Mix flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add to egg mixture, beating until blended (dough will be soft). Turn dough out onto floured surface and gather together. Roll dough between palms and work surface into 16-inch-long log. Transfer to prepared sheet. Flatten log to 1-inch thickness. Bake until light brown and cracked on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool log 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325. Transfer warm log to work surface. Using serrated knife, cut log on sharp diagonal into ¼-to1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes per side. Transfer to racks and cool (biscotti will harden while cooling).
Per cookie: 78 calories
Tomorrow is the longest day of the year—the first day of summer and the day of many ethnic celebrations of Midsummer’s Day. But my idea of a great celebration is to take a picnic supper out to one of the many wayside rests and picnic areas along Lake Pepin on the Wisconsin side. With a mild breeze off the lake and the still-strong sun to warm the air, pests are at a minimum and the true beauty of the summer evening is evident.
I prefer to just lay out a cloth and unpack the hamper and leave the actual cooking at home. I came across what seems like a perfectly delightful picnic—easy to prepare, low in calories and elegantly delicious. And since it’s infinitely more fun to share good food and a beautiful evening with friends, the recipes are for six. (Adapted from Bon Appetit, June, 1996)
Chilled Beet Soup with Chives
Chicken, Arugula and Red Bell Pepper Sandwiches
Broccoli and Cherry Tomato Salad
White Wine Spritzers
Fruit in Spiced White Wine
Low-Fat Almond-Cinnamon Biscotti
Chilled Beet Soup with Chives
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 ½ Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 15-oz cans sliced beets with liquid
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups buttermilk
Chopped fresh chives
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add carrots and onion. Cover; cook until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, cover and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Using inverted blender, puree beets with liquid, sugar and carrot mixture. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in buttermilk. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until cold, about 3 hours (Can be made 2 days ahead.) Put into a thermos. Serve in mugs and top with chives.
Per serving: 116 calories
Chicken, Arugula and Red Bell Pepper Sandwiches
3 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. nonfat plain yogurt
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup chopped fresh arugula
2 large red bell peppers
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (each about 4 ounces)
1 tsp. olive oil
6 5-to-6-inch-long French bread baguette pieces, halved lengthwise
2 large bunches fresh arugula
Mix first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Mix in chopped arugula. Season arugula mayonnaise generously with ground pepper. Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed bell peppers. Cut into ½-inch-wide strips. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brush skillet with 1 tsp. oil. Add chicken; sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; cool. Cut into diagonal slices. Spread generous 2 tsp. arugula mayonnaise on each cut side of bread. Cover bottom of bread pieces generously with arugula. Top with sliced chicken, dividing equally. Top with bell pepper strips and generous amount of arugula. Cover with bread tops.
Per serving: 290 calories
Broccoli and Cherry tomato Salad
4 cups broccoli florets
1 1-pint basket cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp. dried
Steam broccoli until just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and cool. Add tomatoes. Place mustard in small bowl. Gradually whisk in vinegar, then oil. Mix in oregano. Add to salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Per serving: 53 calories
Fruit in Spiced White Wine
2 cups dry white wine
4 1/3-inch-thick orange slices (unpeeled), quartered
¼ cup honey 1 cinnamon stick
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
6 apricots, pitted, sliced
1 ½ pounds fresh cherries, pitted or one 16-oz bag frozen unsweetened pitted sweet dark cherries, thawed and well drained
Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 30 minutes to blend flavors. Combine apricots and cherries in large bowl. Pour hot wine mixture over. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.
Per serving: 133 calories
Low-Fat Almond-Cinnamon Biscotti
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ tsp. almond extract
3 cups flour
½ cup chopped toasted almonds
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease baking sheet. Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl of heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat until well blended. Mix flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add to egg mixture, beating until blended (dough will be soft). Turn dough out onto floured surface and gather together. Roll dough between palms and work surface into 16-inch-long log. Transfer to prepared sheet. Flatten log to 1-inch thickness. Bake until light brown and cracked on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool log 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325. Transfer warm log to work surface. Using serrated knife, cut log on sharp diagonal into ¼-to1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange on baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes per side. Transfer to racks and cool (biscotti will harden while cooling).
Per cookie: 78 calories
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