The K5 - elementary education for parents

These are some of my favorite recipes for a summer picnic. Print them out and add them to your collection.  And have a great time at your picnic!

Fresh lemonade

Summer tomato salad with corn, feta and torn basil

Fingerling potato salad with dijon vinaigrette

Pita bread rounds

Chocolate chip cookies of brownies (homemade, boxed mix or store bought)

Fresh lemonade

Makes 1 quart

15 lemons

4 cups water

1 c agave nectar

4 c ice

Squeeze the lemons, straining the seeds but keeping the pulp. In a medium pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water and agave nectar. Pour lemonade over ice in individual cups.

Summer tomato salad with corn and torn basil

Yield: 4 side dish servings/ 4 pita sandwiches

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of white wine or champagne vinegar

1 shallot, minced

1 lb mixed tomatoes, in different sizes and colors

2 ears of fresh corn, shucked and kernels removed from cob

3 oz fresh feta, cut in small cubes

a small handful of fresh picked basil leaves

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and shallot in a small bowl.

Core and stem the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into equal bite sized chunks and halve the cherry tomatoes. Combine the chopped tomatoes, corn kernel, feta and torn fresh basil. Toss with the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Can be eaten alone as a salad or stuffed into a pita.

Potato salad with lemon vinaigrette

Yield: 4 side dish servings

1.5 lbs fingerling or new red potatoes, scrubbed

1.25 cup coarsely chopped scallions

1.5 cup coarsely chopped celery leaves

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Lemon Dijon vinaigrette

Yield: .5 cup

.25 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 T Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, minced

.25 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the lemon juice, mustard and garlic, drizzle the olive oil until it mixes in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place cut potatoes in a saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer about 15-18 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cool water, drain and cool.

Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters and transfers to a medium sized bowl. Add the scallions, celery leaves and drizzle in the dressing. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Chef Carlin Greenstein is a working private chef in New York City. She also recently created a Food Wheel, which helps guide people to shop seasonally and locally in the New York City area. Click here to read more.