Sips, Sweets & Snacks

Okay, so who doesn’t love a well-planned picnic right? I’m generally into dining outdoors in any capacity, but if printed blankets and cute paper plates are involved you can definitely count me in!

Apparently this coming Saturday is #InternationalPicnicDay, which in my mind means everyone, everywhere will be rushing out to their local park with colourful blankets and cooler bags stuffed with goodies. And if my vision is true -which I really believe it could be- what better time to share a super simple, extra pretty picnic recipe!

We love a good canapé at RAOP HQ, especially when Lavash crackers, some form of goat cheese, and locally crafted jam is involved. We combined one of our favourite flavours of Kitten and the Bear jam with the always-delicious Flax and Honey Lavash Crackers by Ozery Bakery (happy 20th anniversary guys!), slices of cheese and a drizzle of liquid honey, all topped off with an edible flower to finish our two-bite works of art.

This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser at any picnic you attend this Summer! Scroll down for full instructions //

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Ingredients //

Ozery Bakery Flax & Honey Lavash crackers
Kitten and the Bear Plum & Rose Jam
Goat Brie
Liquid Honey (we used Nude Bee buckwheat honey)
Edible Flowers

Recipe //

Break up each cracker into two pieces. Spread approximately a teaspoon of jam across each one. Thinly slice the goat brie and place on top of the jam – drizzle with honey and finish it all off with an edible flower or two!

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This post was sponsored, but all opinions are my own. To inquire about sponsored posts, please email jess@shineinfluencers.com

Sips, Sweets & Snacks

Since I’m picnicking over on the Bicyclette blog today for this week’s edition of Take Me Out, I figured I might as well post one of my all-time favourite picnic recipes here for all of you wonderful people. This recipe was originally taught to me by my incredibly talented friend Laura (the best vegan cook I know) a few years ago, and though I’ve tweaked it a little bit, I’ve cherished it as one of the best vegan sandwich recipes in my recipe book ever since.

I haven’t eaten fish in a few years, but it was the last thing I gave up when I went veg because I love it so much, and I’m always on the lookout for fishy vegetarian substitutes that can fill the sea creature void in my diet. I mean, no mermaid should be eating her friends from the ocean right? Fish are friends, not food!

Anyway, this recipe is so delicious and flavourful that it’s just as good as the real thing, and unlike its real tuna counterpart, it doesn’t hurt the already suffering ocean and feed into overfishing. You can use it to make vegan tuna melts, tuna casserole, or just classic cold tuna sandwiches like I did. I promise, you won’t be fish-appointed (it’s been a long week, don’t judge me.)

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Ingredients:

Half a block of firm tofu, frozen overnight and then thawed
1 bunch chopped green onion
1 cup Veganaise (or normal mayo if you’re not vegan)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
A tiny pinch of smoked paprika
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
A bit of carrot, celery, onion, or anything else you like in tuna salad!

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Method:

Drain the liquid out of the tofu after it has thawed by pressing on it with paper towel. Once it is dry and spongy, use a fork to flake the tofu. Because you have frozen it the night before, the tofu will crumble and flake easily, and the texture will be much better!

Now here’s the best part: all you have to do is mix all of the ingredients up in a bowl and serve! I added two stalks of chopped celery to my batch for extra crunch, and served the tuna salad on brown bread. It tasted heavenly, and was so convincing that even the cats went after it! Let me know how you serve it okay? I’m always open to new tasty ideas!

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Photography by Brianne Burnell