July 22, 2024

Picnic Recipes from Melissa Hemsley

Bestselling author, Melissa Hemsley is known for her recipes celebrating easy and accessible food that everyone can enjoy. Melissa has written and co-written five bestselling books, plus her new book, Real Healthy which has just been published earlier this month. Here are three easy-to-follow recipes from Real Healthy, all of which are ideal for summer picnics or casual dining in your garden. Read on to discover Melissa's recipes for super seedy crackers and a big veg noodle salad, followed by a delicious five-minute fro-yo recipe for dessert.

Super seedy crackers

Stored in an airtight container, these crackers can last for up to a week, although they never hang around for that long in our house. Have them on hand for snacking and dipping – they go especially well with the Whipped Feta Dip (on page 210 of Melissa's new book). Chickpea flour is also known as gram flour and is ideal for crackers and makes these naturally gluten-free too.

Makes 1 large tray of crackers

Takes 40 minutes

Ingredients:

100g chickpea (gram) flour

80ml olive oil

80ml water

3 tbsp mixed cumin, fennel, nigella and/or sesame seeds

50g pumpkin seeds

Flaky sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/gas mark 5 and line a large baking sheet (about 40 x 25cm) with baking parchment or a silicone mat. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, olive oil, water and ½ teaspoon of flaky salt. Pour the mixture onto the lined baking sheet and spread out to the edges (you want thin, crisp crackers). Sprinkle with the seeds and a little extra flaky salt. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside to cool on the baking sheet, then roughly snap into crackers. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Big veg noodle salad with lime, ginger and peanut dressing

Even in the colder months, I think a big noodle salad is always a great thing to have up our sleeves. In the depths of winter, in and amongst all the cheesy bakes and big soups and stews, I crave fresh, zingy, crunchy salads like this. Use any noodles you like, even spaghetti would work if that’s what you’ve got. I love buckwheat (soba) noodles. Swap the peanuts and peanut butter for cashews or almonds if you prefer.

Feeds 2

Takes 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 nests of noodles

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 big handfuls of raw peanuts

1 large carrot, cut into ribbons with a peeler or cut into thin strips with a knife

¼ sweetheart cabbage, very thinly sliced

1 small apple or pear, cored and cut into matchsticks

½ small cucumber, diced

FOR THE DRESSING:

2 tbsp smooth or crunchy peanut butter

2 big limes: zest of 1 and juice of both

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated

Pinch of chilli flakes

2 tsp maple syrup

Sea salt and black pepper

Method:

Do the lime trick to release more juice by rolling the limes on the kitchen counter before you slice them in half. For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl or shake in a jam jar. Taste for seasoning. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Toss the noodles with the sesame oil and set aside. Toast the peanuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3–5 minutes, shaking the pan every so often, until golden. In a large bowl, toss together the noodles, carrot, cabbage, apple or pear and roughly half the dressing. Slowly add more splashes of dressing if you like, tossing as you go, until everything is nicely coated. Top with the cucumber and peanuts.

Five-minute berry fro-yo

Fro-yo is frozen yoghurt if you haven’t come across this speedy treat yet. It’s best enjoyed straight away as the texture will be at its best straight from the food processor and it firms up a lot in the freezer. Make sure to use a food processor here rather than a blender because a blender overmixes, meaning the mixture becomes too runny. My favourite toppings to shout out are tahini, chopped pistachios and/or flaked almonds.

Feeds 6–8

Takes 5 minutes

Ingredients:

300g frozen berries or frozen (pitted) cherries

150g thick yoghurt or your favourite plant-based option

2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Little pinch of sea salt

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until just combined, scraping down the sides once or twice as needed. Be very careful not to overmix, otherwise it will turn runny. Serve immediately with any toppings that you like.