There has been a shift. Over just a few days last week, a tangle of digital party invitations filled my phone for the weekend ahead, words like “picnic” and “garden” and “backyard is reserved” catching my eye like glinting charms. One event is titled, plainly, “We outsiiiide.”
We absolutely are. So in honor of “Should we eat outside?” season, and to prepare us all for it, I pulled together 24 snacks, salads, sandwiches, skewers, sweets and more for packing up, schlepping and sharing outdoors. They are, in short, recipes for touching grass.
Many of them are vegetarian (Tomato and farro salad with arugula! Potato salad with tartar sauce!) or easily adapted to suit whatever preferences you have (Stuff your onigiri with pickled vegetables!). Here are a few of the dishes I’m most looking forward to, as well as a few bonus ideas just for you, my Veggie friends.
Naan-o paneer-o sabzi: Everything I want to eat this summer is on Naz Deravian’s sprightly and abundant bread, feta and herb platter. Briny cheese, fragrant mint and basil, walnuts and lavash or pita are nonnegotiable. But tacking on cooling, juicy produce like watermelon, grapes and cucumbers swerves things over into refreshing territory, making it the kind of grazing meal you just can’t quit.
Good for: Breaking in your new patio furniture; a breezy lunch picnic with your book club; a “chill summer afternoon movie date,” according to Pooja, a reader
You might also like: The herbs, feta, fruit and ciabatta in this country panzanella with watermelon dressing
Saladu nebbe: An immortal truth lies in the virality of the so-called dense bean salad: The best salads are the ones that only get better with time. That’s the case for the chef Isaiah Screetch’s easy black-eyed pea salad, based on a Senegalese dish. It’s juicy with tomatoes. It’s crunchy with cucumbers. It’s spicy with serrano chiles. It’s hearty with beans. It’s puckery with lime.
Good for: The cookout that’s a bit of a drive away; an outdoor concert at dusk; taking a too- long lunch break in Bryant Park, oops
You might also like: Taverna salad; cowboy caviar
Cauliflower salad sandwiches: Ham El-Waylly clearly knows that the best part of chicken salad has absolutely nothing to do with chicken. It’s the crisp, crunchy, sweet bits that stud the blend, like walnuts, apples and raisins. Hard-roasted cauliflower steps in here, doing more than poultry ever could by acting as a sponge for a curry powder-stained dressing. Unlike some subs, these sandwiches manage to improve as they sit — for up to 12 hours chilled!
Good for: Hitting the beach, baby; watching a never-ending Little League game; taking on your sweaty, miles-long hike, according to Jenn, a reader
You might also like: A six-foot meatless Italian hero; Konbi’s egg salad sandwich
Pimento cheese and tomato sandwiches: Look, I’m from the South. I love a tomato sandwich, the blush union of mayo and tomato juices trickling down my wrists. And I love pimento cheese; sharp, tangy, salty. It should surprise no one to learn that I’m itching to get my hands on this instant classic from Kia Damon.
Good for: Snacking on while bundled in a towel, poolside; sitting on a swing under a big oak tree; eating directly over the sink
You might also like: Pimento cheese pie; halloumi, arugula and tomato sandwiches
Summer vegetable skewers: Everything’s better on a stick in the summer. That includes disks of zucchini and eggplant, burnished by hot coals and brushed with olive oil infused with garlic and oregano. Melissa Clark’s recipe is a simple one, because there shouldn’t be too much work standing between you and dinner when it’s this nice out.
Good for: Fighting over the one communal rooftop barbecue
You might also like: Grilled halloumi with zucchini and salsa verde
Strawberry jam bars with cardamom: There’s something about these sweet treats from Yewande Komolafe that has always reminded me of my favorite packaged cookie, Fig Newtons. Here, a buttery shortbread base and shortbread crumble swaddle a fruit filling studded with nuts. While she calls for strawberry, you can use whatever summery fruit jam you have on hand. Even one you made! Even … fig.
Good for: A backyard tea party; that last-minute birthday park hang; your in-laws’ holiday potluck
You might also like: Blueberry pie bars; salted margarita bars
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Tanya Sichynsky is an editor for the Food and Cooking sections of The Times and the author of The Veggie, a weekly vegetarian newsletter.
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