Healthy Vegan Picnic Recipes & Ideas

Serve this zesty bean and barley soup garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.

These simply prepared artichokes can be served at room temperature or chilled. Serve as a first course or as a side dish with grilled chicken or fish.

If you prefer, make this salad with broccoli slaw mix instead of the coleslaw mix.

This thirst-quenching pink lemonade recipe uses fresh cherries for the pretty pink hue and light flavor. If you like, add a splash of vodka, bourbon or rum to transform this healthy lemonade recipe into a refreshing summer cocktail.

A simple dressing of sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and paprika flavors this rice and lentil salad. It's a great way to use up leftovers.

Top this vegetarian noodle salad recipe, which is tossed with loads of veggies and ample peanut sauce, with chopped roasted peanuts for added crunch and protein.

Serve this tart, parsley-dominated tabbouleh at your next backyard gathering.

Cucumbers and mint pair delightfully in this refreshing spritzer that's perfect for a summer afternoon on the porch.

A versatile side dish to go with grilled meats or poultry. Crispy, crunchy and thoroughly delicious.

Made with protein-rich edamame instead of chickpeas, this easy hummus recipe is the perfect vegetarian filling for a grab-and-go wrap. Or double the recipe and use the hummus for a healthy snack with cut-up vegetables.

This simple, fresh-tasting salad adds delicious variety to grilled foods, such as salmon, halibut, chicken or pork. Browning the corn in a skillet gives it a nutty, caramelized flavor that contrasts with the sweetness of the mango.

This rice pudding is dairy-free, but the bananas and rice milk make it so creamy and rich-tasting, no one will know the difference.

This three-bean salad has far less sugar than typical versions. We opt for a combination of canned and frozen beans (for convenience) along with fresh green beans for their great taste and texture.

A Mexican-style torta is just like a burrito, except the “wrapper” is a hollowed-out roll instead of a tortilla. Here it's filled with mashed spiced black beans and a quick guacamole. Take this vegetarian version to another level (and add calcium) by melting Monterey Jack cheese onto the bean side of the sandwich. Serve with: Grilled corn on the cob or Spanish rice.

Whole-wheat pasta bolsters fiber and nutrients in this popular Asian noodle salad. The recipe is from Annelise Stuart of Germantown, New York.

This caponata is a vibrant mixture of fresh vegetables, including eggplant, onion, celery and tomatoes. Olives, capers, basil and pine nuts makes it special. Serve it as a side with fish or as a spread on rustic bread. Prepare it the night before serving if you can; it always tastes better the next day.

Perk up your cheese plate or crudités platter with these crunchy, zesty pickled turnips or try them on a sandwich instead of cucumber pickles.

We like to use heirloom tomatoes in this simple salad. They're at their peak during the summer months and worth seeking out at your local grocery store or farmers' market. Which varieties you choose is up to you--any will work well here.

This flavor-boosting combo of mint and lime, inspired by the traditional Italian herb-and-garlic gremolata recipe, livens up juicy watermelon. Put a platter out at your next cookout and watch it disappear in an instant.

You don't have to be vegan to enjoy this vegan macaroni salad! The colorful array of veggies give it texture and flavor and help make it lighter than traditional pasta salads. It's perfect to bring along to your next picnic or potluck.

Avocado, fresh chives and spinach are blended right into the creamy, bright-green dressing in this healthy edamame salad recipe. Pink beans are popular in the Caribbean, but you can substitute pinto beans or light red kidney beans if you can't find them.

Coconut macaroons meet dark chocolate truffles in these little treats. Inside the snap of the dark chocolate shell lies the tender coconut-cocoa filling: a mix of naturally sweet dates, cocoa and coconut flour. Coconut flour is a healthy way to add decadent coconut flavor to this coconut-dark chocolate truffle recipe and other baked goods. It packs a whopping 5 grams of fiber per 2 tablespoons (with only 2 grams of total and saturated fat). Look for coconut flour near other gluten-free flours.

This healthy date, carrot and lentil salad recipe is flavored with a spiced preserved-lemon dressing. While most salads taste best when freshly assembled, lentil salads appreciate time for the flavors to marry so try to make it at least a few hours ahead if you can. Bring the salad to room temperature before serving and adjust salt if needed.

This pilaf, made with nutty bulgur, gets plenty of bright flavor from fresh dill, mint, parsley, ginger and lemon.