Family Picnics Made Easy

We love to eat! And with the summer well underway, it is essential to make the most of every day. So take our advice - pack up your Beachmate Cooler with these fun & easy recipes to create a delicious beach picnic! Don’t forget to grab one of our signature Turkish towels as the perfect, lightweight and comfortable blanket. Oh, and if you don't know it yet, your Beachmate buckets double as cup holders, snack trays, and table tops!

Chicken Club Wraps

Anything you can enjoy with one hand is ideal beach food! Plus, they are less mess, compact for travel, but still full of all those yummy goodies rolled up on the inside!

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 3 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
• 8 large leaves red or green leaf lettuce
• 4 10-inch flour whole-wheat tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high
2. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with ¼ teaspoon pepper. Oil the grill tack, and grill the chicken, turning once or twice until an instead read thermometer registers 165 degrees F, 15-18 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and let cool for about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, vinegar, onion, oil, salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl along with tomato, bacon, and avocado, tossing it to combine everything.
4. To assemble the wraps, place 2 lettuce leaves on each tortilla and top with chicken salad (about 1 cup each). Roll up like a burrito and serve cut in half
5. We recommend wrapping your burrito in a foil so you can pick it up and eat it on the beach without losing the filling, peeling back the foil as you go to protect your meal from sand!

Zoodle Salad with Grilled Corn and Cherry Tomatoes

This spaghetti zucchini makes a great base for a packable salad, a fresh and healthy addition to your beach picnic. Tip: Try swapping out the mozzarella for feta, another yummy option!

Ingredients

For the dressing:                                      

• ¼ cup baby arugula leaves
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• ¼ cup basil leaves
• 2 large scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon honey or agave syrup
• juice of 1 large lime

For the salad:

• 2 medium zucchini, spiralized
• 2 ears grilled yellow corn, kernels cut removed from the cobb
• 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 4 small mozzarella balls, cut into ½ inch pieces

• salt to taste and pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Directions

1. To make the dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Pack up all the salad ingredients in a to-go container with the dressing on the side.
3. Pack the to-go container in your Beachmates cooler, and toss just before serving.

Mini Sandwich Kabobs

We love this recipe because it doesn’t require lots of prep or ingredients, and any combo will help switch up the boring old PB&J they’re used to! Whether packed for the beach or school in the Fall, kids will love the fun new design!

 Ingredients

• Four slices of bread
• Two kabob sticks
• Sandwich ingredients of your choice!

Directions

1. Make a simple sandwich. We used ham and cheese.
2. Cut in half lengthwise & then cut each half into thirds to create six squares.
3. Using a toothpick, create mini sandwich kabobs using vegetables.

 Melon and Prosciutto Skewers

This fresh and colorful side adds a savory & sweet combination that will be an instant hit. Only minutes to prepare with three easy ingredients!

Ingredients

• 1 large fresh melon spanspek, cut into cubes
• 70 g Prosciutto to serve
• Balsamic reduction optional

Directions

1. Tear the prosciutto into thin strips.
2. Thread the prosciutto and melon cubes onto cocktail skewers.
3. Place on a serving platter of your choice and drizzle with Balsamic reduction (optional).
4. Serve immediately (once the Balsamic reduction has been drizzled on top).

 Hasselback Tomato Caprese

Guaranteed delicious combo for your picnic in the sun! Prepare in under ten minutes - what's not to love with some mozzarella and fresh juicy tomatoes. And if you love carbs like we do, grab a fresh baguette on the side. 

Ingredients

• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1 pre-sliced log fresh mozzarella cheese
• 10 large basil leaves, torn in half
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 Directions

1. Thinly slice each tomato, being careful not to cut through the bottom.
2. Cut each mozzarella slice in half, creating half-moons.
3. Layer a piece of basil on top of each mozzarella slice and wedge it between each tomato slice.
4. In the meantime, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil and cook until thick, 4 minutes.
5. Drizzle the vinegar and oil over the tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Açaí Mojito Refresher

A perfect picnic involves a sunny afternoon on the beach with good friends, great food and, of course, amazing drinks. While you could always opt for a few beers, or a bottle of rosé, we at Beachmate wanted to offer you an option to step up your picnic game with something a little more unique. Stay cool this summer with an Açaí Mojito!

Tip: Make a batch separately for the kids of Virgin Açaí Mojitos by just not adding the VeeV Açaí Spirit!

Ingredients

• 5 Fresh mint leaves
• 12 ¹⁄₂oz VeeV Açaí Spirit (half a bottle)
• 5 oz Simple syrup
• 6 oz Lime juice
• 4 oz Blueberry puree
• Club soda

Directions

1. In a pitcher, muddle the mint.
2. Fill three-quarters of the way with ice and add the VeeV, simple syrup, lime juice and blueberry puree.
3. Stir well and top with club soda.
4. Garnish with blueberries.

 Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

There’s always room for dessert!! Finish off your beautiful picnic with these minty ice cream sandwiches, wowing your family. And who doesn’t love the smell of fresh spearmint?!?

Ingredients

• 11 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (2 ³⁄₄cup chopped)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¹⁄₂cup packed fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves, roughly chopped
• ¹⁄₂ kosher salt
• Unsalted butter, for greasing
• ¹⁄₄cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 5 eggs, separated
• ¹⁄₄cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Place 3 oz. chocolate (³⁄₄cup chopped) in a bowl and set aside. In a 2-qt. saucepan, bring cream and chopped mint to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and return to the saucepan, discarding the mint leaves.
3. Bring the cream back to a boil and pour hot cream over top of chocolate.
4. Add ¹⁄₄ salt and whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Cool, then cover ice cream base; refrigerate overnight.
5. Heat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with greased parchment paper. Pour enough water into a 4-quart saucepan that it reaches a depth of 1". Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low.
6. Place remaining chocolate in a medium bowl; set bowl over saucepan. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk the coffee, egg yolks, and the remaining salt into the melted chocolate.
7. Using an electric hand mixer, beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks are held. With a rubber spatula, fold in ¹⁄₃of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites, followed by the flour. Pour batter onto prepared baking sheet and, using an offset spatula, spread to cover the entire surface. Bake until cake is firm to the touch, 10-12 minutes.
8. Let cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
9. The next day, remove the cake from the freezer and run a pairing knife along the edges. Invert the cake onto another sheet of parchment and peel off the bottom parchment that is now on top. Cut the cake in half widthwise, cutting through the parchment. Place half the cake on a baking sheet.
10. Using an electric hand mixer, beat ice cream base in a medium bowl until it stiff peaks form. With an offset spatula, spread into an even layer over the half piece of cake sitting on the baking sheet. Invert the other half of cake on top and press down lightly until flat and even. Freeze entire cake for at least 6 hours, and up to overnight. When ready to serve, remove the top and bottom layers of parchment, and trim into 8"x 12" rectangle. Cut into eight- 3"x 4" sandwiches and serve immediately. Alternatively, wrap well in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to three weeks.

  
Strawberry Loaf Bread

This delectable strawberry bread is packed with fresh strawberries so fast and easy to make and can be made with whatever fresh or frozen fruits you may have lying around. Enjoy slathered in butter and fresh out of the oven for breakfast with your coffee, or pack it along in your Beachmate cooler for a sweet finish to your picnic.

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for greasing pans
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¹⁄₂ kosher salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ¹⁄₄cups canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups roughly chopped strawberries
• ¹⁄₂cup strawberry jam (optional)

Instructions

1.     Heat oven to 350°. Grease 2 (9" x 5" x 2¾") loaf pans with butter and dust with flour; set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, oil, and eggs. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Stir in strawberries and pour batter into prepared pans. If using jam, spoon 1/4 cup over each loaf and using a knife, swirl jam into batter.

3. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaves comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool for 30 mins before slicing and serving.