Food and wine

Picnic picks

After long cold winter days, the sun has finally come out to play, and we are ready for it. It’s time to pack those picnic bags and head out and enjoy the summer sun. We have put together some picnic treats that are delicious and quite easy to make.

Fruity yogurt popsicles

Ingredients: • 2 cups fruit of your choice. • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence. • 1 cup Greek yogurt. • 4 tablespoons honey divided. • 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice.

Instructions: • In a blender add lemon juice, fruit, three tablespoons honey and blend until smooth texture. • Whisk the yoghurt, vanilla essence and one tablespoon of honey in a bowl. • Fill your popsicle molds with two teaspoons of the fruit puree followed by two

tablespoons of the yoghurt mixture, repeat until the mold is full. • Place the mold in the freezer for two hours.

When popsicles are slightly set, take it out of the freezer and insert popsicle sticks in the centre of each popsicle, this allows the sticks to firmly stay in place. • Freeze overnight and enjoy the next day.

Veggie Rice Paper Wraps

Ingredients: • 12 rice paper wraps. • 1 English cucumber (julienned). • 3 Carrots peeled (julienned). • 1 Red pepper (julienned). • 1 Cup red cabbage (shredded). • 1 Cup lettuce (shredded). • 1 Avocado (thinly sliced). • 1 Mango peeled (thinly sliced).

Instructions: • Have your fillings laid out for assembly. In a shallow dish add warm water and soak one rice paper sheet at a time. • Once the rice paper starts getting loose remove from the bowl and gently place it on a damp cutting board. • Arrange a thin layer of lettuce, followed by some avocado, mango in the

middle of the rice paper and add a small portion of peppers, carrots, cucumbers and top with red cabbage. • Fold rice paper over filling gently and tuck in the ends whilst slowly rolling it over until the seam is completely sealed. The rice paper will be very delicate and sticky so make sure you are careful during assembly. • Cut rolls in half once completed.

Chocolate bananas

Ingredients: • 150g Plain Milk Chocolate. • 6 Bananas cut in half. • Popsicle Sticks.

Toppings: • Chopped nuts. • Sprinkles.

Instructions: • Line a baking tray with baking paper. Put popsicle sticks in the cut end of the bananas and place on baking tray. • Place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes, until the bananas are slightly frozen. • Melt chocolate in the microwave and give it a quick stir to make sure it is completely melted. • Dip in bananas one at a time in the melted chocolate making sure the banana is covered in chocolate. • Place on baking tray and sprinkle topping of your choice. • Put baking tray back into the freezer for an additional 30 minutes until bananas are frozen. * This is a good one to get the kiddies involved in the preparation.

Muesli Balls

Ingredients: • 1 cup pitted cherries. • ½ cup chocolate chips. • ¼ teaspoon mixed spice. • 50g melted butter. • ¼ cup honey. • 2 ½ cups muesli. Instructions: • Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. • Place chocolate chips, cherries, honey, mixed spices, butter and two cups of muesli in a food processor and blitz until mixed well. • Place remaining muesli in a plate. Using a tablespoon, scoop muesli mixture and roll into a ball then roll in muesli in the plate and place on baking tray. • Repeat until mixture is finished then place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Watermelon Cooler

Ingredients: • 7 cups watermelon cubed. • 2 Tablespoons honey. • 1 Lemon (squeezed).

Instructions: • Place watermelon cubes that were frozen overnight into a blender, add in honey and lemon juice. • Blend until smooth then strain through a sieve to re-

move any seeds and to have a nice smooth texture. • Serve with ice and enjoy.