Last Minute Picnic! What shall I do?

We have all had those moments when food has needed to be whipped up at short notice. This normally results in the pre-packed and processed options sitting in the cupboard/fridge or bought at the supermarket on the way.

This combo took about half an hour to put together and worked out really well. It is a mixture of tried and tested and improvised.

Apart from the chicken all that is required is some simple veg prep and the mixing of cold ingredients. I will list ingredients only as I am sure everyone can manage the ‘mix together’ bit unaided.

If you have time you could always add some hard boiled eggs and chopped veg but this was great as it was.

Jerk Chicken

2 chicken breasts

Jerk dry Rub Mix (substitute for any mix seasoning you have available)

All you need to do with the chicken is coat it in the dry rub mix and then either cook in the oven or an air fryer for about 20 minutes on a medium/hot temperature.

After they are cooked, sit for five minutes and then slice.

Courgette, Pepper, Onion & Chilli Salad

2 courgettes wide ribbon spiralised (halved, and sliced -core taken out – if you don’t have the gadget to do ribbon spiralising)

1 red pepper thinly sliced

1 onion thinly sliced

1 green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

Juice of two lemons or limes

Handful of chopped coriander

Gujarati Carrot Salad

2 large carrots (I only had three small ones which means this portion was smaller than is ideal)

Juice of two lemons or limes

Good sprinkle of black onion seeds

This can also be made using chopped coriander or chilli as extra ingredients.

Chickpea and Orange Salad

This was a complete invention. I needed something extra and had no fruit left apart from an orange. Moroccan food sometimes uses oranges and the spices used would add a Mediterranean feel.

I wasn’t sure how it would work, as the orange juice might make it too sweet. I needn’t have worried as it was very tasty.

1 can of chickpeas ( I prefer the smaller, browner ones).

Juice of one orange (I included as much flesh as possible to keep the fibre level up)

Handful of chopped coriander

1 green chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced

1 tomato, deseeded and chopped into small pieces

2 spring onions thinly sliced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon