Plant-Forward Picnic Recipes

Provided By Family Features fyp365.com

Between the welcome warmth of the sun's rays and a nearly universal desire to get outdoors, springtime is a beloved season for enjoying an al fresco meal. Add in fresh produce to heighten the flavors of family favorites and the table is set for a delicious picnic.

Whether your warm-weather adventures take you to a nearby park, a neighbor's patio or simply your own backyard, satisfying those spring cravings often starts with plant-forward dishes. From tomatoes and onions to mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and other fruits and veggies, you can rely on Mother Nature to give picnic recipes a boost.

For example, these fresh ideas from Aramark's Feed Your Potential program offer easy solutions to take your loved ones outdoors for a meal all can enjoy. As a popular springtime lunch, sandwiches provide the opportunity to customize servings according to each person's preferences.

These Portobello Mozzarella Sandwiches are a plant-forward version loaded with grilled mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, pesto mayo, arugula, and a balsamic glaze on ciabatta rolls. For an added touch of freshness, a homemade tomato bruschetta topping combines tomatoes, red onions, basil and more to capitalize on a peak produce season.

No picnic is complete without a side that perfectly complements the main course. For a delicious solution that's fast and easy to make, try a new twist on an al fresco classic: coleslaw. A healthy accompaniment to the sandwiches, this Apricot Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw is an ideal spring dish that calls for less than 10 ingredients and requires simple prep so you can make it fresh before heading out the door.

Portobello Mozzarella Sandwiches

Recipe courtesy of Aramark • Servings: 4

• Tomato Bruschetta Topping:

1/4 pound fresh plum tomatoes, cored and diced

2 tablespoons red onion, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch fresh garlic, peeled and finely minced

Sandwiches

1 pound fresh portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, sliced thin

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 1/2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto

4 ciabatta rolls (4-by-4 inches), split in half

4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced small

4 ounces tomato bruschetta topping

2 ounces fresh baby arugula

1/4 cup balsamic glaze

• To make tomato bruschetta topping: In bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Set aside.

• To make sandwiches: Preheat grill pan or grill to medium heat.

• Toss sliced mushrooms with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

• Grill mushrooms until fork-tender, 3-4 minutes on each side. Let cool.

• Mix mayonnaise with pesto until combined. Spread 2 tablespoons pesto mayonnaise on cut sides of each roll.

• For each sandwich, layer 1/4 of grilled mushrooms, mozzarella slices, tomato bruschetta topping, arugula and balsamic glaze.

• Top with other roll halves. Cut diagonally in half to serve.

Apricot Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw

Recipe courtesy of Aramark • Servings: 4

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups trimmed and shredded Brussels sprouts

1 cup dried apricot, diced

1 cup red onion, trimmed and diced

• Combine mustard, honey, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix well.

• Add Brussels sprouts, apricot and onion; toss to coat.

Visit Aramark's Feed Your Potential website, fyp365.com, to find more picnicworthy recipe ideas.

By Romeo San Vicente

this summer. From filmmaker Erica Tremblay (director of the 2014 roller derby doc “In the Women”), it's about a queer Native woman who hits the road with her teenage niece as they search for her missing sister. No word on when a wider release will happen, but it's exciting to watch queer filmmakers giving overdue attention to indigenous stories. See it at a film festival near you until then.

Elliot Page is 'Close to You'

Lily Gladstone in going to “Fancy Dance” into your consciousness

We've been on the Lily Gladstone bandwagon since she showed up in Kelly Reichardt's 2016 drama “Certain Women,” leaving an indelible, heartbreaking mark as a lonely Native woman who quietly yearns for a character played by Kristen Stewart. She gathered up year-end critics group prizes for that film and earned the attention of Martin Scorsese. Then she made a splash at Cannes co-starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser in Scorsese's latest film, “Killers of the Flower Moon” — due in theaters this October — and now her other new film, “Fancy Dance,” is hitting OutFest

Elliot Page has wrapped production in Canada on his next film, “Close to You,” his first starring role in a narrative feature since 2017's remake of “Flatliners.” The Academy Award-nominated actor and star of TV's “The Umbrella Academy” stars alongside Hillary Baack (“Sound of Metal”) in the drama from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic

Savage (“I Am…”), and the minimalist plot description conceals more than it reveals. Page plays Sam, a man who experiences a chance encounter with an old friend while on his way home to a family reunion he doesn't want to attend. From that moment on he has to deal with the ramifications of that meeting. We're intrigued, and more than that, we're thrilled to see Page getting back to the big screen where we first met him. While we wait for this one to hit theaters we'll be reading “Pageboy,” his amazing memoir of being queer in Hollywood and summoning the courage to come out as transgender.

'Wham!' takes a bow Netflix figures you're probably taking July 5th off the music industry. It was a fast and furious four years full of hits that have endured, and the film will include material from the singers' personal archives, never-before-seen footage and never-before-heard interviews, making for a sweet-natured look at the decade that made them — and in the bittersweet case of Michael, the decade that made it all but impossible for him to come out as gay. We've seen the trailer and it looks like a love-fest. Get ready to be bathed in neon-colored nostalgia. to recover from July 4th, so they're dropping “Wham!” into your streaming life to keep you at home. The documentary from filmmaker Chris Smith (“FYRE”) chronicles the 1982 formation of the twoteenager pop band created by best friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley and their subsequent rise to the top of

Are Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer writing on edibles?

We've seen Kristen Stewart hold her own as a low-key comedic MVP when she's hosted “Saturday Night Live,” and though the actor is more often seen in dramatic roles — the charming 2020 Christmas comedy “Happiest Season” notwithstanding — we're always rooting for her to fully break out as a comedy star. So it's very good news to hear that she's writing a comedy vehicle for herself alongside her fiancée Dylan Meyer. In a recent feature in “Interview” magazine, the actor noted that a) she enjoyed an edible before sitting down with interviewer Rachel Sennott (“Shiva Baby”) and that b) she and Meyer were writing a screenplay. Specifically, and this is a quote: “Me and Dylan are writing a movie… It's a stoner girl comedy and it's really fucking stupid. I think you'll like it.” If we were a studio exec and that was the pitch, we'd greenlight it immediately.

After all, Seth Rogen can't do everything himself, and we've spent two decades absorbing the nuances of “Dude, Where's My Car?” If these women take a crack at the genre, we'll roll up to the multiplex in pajamas on opening day.

Romeo San Vicente never loses his car because his driver handles those little details.