A Whole Food Plant Based-Friendly Picnic

My sister Terri hosted the annual Cerqua family picnic on July 11 .

The picnic is a huge undertaking and would not be possible without Terri’s tremendous effort and the great help from siblings, sibling in-laws and cousins.

In addition to being a family reunion, it’s also a tribute to Vincenza and Vincenzo Cerqua. Vincenza and Vincenzo were my maternal grandparents and the picnic brings together four generations of folks with direct links to them.

The typical picnic foods and beverages were served, but because of the increasing amount of siblings and cousins who are transitioning to or have transitioned to a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet, there were an amazing amount of WFPB options for me to enjoy. They included:

Spinach Rice Balls

Mushroom Rice Balls

Wheat Berry Salad

Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomato-Basil Bruschetta

• Pasta Salad (no mayo or oil)
• Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burger
• Avocado-Mango Dip
• Molasses Cookies
• Cranberry/Almond Biscotti
• Cranberry/Pistachio Biscotti
• Lots of fresh, delicious fruit and
• Whole Wheat Rolls

Serving these foods had a three-fold purpose:

1. They provided tasty nourishment for the hyper- healthy crowd
2. They revealed to the non-converted that a WFPB diet is much more than just salads.
3. Feedback received from non-WFPB picnickers will help us decide if these items will eventually end up in a Plantastic Life Cookbook.

Based on a very unscientific poll, the feedback I received was mainly favorable. Some folks provided “unfavorable” comments related to certain items that did not quite match up with mom’s or grandma’s non-WFPB versions. Although these foods didn’t quite meet their expectations, they still enjoyed them. Some foods received rave reviews!

All I can say is I ate an inordinate amount of food, including the WFPB desserts. I know I’ve said this in previous posts, but I think that one of the best aspects of eating a WFPB diet is that portion control is NOT necessary for most people, most of the time. If you eat the right foods, you can eat until you are satisfied. If you eat the occasional animal product, or oil laden snack, keep the portion small.

So if you think you’ll get bored eating WFPB foods, I hope this post changes your mind. A little creativity can go a long way.