Sun’s Out, Sandwich Buns Out: 3 Vegan Park Picnic Recipes

park picnic recipes

Pack the perfect lunch for your next outing. On this episode of EATKINDLY With Me, model and plant-based chef Nathan-Josias—along with his girlfriend Vanessa Lu, a London-based model—prepare a delicious vegan park picnic.

“We absolutely love picnics. It’s just the best location to spend time together, just the two of us outside,” Nathan-Josias explains. 

The best part, he adds, is that whipping up your favorite picnic foods isn’t as hard as you think. His first sandwich recipe is a vegan take on a French classic: a jambon beurre. The Parisian sandwich traditionally features ham and butter on a baguette.  

“Here I have a delicious seitan sandwich,” he says. “So, it’s made with my favorite vegan cheese, salad, vegan mayo. You know that I’m French, so good bread matters a lot for me.”

To help keep the bread moist, Nathan-Josias adds tomatoes. “A sandwich without tomatoes is only half a sandwich,” he says.

“I really like it. It’s really moist,” Vanessa says after taking a bite. “The seitan is really chewy. The cheese is so soft. And the bread is really delicious. I really love it. Good job, babe. I’m impressed.”

The second sandwich recipe, a tempeh sandwich, is Nathan-Josias’ specialty. “I just make a delicious bread with a lot of seeds. There is some tempeh marinated in curry and some raisins with some mushrooms and carrots. It’s just delicious,” he says.

The vegan park picnic recipes don’t stop there. He also makes a tabbouleh salad. Instead of grains, Nathan-Josias uses quinoa. He adds lemon juice, tomatoes, mint, cucumber and peppers. “The seasoning is really simple. It’s really all about having fresh vegetables in this tabbouleh,” he explains.

And what’s a meal without dessert? Vanessa makes a fruit yogurt cup, featuring fresh strawberries, blueberries, coconut, agar agar, and pecan crumbles.

“After eating all of this food, you just want a refreshing dessert. And that’s the perfect one,” Nathan-Josias says.

recipes for outdoor picnic
Nathan-Josias makes seitan and tempeh sandwiches, as well as a tabbouleh salad. | Nathan-Josias for LIVEKINDLY

Vegan recipes for the perfect park picnic