3 recipes for easy Garden Day entertaining
Imagine yourself sitting on a comfortable blanket in your garden. Birds are chirping, the flowers are in full bloom, and you have a refreshing drink to sip and delicious snacks to munch on while taking in the beauty of nature.
This Garden Day, we encourage all South Africans to celebrate their gardens with an outdoor lunch or picnic. If you’re looking for quick and easy recipes to serve on the day, we’ve got you covered. SA food blogger Ilse van der Merwe, also known as The Food Fox, shares three easy recipes to make your Garden Day entertaining a breeze: a sparkling non-alcoholic drink, nasturtium guacamole and a garden-inspired hummus plate.
Garden Day spritz
Ingredients:
Pomegranate seeds, passion fruit pulp or freshly cut fruit of your choice
Ice cubes
Flavoured soda or tonic of your choice
Soda water
Rose geranium or mint leaves
Method:
Add some pomegranate seeds to your glass, along with the ice cubes. Fill the glass half full with soda/tonic, then top up with soda water. Garnish with rose geranium or mint leaves.
Tip: For the flavoured soda, try bitter orange or sparkling grapefruit soda.
Nasturtium guacamole
Ingredients:
A generous handful of nasturtium leaves with stems
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or plain yoghurt
Salt & pepper, to taste
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend to a relatively smooth, thick dip. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made a day in advance.
Tip: Choose young nasturtium leaves from an area in your garden that pets cannot access. Rinse and drain properly before use.
Garden-inspired hummus plate
Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup tahini
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
A small garlic clove (optional)
A few tablespoons hot water
Salt & pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, for serving
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
A handful fresh herbs (parsley/coriander/dill)
A few small broccoli florets (optional)
A handful flaked almonds, lightly toasted
A few edible flowers (optional)
Method:
In a strong blender, add the chickpeas, tahini, cumin, lemon juice, garlic and two tablespoons hot water. Season with salt and pepper. Blend for a minute, then scrape the sides and continue blending until the mixture is very smooth. Add a touch more water if necessary. Transfer the hummus to a wide plate, swirling it out using the back of a spoon. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with paprika. Arrange the broccoli all over, and top with flaked almonds and a few edible flowers. Serve at once, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tip: You can also use store-bought hummus, just transfer to a wide plate and adorn as you like.
Celebrate with us!
For more food, decor and party ideas and inspiration, visit our blog and check out our social media. Want to join an event, enter a competition or bag a promo? Visit our Events page.
Share your celebration with us @gardendaysa and tag #GardenDaySA.