5 Ingredient or less picnic recipes

Summer may be ending, but that doesn’t mean your outdoor parties and picnics end, too! Kick off your Labor Day (and every other day after that) the right way by serving up some of these light, easy and five ingredients or less recipes!

Your kids may be donning frowns because they don’t want to go back to school, but these delicious recipes will have everyone else smiling.

Yields about 12 bite-size pieces

Ingredients:

• 2 medium flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 2 slices provolone cheese, sliced into thin slices
• 2-1/2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Directions:

1. Spread each tortilla with 1/4 cup pesto. Top with sliced cheese (place right next to each other) and sliced almonds. Leave a one inch border on one side so you can roll it up.
2. As tightly as you can, roll the tortillas up. Once rolled, carefully slice into small pieces.

Serves about 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2/3 cup fresh mozzarella, shredded
• 1 heirloom tomato, chopped
• About 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• About 3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Place the quinoa in a large bowl. Add the tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil and balsamic dressing. Mix to combine. Serve chilled.

Recipe adapted from My Recipes

Serves about 10

Ingredients:

• 1 pound vegetarian sausage (we used Gimme Lean)
• 1-1/4 cups chunky tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes)
• 8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Heat sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until browned and crumbly (use a spatula to crumble). Add tomato sauce and cream cheese. Heat about 2 minutes longer, or until cream cheese is melted. Remove from heat and stir in Muenster cheese.
2. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (we used an 8 x 8-inch dish). Pour mixture into the dish and top with mozzarella. Add salt and pepper for taste.
3. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Serves about 8 ( 2 skewers each)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into chunks
• 3 ripe nectarines, cut into pieces
• About 1-1/2 cups fresh arugula
• 1/2 cup balsamic glaze (use this recipe)

Directions:

1. Skewer a few pieces of arugula onto your wooden skewers. Add one chunk of mozzarella, one nectarine chunk and then more arugula. Repeat until there are two sets of each on every skewer.
2. Garnish each skewer with 1 teaspoon of balsamic glaze. Serve chilled.

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