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4th of July Picnic

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It’s summertime and friends and family are gathering again. This 4th of July is surely a chance to celebrate!

I’m sharing my 4th of July menu with you below. It’s delicious and easy and will leave you plenty of time to be with the ones you love. 

Happy 4th of July!

4th of July menu:

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken

Creamy Slaw

Grilled Peaches

Cherry Cobbler Cake

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken

  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on, chicken (a mix of breast and thighs)
  • Your favorite BBQ sauce (I like Lillie’s Q- Smoky BBQ Sauce)

Directions:

  1. Mix all the spices together in a small jar.
  2. Rinse and dry your chicken. Place all the chicken pieces in a crockpot and cover with the spices. Give the chicken a toss and make sure it is all coated evenly.
  3. Pour 3/4 of the BBQ sauce all over the chicken.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked all the way through.
  5. Serve the chicken with the remaining BBQ sauce.

Creamy Slaw

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I like Primal Kitchen, or, Chosen Foods brands)
  • 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, or, lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp celery seeds
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp dried chives
  • 1/2 head of Napa cabbage, chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch strips
  • 1/2 head purple cabbage, chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch strips
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix everything together except the cabbages and carrots to make a vinaigrette. Mix until the vinaigrette is completely smooth and emulsified. 
  2. Place the cabbages and carrots in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the veggies and toss until evenly coated.
  3. Serve and enjoy.

Grilled Peaches

  • Fresh, ripe peaches, halved and pitted (1/2 peach per person)
  • Avocado oil for the pan

Directions:

  1. Lightly coat a grill-pan with avocado oil and turn the heat on to medium. When the pan is heated, place the peaches flesh side down in the pan. (If you don’t have a grill pan, use a regular pan.)
  2. Cook the peaches for 2-3 minutes, until they have nice grill marks.
  3. Serve and enjoy.

Cherry Cobbler Cake

For the cherry filling:

  • 2, 10 oz. bags of frozen pitted cherries (or, fresh pitted cherries)
  • 1/2 cup, plus 1 Tbsp cane sugar
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt 
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 
  • 1 Tbsp tapioca flour 

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
  2. Take your eggs out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. (2 eggs from the cake recipe below.)
  3. Place the cherries in a large bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, vanilla, and tapioca flour. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
  4. Set the cherries aside while you make the cake batter. 
  5. Give the cherries a good stir.
  6. Scoop the berries into an 8×8 dish, or, pie plate.   

For the cake:

  • 2/3 cup cane sugar
  • 3 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk yogurt* 
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 3 Tbsp tapioca flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder 
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions for the cake batter:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and avocado oil.
  2. Add the eggs and beat for 3 minutes, until the eggs are pale and fluffy. (If you forget to take your eggs out early, put them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes; this will bring them to room temperature.)
  3. Add the coconut milk yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk until the yogurt is completely combined (about a minute). 
  4. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. 
  5. Pour the cake batter over the cherries and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the cake is done and golden brown. (Watch closely, the cake browns quickly. You can test the center of the cake with a wooden skewer. The cake will remain moist in the center, but should not be soupy. The finished cake has a bread-pudding-like texture: a bit moist and gooey.)
  6. Allow the cake to cool and set for 10 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

*Do not replace the yogurt with milk. The yogurt is necessary for the taste and texture of the cake. Milk will make the cake soupy. See my recipe for coconut milk yogurt to make your own coconut milk yogurt, or, buy a thick-style coconut milk yogurt like Culina.

You may want to put some aluminum foil on the rack below the cobbler; this will help catch any spills if your cobbler bubbles over a bit.