Summer is almost officially here, which means potlucks, barbecues, and of course, picnics. But when dietary restrictions are on the table, what delicious foods can still be served? Enter this month's issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience. This free online magazine, hosted by Chef Jason Wyrick, is always themed, and this month is Vegan Picnic month.

Story topics include "Packing a Picnic with Safety in Mind," "The Eco-Friendly Picnic," "Fusion Fun: The Vegan Picnic," and more. And of course there are recipes, lots of recipes. Numerous creative sandwiches, picnic salads, wraps, finger foods, sweets, and drinks are all covered in the recipe index. You can easily download the entire issue with a click of your mouse at the Vegan Culinary Experience website. But first, a sample recipe. Here is one of Jason's favorite easy recipes, Deviled Taters ...

Deviled Taters
Recipe from the June 2009 Issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience

Serves: 8
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
8 small potatoes
2 tbsp. of vegan margarine
2 tbsp. of vegan mayonnaise
½ tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of smoked paprika

Instructions
Wrap the potatoes in one big piece of foil.
Bake them on 450 degrees for 45 minutes.
Allow them to cool until you can handle them safely.
Cut them in half along the length.
Scoop out the insides, trying to leave a ½” wall in the potatoes.
Mix the scooped insides with the margarine, mayonnaise, and salt, mashing everything together.
Fill this back into the potatoes.
Sprinkle them with smoked paprika.

Low-fat Version
Omit the margarine and mayonnaise. Add 1 tsp. of lemon juice to the potato filling. Add 6-8 cloves of roasted garlic to make up for the missing flavor from the margarine and mayonnaise. You may need to add a tbsp. of water to the mashed filling.

Kitchen Equipment
Oven
Foil
Knife
Cutting Board
Spoon
Mixing Bowl
Measuring Spoon

Presentation
I like to use a mix of colored potatoes so the dish isn’t completely white and uniform.

Time Management
Be careful with the potatoes because they may seem warm on the outside, but they will probably still be very hot on the inside and dangerous to handle.

Complementary Food and Drinks
This makes a great companion to most sandwiches.

Where to Shop
I typically use Vegenaise and Earth Balance, which are both becoming commonly available. For multi-colored small potatoes, try Trader Joe’s. Smoked paprika can be found in many stores, though you’ll get the best price at a spice store. Approximate cost per serving is $.50.

How It Works
Basically, this recipe is a mashed potato recipe made with the addition of the vegan mayonnaise to give it a tangy flavor. Instead of making regular mashed potatoes, they’re stuffed back into small potatoes, creating a tasty finger food. Smoked paprika is used for extra flavor, but also to give the potatoes a dash of color.

Chef’s Notes
I created this recipe because I used to have deviled eggs at my picnics and I wanted something similar. The potatoes are obviously far better!

Nutritional Facts (individual servings in parentheses, does not include any options)
Calories 1441.2 (180.2)
Calories from Fat 314.1 (39.3)
Fat 34.9g (4.4g)
Total Carbohydrates 257.7g (32.2g)
Dietary Fiber 23.0g (2.9g)
Sugars 8.0g (1.0g)
Protein 24.1g (3.0g)
Salt 1557mg (195mg)
Vitamin A 46% (5.8%)
Vitamin B6 191% (23.9%)
Vitamin C 277% (34.6%)
Calcium 8% (1%)
Iron 22% (2.8%)
Thiamin 91% (11.4%)
Riboflavin 15% (1.9%)
Niacin 92% (11.5%)
Folate 16% (2%)
Phosphorous 56% (7%)
Potassium 138% (17.3%)
Zinc 26% (3.3%)
Magnesium 70% (8.8%)
Copper 120% (15%)

Interesting Facts
Though the word deviled was originally used to refer to foods that were prepared with spicy ingredients, it is now more commonly referred to foods with a filling mixed with mayonnaise.

Visit the Vegan Culinary Experience for more great recipes like this one.