The other day I had my friend Hope over for a healthy garden dinner and just had to tell you all about it! I pulled this menu together quite literally in twenty minutes after a very busy workday, proof that a little garden party doesn’t have to take you days to prepare.

The Table

I threw my favorite floral tablecloth on my table in the back garden along with my rattan placemats, butterfly plates, coral napkins with crown napkin holders, and my faux tulips.

The Punch

I threw together a super quick punch: 4 cups of lemonade, 1 cup of mint simple syrup, 1 cup of Still Austin gin, and fresh mint sprigs served over ice. It’s a very easy-to-drink punch that’s light and refreshing, inspired by the fact that I had mint simple syrup leftover from my Derby mint juleps.

Hummus with Pickled Onions

I’m so proud of this pretty dish! I spread my favorite store bought hummus on a plate, topped it with homemade pickled onions (these seriously take 5 minutes to make!), feta cheese, fresh mint, and a few edible flowers. YUM! It’s as delicious as it is beautiful.

I also had a little snack platter with vegetable chips and cucumber slices for the hummus, plus green grapes and gouda cubes.

Rosemary Grilled Salmon

For the main course, I served my Rosemary Grilled Salmon from The Rose Table Cookbook (though my new propane tank wouldn’t work so I cooked it in the oven) and couscous. This easy dish is so simple and only takes about one minute to prep, making it one of my go-to recipes for weekday entertaining.

Caprese Salad

I had groceries delivered that morning because I didn’t have time to go to the store and the tomatoes I got were so small, I came up with a whole new presentation that I thought was quite adorable: mozzarella on the bottom, tomato slices on top, plus balsamic from Amanida, EVOO, salt, pepper, and boxwood basil from my garden.

I hope this inspires you to host your own friends for a little garden party, even if it’s a weeknight dinner that takes you less than half an hour to throw together.