Cooking while not-so-roughing it

September 7, 2009 4:04 PM

Staying at a campground next weekend. It's near a city, so not really away from everything, and we're staying in a camping cabin, so not roughing it too hard. But we are planning to cook a few times while there. I need some hassle-free and not-too-bad-for-you recipes!

We've got a nice little aluminum camp cooking set from the 50's that's been handed down over the years - fairly large pot, two smaller saucepan pots, two skillets, four coffee cups, 5 plates, and a water kettle. We also have utensils and the necessary spatulas, and we'll be carrying some basic spices along - salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. We've also got a two-burner camp stove. But we're watching what we eat a lot closer these days, which precludes the old ground beef - potatoes - cheese gut bomb dishes we used to make. We will be taking some super lean ground beef and frozen chicken breast along. We can get whatever else we need at Trader Joe's or other grocery stores in town. We're not going to pre-make anything, however - that requires too much planning. (For once, I will not be making green chile or red chile dishes - we'll be in Santa Fe and we know where to get those!) Ideas?

posted by azpenguin to food & drink (6 comments total)

Dinner idea: Alfredo linguine with smoked (or fresh) salmon. Use powder for the alfredo, use smoked salmon if you don't want to make it on the first night. Bring a baguette and some white wine, throw in some parsley, onion and capers if you want it to stand out. I've made the same thing at the top of a glacier in the dead of winter and the only downside was packing out the trash.

Variations: canned shrimp, canned oysters, canned/packet of tuna.

For breakfast: pancakes or french toast with eggs and maple syrup. I use the "just add water" pancake batter and measure it into a ziplock in advance. Add beans if want to go all cowboy.
posted by furtive at 4:15 PM on September 7, 2009

Is vegetarian chili too close to the red chile/green chile dishes you can get in Santa Fe? A couple cans of beans and tomatoes, maybe an onion, jalapeno, and some of spices you already have. Great if it gets colder after sundown, super easy, and super healthy.
posted by jenmess at 4:28 PM on September 7, 2009

Hoppin' John is fairly easy, healthy, and very tasty. You can find detailed recipes online, but basically, it's rice and black eyed peas, seasoned with onion, garlic if you like, salt, pepper, and bacon. A little bacon adds a lot of flavor, so you don't need to worry about the bacon fat. Substitute lentils for the black eyed peas if you want to use dried legumes without having to cook them first. If you want to use your extra lean ground beef, you could substitute that (in greater quantity) for the bacon.

A vegetable risotto is also an easy, healthy camping dish. Use Arborio rice so you don't have to add cheese.

Unless I'm camping in the dead of winter, I usually just have a cold breakfast with hot coffee, and I'm usually out and about for lunch, so I tend to focus on cooking healthy, tasty dinners. Adding a salad course with pre-washed mixed greens makes for a much more elegant dinner with almost no extra work; a small cheese course is even nicer.

Keep in mind that if you'll be doing a lot of hiking, cycling, canoeing, etc. during your vacation, you'll need lots of energy. One old-fashioned gut bomb might not be a bad thing. Have fun!
posted by brianogilvie at 6:03 PM on September 7, 2009

Warm Chickpea Salad with Shallots and Red Wine Vinaigrette . You just need to chop a few veggies. The "warm" in the salad comes from dumping the canned chickpeas in boiling water for a few seconds.

Yummm, chickpea salad...
posted by wyzewoman at 6:31 PM on September 7, 2009

Rotisserie chickens; tons you can do with them, besides eating them as-is. Tacos, enchiladas, with noodles, rice, cous cous, sandwiches. The carcass, coupled with some veggies, will make a great broth/soup. All easy as hell.
posted by JABof72 at 6:35 PM on September 7, 2009

You might want to check-out the Backpacker Magazine recipes for more ideas
posted by hungrysquirrels at 5:30 AM on September 8, 2009