What side dish to bring for a camping dinner feast this weekend?
March 9, 2017 6:51 AM Subscribe
What side dish should I contribute to a big campsite feast this weekend?
I'm taking my family camping this weekend. We're going to be meeting up with a few other friend families and generally feasting and cavorting for a couple of days. On Saturday night, one of the families has graciously offered to provide dinner (hot dogs), and I'd like to add to it by bringing an absolute baller side dish. Ideally, this side dish would be:
- At least a tiny bit healthy (because hot dogs)
- Capable of being made ahead of time and transported to a campsite (in a car)
- Appealing to a broad cross-section of people (including a bunch of rotten kids)
- Vegetarian (for wife)
- Easy to eat, maybe even with your hands (because camping)
We'll have access to a grill and a cooler at the campsite, but no running water. I'm a pretty competent cook, and our local grocery store is reasonably well-stocked. We also have a great Asian grocery store in town, if that's relevant. Aside from wife's vegetarianism, assume no other relevant food restrictions.
Given all that, what do you suggest I bring that hits most or all of those points?
I'm taking my family camping this weekend. We're going to be meeting up with a few other friend families and generally feasting and cavorting for a couple of days. On Saturday night, one of the families has graciously offered to provide dinner (hot dogs), and I'd like to add to it by bringing an absolute baller side dish. Ideally, this side dish would be:
- At least a tiny bit healthy (because hot dogs)
- Capable of being made ahead of time and transported to a campsite (in a car)
- Appealing to a broad cross-section of people (including a bunch of rotten kids)
- Vegetarian (for wife)
- Easy to eat, maybe even with your hands (because camping)
We'll have access to a grill and a cooler at the campsite, but no running water. I'm a pretty competent cook, and our local grocery store is reasonably well-stocked. We also have a great Asian grocery store in town, if that's relevant. Aside from wife's vegetarianism, assume no other relevant food restrictions.
Given all that, what do you suggest I bring that hits most or all of those points?
Pita Bread
Hummus
Dolmas
Olives
Pickes
Salami
Cheese
Baby Carrots
Canned Baked Beans, for that old school thrill.
posted by jbenben at 7:20 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hummus
Dolmas
Olives
Pickes
Salami
Cheese
Baby Carrots
Canned Baked Beans, for that old school thrill.
posted by jbenben at 7:20 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Brown rice with fresh fava beans, baby zucchini, tomatoes, olives and carrots. It's in Italian but watch the video - it's self-explanatory.
This, btw, is a website my foodie friends in Italy refer to for ideas.
posted by Dragonness at 7:21 AM on March 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
This, btw, is a website my foodie friends in Italy refer to for ideas.
posted by Dragonness at 7:21 AM on March 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
My go to is always pasta salad.
Cut up a pile of veg. Boil pasta. Drain the pasta and add a good lot of a not sweet salad dressing. I saw canola oil rather than olive, as Olive is strong tasting. White wine vinegar. Herbs.
My other option is couscous. Same basic recipe as above
Mini bococinni is a great addition.
posted by Ftsqg at 7:26 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cut up a pile of veg. Boil pasta. Drain the pasta and add a good lot of a not sweet salad dressing. I saw canola oil rather than olive, as Olive is strong tasting. White wine vinegar. Herbs.
My other option is couscous. Same basic recipe as above
Mini bococinni is a great addition.
posted by Ftsqg at 7:26 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
This wilted brussels sprouts salad is awesome. We made it again last night as a main dish salad and it still blew me away. I sliced them by hand as I couldn't find my mandolin blade, but even easier if you are more organized than me. Sub out the goat for a harder cheese like pecorino, and you could even get away with not having to use a cooler.
posted by Carillon at 7:33 AM on March 9, 2017
posted by Carillon at 7:33 AM on March 9, 2017
Momofuku's Ginger Scallion Noodles! We brought it as our primary dinner the last time my wife and I went camping and it was perfect. Prep beforehand, travels well, good cold. Definitely add the quick-pickled cucumbers; we also chopped up some Tofu Lin into little cubes and added it for protein.
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:41 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:41 AM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
We do veggie and fruit kabobs when camping. You can cut everything up ahead and let everyone pick out what they want to put on their skewers, or just do it there and then you won't have to keep it cool. Kids seem to like healthy food more when they can eat it from a stick.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 7:41 AM on March 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by galvanized unicorn at 7:41 AM on March 9, 2017 [6 favorites]
This Pasta Salad from Ina Garten is so amazing and simple and hits all of your criteria.
Alternatively I have made a lovely pesto, spinach, cherry tomato pasta salad too that is truly divine.
posted by JenThePro at 9:18 AM on March 9, 2017
Alternatively I have made a lovely pesto, spinach, cherry tomato pasta salad too that is truly divine.
posted by JenThePro at 9:18 AM on March 9, 2017
I've always believed the fun of campfire dining is fixin' it for yourself in the fire. Two classic favorites are loaded twice-baked potatoes and banana boats, and they work great together.
Just pre-bake enough potatoes (for extra fun results, make some of them sweet potatoes) and grab a similar number of bananas. Get a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then prep a dozen or more diced toppers and bag them up. Provide a range that allows everyone room to get creative and suit their own tastes. You might choose standards like diced onion, cheeses, chives, peppers and diced ham, chicken and bacon for the carnivores, but also think crushed cookies, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, pineapple chunks and berries. Maybe even bring a pint of sour cream, yogurt or a can of whipped cream for after-fire topping.
For best results, leave potatoes and bananas in their mostly-intact peels, but cut open from the top so goodies can be stuffed inside. Also pre-cut squares of foil. Set up a prep corner and let the guests go to town. Tuck the foil-wrapped bundles into the coals for 5-7 minutes, then unwrap and enjoy. Kids especially enjoy putting together unexpected combinations and comparing results. One of my all-time greatest successes -- sweet potato with pineapple, cranberries and marshmallows ... but the banana with cheese and chocolate chips was also pretty awesome!
posted by peakcomm at 9:40 AM on March 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
Just pre-bake enough potatoes (for extra fun results, make some of them sweet potatoes) and grab a similar number of bananas. Get a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. Then prep a dozen or more diced toppers and bag them up. Provide a range that allows everyone room to get creative and suit their own tastes. You might choose standards like diced onion, cheeses, chives, peppers and diced ham, chicken and bacon for the carnivores, but also think crushed cookies, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, pineapple chunks and berries. Maybe even bring a pint of sour cream, yogurt or a can of whipped cream for after-fire topping.
For best results, leave potatoes and bananas in their mostly-intact peels, but cut open from the top so goodies can be stuffed inside. Also pre-cut squares of foil. Set up a prep corner and let the guests go to town. Tuck the foil-wrapped bundles into the coals for 5-7 minutes, then unwrap and enjoy. Kids especially enjoy putting together unexpected combinations and comparing results. One of my all-time greatest successes -- sweet potato with pineapple, cranberries and marshmallows ... but the banana with cheese and chocolate chips was also pretty awesome!
posted by peakcomm at 9:40 AM on March 9, 2017 [4 favorites]
campfire nachos!! wrap a pile of tortilla chips & cheese in heavy-duty foil and place directly on grill or cast-iron skillet over a campfire. keep checking to make sure they don't get scorched. to make them healthier, you can add black beans & chopped tomato, plus avocado at the end. they end up melty and super crunchy and amazingly smoky-flavored and now I need to go camping so I can make some
posted by changeling at 10:06 AM on March 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by changeling at 10:06 AM on March 9, 2017 [5 favorites]
Spinach brownies. Kid-tested and approved. It's basically a spinach quiche, which you can jazz up or make plain.
posted by MichelleinMD at 11:10 AM on March 9, 2017
posted by MichelleinMD at 11:10 AM on March 9, 2017
This Texas Caviar recipe is my go-to. So so so yummy, full of beans and veggies. Admittedly I prefer two cans of black eyed peas and only one can of black beans, rather than as written.
posted by bologna on wry at 1:38 PM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by bologna on wry at 1:38 PM on March 9, 2017 [1 favorite]
First thought: potato salad (why overthink it?)
Second thought.
Third thought: corn.
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:10 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Second thought.
Third thought: corn.
posted by athirstforsalt at 5:10 AM on March 10, 2017 [1 favorite]
Foil packets of sliced onions and potatoes swimming in butter become amazing cooked over a campfire.
But for extra "Oh, wow," I'd add -- or maybe just go with, with some tomato and basil or something on the side -- grilled halloumi cheese. (If your friends have not encountered it, in my experience, they will be puzzled a wee bit at first, but then you will get a number of texts afterwards asking where they can buy the cheese.)
Mac and cheese in a Dutch oven, filled to the brim with pasta and taken off the heat just as the pasta is al dented and there's a tiny bit of pasta water in there, with a boatload of shredded cheese stirred in, is surprisingly tasty. I can't replicate it indoors, but over a campfire it's remarkably good, nice and gooey, with just enough starch in the pasta water to hold it together and not make it a weird cheese-n-water thing.
Salad-on-a-stick is good -- grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hears and mushrooms and other tasty marinated, maybe pre-grilled, veg, little rounds of refrigerator-pickled carrot and sweet onion slices, a gherkin, etc, etc (with a wodge of hard boiled egg and some cubes of cheese if they don't have to hold too long before serving) -- using pita bread as a "plate" for this works if you've got a generous enough amount of stuff on the sticks for people to not be overwhelmed by excess bread; maybe have leaf lettuce and a sandwich lube (spicy mayo? sub sauce?) means the vegetarians get a good sandwich sort of thing out of it.
(I take it there will be a good-sized kid contingent? Plain vanilla frosted cupcakes + assorted candy = a "cupcake bar" where they can decorate their cupcakes. This is sticky; I'd set a thing or three of wet wipes out.)
posted by kmennie at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2017
But for extra "Oh, wow," I'd add -- or maybe just go with, with some tomato and basil or something on the side -- grilled halloumi cheese. (If your friends have not encountered it, in my experience, they will be puzzled a wee bit at first, but then you will get a number of texts afterwards asking where they can buy the cheese.)
Mac and cheese in a Dutch oven, filled to the brim with pasta and taken off the heat just as the pasta is al dented and there's a tiny bit of pasta water in there, with a boatload of shredded cheese stirred in, is surprisingly tasty. I can't replicate it indoors, but over a campfire it's remarkably good, nice and gooey, with just enough starch in the pasta water to hold it together and not make it a weird cheese-n-water thing.
Salad-on-a-stick is good -- grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hears and mushrooms and other tasty marinated, maybe pre-grilled, veg, little rounds of refrigerator-pickled carrot and sweet onion slices, a gherkin, etc, etc (with a wodge of hard boiled egg and some cubes of cheese if they don't have to hold too long before serving) -- using pita bread as a "plate" for this works if you've got a generous enough amount of stuff on the sticks for people to not be overwhelmed by excess bread; maybe have leaf lettuce and a sandwich lube (spicy mayo? sub sauce?) means the vegetarians get a good sandwich sort of thing out of it.
(I take it there will be a good-sized kid contingent? Plain vanilla frosted cupcakes + assorted candy = a "cupcake bar" where they can decorate their cupcakes. This is sticky; I'd set a thing or three of wet wipes out.)
posted by kmennie at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2017
Response by poster: Great suggestions one and all, thanks folks. Baby ended up getting a fever like an hour before we were supposed to leave, so we had to bail. But I'm stoked to try some of this stuff out for next time!
posted by saladin at 6:38 AM on March 30, 2017
posted by saladin at 6:38 AM on March 30, 2017
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posted by quaking fajita at 6:55 AM on March 9, 2017