GF (+ Veg) Camp Food
16 Jun
I’m back! So, some of you saw my hints on Twitter and Facebook already…oh my word, do I have some stories to share. But more on that later. I feel badly that the blog has been kind of wacky lately. I would guess that, although you seem to enjoy laughing at my travel exploits, you might miss the recipes. Thus, today I will start with the food from our trip, and save the chronicles of craziness for another time. These aren’t really straight-up recipes; they are more methods that you can adapt to your needs and tastes. I just wanted to share some ideas, in case you’re overwhelmed with “What will I eat?!” camping dilemmas. Please do not assume that camping has to be rough just because you don’t eat gluten, or dairy, or meat. Even if you’re not in any of those boats, after this (egregiously long) post, you’ll know what to pack for your (high-maintenance) friends ; )
These are some “essentials” for camp cooking that I personally bring, and recommend:
- cast iron skillet (even just a small one)
- heavy duty aluminum foil
- metal utensils (fork, spoon)
- paring knife
- substantial water container (more on that tomorrow…)
- Klean Kanteen
I prefer to use a firepit with a retractable grill instead of lugging around a propane stove. All you have to do is wrap your metal skillet, pot, or food itself (see below) in heavy duty foil. Everything will be fine. Really.
(And of course, please reuse what foil you can!)
Any guesses as to what I’m stirring?
The first night we arrived, I tried something a little different than our usual camp food fare: I made curry!
This is a method, not a recipe; and I assure you, anyone can pull this off! Just trust yourself, and taste along the way. Place your (foil-laden) pot on the grill, and cover the bottom of the inside with a thin layer of curry powder, a generous sprinkling of cumin and turmeric, and a little ginger or garlic (powder, for ease). Give the spices a stir, and once they are a bit fragrant, pour some olive oil in, and stir. Add chopped onions and carrots. Stir. Add more veggies — whatever you have. We used cabbage, and precut cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini. I also added the bag of frozen peas for protein; I love using them as “ice packs” on trips!
Add a splash (or a few) of water, and keep spicing as you go. Make the dish suit you. And don’t forget to add salt — copious amounts of salt.
Happy campers, indeed.
Save dishes, and trees: just eat right out of your pan (and lid)… Ain’t no shame in my game.
The next morning, we awoke to rain. It was not only a great excuse to snuggle into our sleeping bags a little longer, it was also the ideal setting for a hot breakfast once the sun broke through…*
And by hot, you knew I meant made with fire, right?
(Yes, I almost burned down my house as a child once. Why do you ask?)
Grilled toast (for the BFF Manfriend). Just place bread on the frame, watch, and flip. Easiest toast ever.
These (ethically-sourced) eggs were awesome, I’m not going to lie to you.
But that’s not all…
Slice. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, wrap carefully in foil, set directly in hot coals, near a flame if possible. Turn it halfway through to cook the other side. This method works with regular potatoes, as well as squash! Just keep it upright, so that oil doesn’t leak out. Remove and carefully open the foil to check for doneness. You can always reseal it and drop it back into the heat.
I also diced half the sweet potato and fried it in the cast iron until crisp — ’twas perfect!*
Can you see something hiding in the coals?
Both methods are superb. Just don’t be so adult that you leave your agave ketchup behind… Adulthood is overrated!
At this point, we embarked on our hike. Which, again, is a tale in itself, and shall be recounted in detail soon. I will share that we were utterly depleted when we reached base camp again, and I was not about to spend an hour slaving over a hot stove burning fire. At this point in the camping day, I like meals that I can just throw into coals and walk away from. Call me lazy.
Foil-Wrapped, Fire-Cooked, Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers
2-3 green bell peppers
1 can of black beans
1 can or small jar of salsa or Ro-Tel (or a mix)
organic cheese or Daiya, if desired
1) Carefully cut tops of bell peppers, like you would a jack-o-lantern.
2) Remove seeds.
3) Pour beans (I rinsed and drained mine a couple times in the can) to cover the bottom of each pepper.
4) Add a layer of salsa/Ro-Tel.
5) Repeat.
6) Replace top, and carefully wrap in foil. Keep upright and place in hot coals/fire.
7) Turn halfway through (again, check for doneness at any point, just be careful when resealing).
8 ) Remove and top with cheese if you prefer. Eat directly out of foil with a fork.
If your significant other tries to pass off their pepper remains to you once the filling is gone, fight the urge to selfishly devour it, and hint that some salt will really bring out the flavor. Be patient with his or her skepticism. Then bask in the glow of a happy spouse and no leftovers.
Whew! That’s a serious recap. But I know that so many of you are traveling this summer, and I don’t ever want you to feel left out because of a dietary restriction. Hopefully these examples can provide some inspiration and encouragement for your own creative camp meals. And don’t be intimidated by the fire: remember, everything tastes better when cooked outdoors! : )
Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free
Any other camp cooking ideas?
*Sorry for the inconsistent quality in photos… The lighting was a bit tricky to work with on this trip!
Mmm! I love breakfast cooked over a fire!
Me too. Why does it taste so much better?!
Wow, so much delicious looking food! My dad used to drag me out camping when I was little, and it was always tinned soup or freeze dried pasta…I MUCH prefer what you made!
Oh, and you are super pretty, btw
Freya, you make me blush!
Looks like a great(I mean yummy) camping trip! I am definitely trying out that sweet potato trick when we go camping at the end of the month!
Let me know how it goes!
Wow, I love the non-traditional camp foods! They look so delicious and it sounds like you had a great time!
I’m so glad you like them! It was a wonderful, hilarious time, for sure. Oh, the craziness…
I love the pepper idea!
It works like a charm!
I love that you made curry on a camping trip. Me and my dad were all about the hot dogs and chips
Hehe…yeah, it was kind of unconventional, I confess!
So awesome on a cold mountain night though!
umm, ok here is the deal, my fiance wants to take me camping (i do not like camping) but I promised him I would…but now you must come along and cook for me
k
Hahaha! Yes! I wish I could!
Now you can have some tricks to show off though 
xoxo
That looks like such a fun trip! Most of the time, I think method meals trump recipe meals (if it’s a good method, obviously). They let you use your intuition! All the food looks wonderful!
I totally concur — methods are what matter!
Intuitions vary person to person, and everyone should be able to experiment with what they prefer. It’s such fun!
Oh my gosh, this is so creative! I love it!
I’ll admit, I kind of hate camping but these ideas make me want to build a fire in the backyard and go to town!
Do iiit
Dang you know how to eat well camping! We always do eggs too, but we also do low country boils…which are easy to make too. Everything looks so good!
Ha! I try, I try
Thanks Sarena!
Okay, so super dumb question time. How do you carry all of that food with you and keep it fresh? I’m assuming you have a car and a cooler!? My husband is taking me backpacking for the first time this summer, and I have no idea what to eat! He wants to eat packaged pasta. Yuck.
Not a dumb question at all! I should have gone into more detail on that
We always pack a cooler, with a bag of ice and some ice packs. We drive to the campsite and store our food in the car at night (bears!). As far as backpacking goes, some of this will still work, so long as you have access to a fire. Sweet potatoes and peppers are light and don’t really need to be kept cool, you can bring dry beans and cook them, etc. Quinoa is a great one because it’s high in protein, and cooks really fast. Plus, it’s not exactly heavy 
To have a healthier packaged pasta alternative, just bring dried quinoa or millet, a premixed spice packet (make it yourself or buy one), and some easy to store and carry veggies like carrots. You can totally trump that packaged pasta junk! 
Oh, and we definitely brought hummus in our backpacks for our hike. It worked fine for that day! Almonds, raisins, and apples are lifesavers too.
THANK YOU so much!!! These are really wonderful ideas. I happen to have tons of quinoa in our pantry. Perfect! (and SO much better than packaged pasta).
Oh, and I’m new to your blog, but I really like it. I’ll definitely be checking in once and awhile.
You are most welcome!
Perhaps I’ll do a post more in detail? Backpacking is definitely a different ball game, having to keep weight and such in mind. Hope you find future posts helpful as well!
Wow what great ideas. I don’t like camping but this can be done on the grill too. You really do it right in my book. How long do the sliced sweet potatoes take approx?
Thanks Maryann! I’m not sure how long the sweet potato took… Hm… I would guess about 10-15 minutes directly in the hottest coals? Sorry I can’t be more helpful! It’s easy to check ‘em and put ‘em back though
I love your blog you have the recipes I would use in daily life. I don’t have a lot of time easy is better. Thanks!
That is some seriously impressive food for camping! Confession, I’ve never actually been camping! Kind of don’t have any desire but after seeing what you guys ate out there, maybe I could make it work?
You could totally make it work! If you decide to give it a try, just go to a place that has bathrooms and water, so you don’t feel too overwhelmed. Transition into camping slowly at first. My husband “hated” camping for a few years after having a bad experience, but he just needed to give it a try with better food and better planning
That is the nicest campfire meal I’ve ever seen! Usually we go with hotdogs and smores — but this looks great!
I thought it might be nice to share some alternatives
Sometimes breaking with traditional stuff can be fun!
Great ideas! That curry looks yummy!
Thanks Hannah!
Bookmarking! I loved my first ever camping trip and want to repeat it — but I want to repeat it with veggies. This is so useful.
Yay! Glad you found it helpful. Veggies make such a difference when camping
Everything looks delicious, especially the charred sweet potato! Something about cooking over a real fire imbues food with the most amazing, unique flavour!
Thanks Teniesha! I totally agree…something about the simplicity of fire and food just works
For a second there you had me wanting to go camping… NOT! Great post. I’m passing it along to my camping friends.
Ha!
Thanks Chris!
I love the curried veggies idea and shall use it in Divide, CO! You are an inspiration!
Do it!!!
I made a vegetable curry this weekend for some hungry church guests – yum! It turned out great!!!
Everything looks delicious but those sweet potatoes?! OMG.
And I think I need to try curry again. I tried it for the first time in England and that experience was AWFUL. Yours looks so good though!
The sweet potatoes are so good I’ve started making them like that at home! So sad that the curry was gross
I found the key to me liking curry was actually to make it more oil/water based than coconut milk based. I think it just takes some playing around to find what you like. Curry is so adaptable, I’m sure you’ll <3 it once you find a combo that works for you! 
I’m going camping with a youth group and I can’t wait to make food like this while everyone else slowly transitions from mocking me to being sick from hotdogs while envying my delicious food.
Show them what’s up, Chad. Show them what’s up!
I’m going camping this fall-first time ever-eeek! But I am super pumped! Thanks for the great tips and ideas
Yay! Hope you have a great time (and that these tips come in handy)
You know, I love the outdoors. I also love to sleep indoors at the end of the day. My top three reasons *not* to camp are: 1) nature is loud. 2) everything gets wet. 3) food gets gross. This shows that #3 can be overcome… thanks for bringing me one step closer to sleeping al fresco!
LOL! I’ll try to show you that 1 and 2 can be overcome as well
My husband had the same big issues, but now he’s found ways to avoid all three! I will say, the camp food is probably the best way to persuade yourself (or someone else, in my case with the hubs)!
Last summer Doug and I went camping a few times – I had never gone prior to this (besides the camping in someone’s backyard thing) and it was SO FUN. We made oatmeal in the morning using the pot/fire method, which I loved and grilled tons of veggies. Yum. We also made bootleg gin & tonics which was probably my most favorite thing about camping at the time. That and sleeping thisclose to a lake. So cool.
Sometimes, I like to just sleep outside on our apartment deck when we can’t squeeze a camping trip in… Weird? Mayhaps. Ahhh warm oatmeal over a fire! Yes! I thought about that, but I’m still trying to figure out if GF oats work for me or not. For some reason the only ones that are fine are those in LoveGrown granola. Which…hey, I’m not complaining. That stuff is ridic legit. Anyway. Back on track. Reading your comment had me drooling and dreaming of a gin and tonic. And it’s noon. We had to “settle” for Zevia rootbeer, but it was perfect for those nights! I think we wanted to keep our wits about us because of the hobo right next to us… Seeing as he was constantly drunk, and carried around a machete at all times, we decided to be prudent. Ha!
Also, should you ever come to visit (*cough cough* subtlety *cough*), we should camp it up a few notches. Yesss.
Great meal ideas for camping–that is what I call “cooking it up a notch” while camping
Thanks for sharing!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Thanks Angel
Thanks for sharing the vegetable curry idea. We camp a lot and you inspired me to make this while we were tent camping last week. It was such a welcome change to some of my old standbys, and I loved how fragrant it was when cooked over the fire. Somehow it tasted even better than it does at home…isn’t that why we all love camping?!
I am SO delighted to read this comment. Thanks for telling me know how it went, and for letting me be a small part of your fun trip (in a way)!
I tried to recreate the curry when we got home, but it’s so true: nothing tastes as good as camp food made over a fire. <3!