We Ate Like Kings
29 Thu, 2010 § 5 Comments
Because we didn’t have any climbing gear to pack, we had ample room for food & cookware.
A mere sampling of our car camping eats:
Angela’s In A Jiffy Curry Chickpea Burgers
The first time we had these, they kind of fell apart in the oven, but I loved the flavor. I do not know if it was the freezing before hand or the pan frying method, but they were an awesome arrival dinner our first night. The outside browned & crisped up just slightly. I’ll be making them like this at home. SO GOOD!
Process until smooth:
- ½ C Oats
- 2 Carrots
- 1 ½ tsp Curry
- ½ tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp Tumeric
- ¼-½ tsp Sea Salt, to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Parsley flakes [optional–did not use]
Add:
- 1 ½ C cooked chickpeas [add these as 1/2C increments]
- 1T coconut oil, melted
Stir in:
- 3T Sunflower seeds
- ¼ C Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Wet hands & shape into patties. Angela suggests baking at 375* for about 20 minutes. Like I mentioned, freezing “raw”, then pan-frying seems to be the way to go though or at least finish them off on the grill if you bake them.
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Flax & Oat Breakfast Power Muffins. Another treat from Angela [can you tell I have a blog crush on her yet?]
I love how I feel after eating these — not heavy & gross like many muffins leave me — but I will probably tweak this a bit, because I’m not completely loving the flavor & texture yet. If I discover a tweaking trick, I’ll share.
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Veggie & Black Soy Bean Scramble in Rice Tortillas
Campfire Salmon with Blackberry Sauce
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Scape & White Bean Dip via Ashley, who is amazingly creative in the kitchen.
We love hummus, but it’s nice to switch it up a bit; white beans are usually our next go-to. The garlic scapes give this a nice, pale shade of green & make me think this would be an excellent dip to sneak in some spinach [no one will ever know] & make it even greener & more fun! We devoured this with raw cauliflower & Olive chips.
- 4 Garlic Scapes, chopped
- Juice from 1 lemon
Add:
- 2 C White Beans, cooked
- ½ tsp Sea Salt
- Pepper, to taste
Stream in 1T EVOO at a time, alternating with 1T water until you reach the desired consistency.
- ¼ C EVOO
- 2-5T Water
I wanted an afternoon-energy-boosting-snack that was not oat based [since the muffins were primarily oats]. This granola, with its complete protein quinoa, seemed the perfect fit. It was lovely sprinkled over large lunch salads. Mmm…strawberries & balsamic.
I checked midway through cooking & decided it needed dried cherries thrown in; I’m glad I did. This simple granola is not super flavorful, so the cherries amped it up some. This creative spin on granola is sure a party, but not exactly a party in my mouth. Next time, I’ll follow Ashley’s suggestion & add coconut butter in the mix; I might also swap walnuts for cashews, which Dave will like more. Even so, I can’t stop munching on it — it’s great with rice milk — so it must have something my body needs.
We never have wine — alcohol for that matter — while camping, because…well, I guess it’s just not our usual style. For this trip though, we found this 2007 “earth friendly” Cabernet Sauvignon from California & even managed to safely pack the wine glasses. Neither of us really cared for this particular bottle; we found it fairly acidic. Dave & I enjoy saving & writing on some of our corks; we display them in a bowl at home: mini-journals of special occasions, friends, events, etc. [Thanks for the awesome idea Julie!]
Tea
Essential for me while camping. It warms me up on those cold, cold mornings & soothes my tummy in the evenings. Camping seems to throw my digestive system for a loop; & next thing I know, it’s off & I feel less than terrific. Ginger & Lemon Tea does wonders for calming my tummy, & I’m anxious to explore other blends that may help. Though the weather was generally quite hot on this trip, I still enjoyed my tea by simply adding cold water or rice milk after it brewed. In the future, I think I’ll take fresh lemon to add to water in the morning like I do at home. This is an amazingly cleansing way to start off your day.
Raw Brownie Balls
Rich. Decadent. Glorious. These are a favorite indulgent from TKD that do not feel indulgent; raw desserts are like that — they just seem clean & nourishing even — so I make these often. These little beauties are even growing on Dave: from his first taste test came this reply: “kind of nutty” [not a lover of nuts in treats] ; this time: “mmm, chocolatey.”
Process until coarsely ground:
- ½ C raw Walnuts
Add & pulse until well combined:
- ½ C Pitted Dates
- ½ C Carob Powder
Add:
- ½ C Maple Syrup
- ½ C Organic raw Almond Butter
- ½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract [I used half a Vanilla Bean]
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
Process until thick & smooth.
Add:
- ½ C whole raw Almonds
-Pulse a few times until combined, keeping chunky for crunch.
-Allow to sit outside the freezer for a couple minutes before devouring 😉
To me they taste like heaven & brownies [hence the name alteration — she calls them Raw Balls, which just sounds weird to say to people].
I made about 17 balls [my “golf balls” are kind of small, so I can eat two at a time & not feel bad :P]. I could probably get 18 out of these by the time I scrape all the sticky batter & stop “taste testing” — did I mention — they taste like brownie batter!
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What do you normally eat while camping? I’m anxious to try other meals & make more of our camping experiences “gourmet”. 🙂
Snap Peas & Lemon Butter
16 Fri, 2010 § 1 Comment
Did you know peas are actually a pretty great source of protein? Just one cup of Sugar Snap Peas has about 10 grams. Paired with Edamame, in mere minutes, you’ve got yourself a perfect light, spring dish with a nice little dose of afternoon protein. This simple dish is from a great little cookbook, The Kind Diet.
- 2C Sugar Snap Peas, trimmed
- 1C frozen shelled Edamame, thawed
- 1bunch Radishes, trimmed & thinly sliced
Cook in boiling water for 1 minutes. Drain & rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. This is called parboiling.
- 1T EVOO
- 1 Garlic Scape, chopped
- OR minced garlic OR shallot OR whatever you prefer
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic or shallot & saute 2 to 3 minutes until soft.
Add drained snap peas, edamame, radishes & 1/4 tsp sea salt; cook for 1 minutes or until heated through.
Remove from heat & stir in:
- 2tsp Lemon Zest, finely grated
- 1tsp Earth Balance butter
- 3/4tsp Umeboshi Vinegar (or other vinegar)
- Juice of 1/4 Lemon
- 1/4tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
Garlic Scapes, Finally!
13 Tue, 2010 § Leave a comment
You cannot imagine my excitement when I saw these beauties at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday!
What are they exactly?
Garlic Scapes.
As the familiar garlic bulb develops underground, a tiny shoot pops through, eventually becoming long & thin & glorious. Harvesting the scape allows the plant to put more of its energy into the bulb–& gives us these beautiful wonders to accentuate culinary attempts.
They taste like, well, garlic but with a lot less bite. Delicate & Delicious.
If you come across scapes–or are lucky enough to have your own garlic patch to harvest–rather than eying them with hesitation & fear, grab a handful & explore their flavor. Add them to eggs, pasta, rice, stir-fries & dips. I’m making pesto!
For my premier garlic scape experience, I added one to a simple Garlic Scape & Zucchini Frittata–made with local eggs of course 🙂
Fresh & simple–this is how I eat & cook–so I often don’t use exact measurements but rather cook by taste. I encourage you to do the same. Here are the basics for this frittata; but, use whatever vegetables you have on hand & prefer, use more egg (I like more vegetable than egg), different seasonings, fresh herbs–whatever you like–make it yours & have fun experimenting. Mushrooms, asparagus–par boil first–spinach, artichoke hearts are all excellent. I’ve found cooking frittatas slowly, using lower heat, keeps the eggs creamy & tender.
- I sauteed 1 chopped garlic scape in EVOO in a small oven-safe skillet on low-medium for 5 minutes or so.
- Added 1 small zucchini, sliced thinly with a vegetable peeler & sauteed until just tender yet still crisp.
- Whisked together one whole egg & one egg white with a pinch of dried basil & sea salt, then poured over vegetables.
- I left it over the stove for another minute or so.
- Then popped it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until set (to my preference).
- I flipped on the broiler for the last couple minutes, because I enjoy my top & edges slightly browned.
- Slid it onto a plate & enjoyed with toast.
What has been your most exciting Farmer’s Market, CSA or garden find recently?