camping packets

Eating right is always a challenge when cooking in the great outdoors. With a little preparation you can make healthful gourmet meals right in your own campfire by creating foil packets. They pack well, are quick and easy to prepare and require next to no cleanup. We've enjoyed polenta stuffed mushrooms, cajun spiced catfish, artichokes and even chana masala warmed up in the fire!

The stuffed mushrooms, artichokes and chana masala were prepared at home and placed in the aluminum foil packets. They were packed in the cooler fold up in plastic baggies to protect them against melting ice and protect the other food against potential leaks. It's sort of cheating to prepare the food ahead of time, I know, but isn't camping mainly about relaxing? You throw those babies in the fire for a few minutes and you're in business.

The catfish should not be cooked ahead of time so pack them the same way but make sure your cooler is iced up until you're ready to eat. To create foil packets cut off a small square of foil and, shiny side down, place one filet per square on top - season the fish with anything you like - cajun seasoning, a little butter and lemon, garlic, rosemary and thyme - lift the lengthwise sides up to meet in the middle above the fish then fold the foil together from the top 3 or 4 times as if you're folding a paper fan. Fold in the sides in a similar fashion. You want to keep some space between the food and the folds and not wrap the foil tightly around the food. This allows the air to circulate within the foil creating a mini-oven effect. When placing the packets in the fire, try to keep them fold up and as level as possible so you don't lose too much of the wonderful juices. I'm using catfish as an example but any type of fish will work - try salmon with dill and hollandaise or tilapia with kale pesto.

Quick note, though I appreciate a good deal along with the next gal, two things I don't skimp on are cotton swabs and aluminum foil. Just like generic cotton swabs tend to be lacking in cotton, generic foil doesn't have the strength to hold up to the task. Go with the good stuff, it'll cost you less in the end.

The fish only needs to be in the fire about 5 minutes depending on the thickness. To check, take the packet out using a fire glove and carefully unfold the top - watch out for the steam heat - it's...well...hot! Poke the fish with a fork to make sure it's cooked through. When it's ready, serve it up with some arugula, a black bean salad and some mango - find some reggae on your transistor radio and you be jammin'. You can eat the fish right from the foil for easy cleanup. Convenient and tasty. Happy camping!

kale pesto cubes

When I expressed to a fellow foodie friend that I was trying to get more greens in my diet she pulled out a simple recipe for Kale Pesto.

Throw some cleaned and chopped kale leaves into boiling water with some salt and pepper until the greens are tender. Meanwhile spread walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast them. Drain and dry the kale and sautee 3 cloves of garlic. Now the fun begins...

Add the walnuts, kale and garlic to a food processor and make some noise! Slowly add olive oil until the pesto becomes a smooth puree. There are lots of variations including adding parmesan cheese to the process but I feel the walnuts have enough fat in them that it creates a satisfying consistency. You can also substitute or add pine nuts, basil and a squeeze of lemon for a more traditional pesto.

A perfect way to store the pesto comes from the great chef, my mom. Ice cube trays! Fold the pesto into the trays, stick them in the freezer and voila! Whenever you're ready pull out a perfectly portioned kale pesto cube, warm it in a pan with a little olive oil and it's ready to top your next pasta, vegies or crackers.

Certainly, you'd have to eat a tremendous amount of kale pesto cubes to fulfill your body's needs for the nutrients kale offers but it's a healthy step in the right direction!

perfect potluck salads

Today I'd like to share two quick and easy salads that will make you look like a gourmand! They're quickest and easiest if you have a Trader Joe's nearby - they carry two products under the Trader Joe's label that offer the ultimate in convenience and the best part? They don't add anything - no preservatives, no sugar - just steamed and peeled beets and pre-soaked, pre-cooked lentils. If you don't have a Trader Joe's near you it will just be a point of cooking the lentils or beets ahead of time, which adds some time, but will be no less yummy!

As with all my recipes, no two finished products are the same - it's all based on what I have in the fridge at the time but there are always onions! For the beet salad, thinly slice a whole sweet onion and the beets and throw them in a bowl. Be careful when slicing the beets - those little buggers stain! Add the excess juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil. I like to add some greens too - spinach or arugula or basil (or all three!) work well. Stir it up so the onions soak in the beet flavors - this is one of those salads that will taste even better the next day. When serving add some crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese on top for extra fancy flavor!

The lentil salad is basically the same recipe - onions, oil & vinegar, salt and pepper and some greens but I like to dice the onion so they match the size of the lentils and instead of balsamic I prefer red wine vinegar which has a mellower flavor and doesn't overwhelm the lentils. If serving these salads at the same time vary the greens - spinach with the beets and arugula with the lentils, for example, and always basil if you have some available for at least one of them. For even more variety throw a little curry powder into the lentil mix by whisking some with the oil before drizzling it on. If you wish to add cheese at serving time, feta would make a nice addition.

These salads are simple to assemble and travel well - perfect for potlucks! And, since beets, lentils and onions are considered some of our healthiest foods you'll be sharing a good-for-you gourmet alternative.

giant stuffed zucchini

A friend of mine brought me the largest zucchini I've ever seen from her garden. It was as big as a small watermelon. I had just picked up some (more demure) zucchinis at the farmer's market so I had a lot of zucchini to work with. Where to begin?

First I sliced the giant squash in half lengthwise and scooped out the meat. I then placed the shells upside-down on a pan with a little bit of water and placed them in the oven at 325.

Meanwhile I sauteed some garlic and polenta, watering down the polenta with a little broccoli broth (see last week's post). When that was nice and soft I added the scooped out zucchini meat, salt and pepper and basil to taste. Setting that aside I sauteed some shitake mushrooms and added half of them to the polenta mixture. Shitakes are strong in flavor so you can always substitute mellow flavored button mushrooms or even black or green olives, sweet onions or arugula if you're not a big fan of the mushroom. Opening the oven, dumping any leftover water and, flipping the zucchini shells over, I stuffed them with the polenta/mushroom mixture and stuck them back in the oven. At this point, if you like cheese, you can add some fresh parmesan on top. yum.

Meanwhile I took a cucumber slicer and sliced my more demure zucchinis into paper thin strips, added them to the leftover mushrooms with a teensy bit of sweet vermouth and oregano and sauteed them together for a couple minutes.

It sounds strange to serve a side dish containing the same general ingredients as the main entree but because of the different textures it worked!