Camping Dining Delights

When it comes to eating while camping I am not a hot dogs, beans, and canned soup kind of gal. Okay, that's not 100% true; those are usually our lunchtime go-tos. Along with KD. (For our non-Canadian readers KD is Kraft Dinner, essentially a fast-cook form of macaroni and cheese.) But when it comes to dinner, I like meals with more substance. Camping burns a lot of energy and I find I am usually very hungry by the time dinner rolls around.

For our first vanventure meal we had BBQ ribs, grilled corn on the cob, and my "green" salad with homemade cilantro lime dressing. (Hint there was left over dressing that I used the next night as a marinade on our grilled salmon)

GRILLED CORN

Corn is easy. We grill it on the open fire. Jim gets a good fire going that eventually turns to a bed of hot coals, I drench the cobs in water, and then we place them directly on the fire grill, turning every 10 minutes or so. They usually take about 45 minutes to an hour to cook. When cooked peel back the husk and enjoy corn on the cob like you've never had.

BBQ RIBS

I prep my ribs in advance at home. An old family secret is to boil the ribs before BBQing. I go through my fridge and throw all the veggies that are starting to look limp and sad - anything and everything - into the water along with some onions, garlic, peppercorns and sea salt. Boil the ribs in this for about an hour. Then remove them from the water, let them cool, and then place them in a Ziploc freezer bag and drench in your favourite BBQ sauce. When you get to your campsite, you simply throw the ribs onto the BBQ and cook until warmed through and the sauce is sticky and browned. Not only is this an easy way to cook ribs, its a great way to use up old veggies, and I guarantee you these will be the most flavorful and tender ribs you have ever had!

GREEN SALAD

Finally my "green" salad. This is not a traditional green salad, as it is not called a green salad because lettuce is the main ingredient, but rather it is one of many green vegetables I add. Everything is chopped into small pieces, even the lettuce. Again this is a great way to use up odds and ends in your vegetable drawer. My salad usually consists of some or all of the following:

• romaine lettuce

• baby spinach

• sugar peas

• asparagus

• cucumber

• green onions

I throw all this in a large sealed container. I put the cilantro lime dressing in a separate container. When we get to the campsite, I simply pour the dressing over the chopped salad, pop the lid back on the container, give it a shake, and voila, delicious, crisp, fresh salad loaded with veggies for dinner.

We don't know what it is, but Jim and I agree that food always seems to taste better when camping. This meal was particularly delicious!

CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

1 cup fresh cilantro

juice of one lime

2 to 4 tablespoons honey (less honey for a tangy dressing, more for a sweeter dressing)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender (I use my smoothie bullet) and mix until smooth. Store in sealed bottle in fridge until ready to use.

HINT: this dressing also makes an excellent marinade for salmon, halibut or prawns. And it can also also be mixed with chopped onions and tomatoes to make a delicious salsa.