Cooking On the Road

The joys of travel!  Trying different local cuisine at restaurants and street shacks is such a big part of our adventure!

  But, let's not rule out the fun of cooking while we are camping (no sarcasm intended!).  We have kept our meals somewhat simple, cooking on a 2-burner stove, with most of our meals prepared in just one frying pan.  Lots of one-pot meals, which means we are also eating out of these really big soup mugs, which can be enjoyed easily while sitting around a campfire or picnic table.  

Yes, we prepare and eat most of our meals in our camper van, but with our roots going back to camping in tents and preparing meals on picnic tables or even on big rocks while backpacking, we've kept the camping standard in our cooking style.

Menu planning starts with having ingredients on hand, and I've listed all the ingredients we always have on hand, organized by the must-have's and the interchangeables, both in herbs and spices and in vegetables/starches/dairy and meats.  I have also dilineated here by how long we plan to be on the road, i.e. for a week or less, or more than a week.  We plan to stop for food every 3 to 5 days, since our camper van holds about that much food on the road.  So, the amount of food you can stow will tell you how often you need to stop, and how much to purchase!  Don't over-buy at the store; nothing is less fun than having too much food on hand that you have to move around until there is a spot for it in the larder cabinet!

Ingredients to have on-hand for 5 days of cooking, for 2 people with hearty appetites:

Must-have:

3 fresh onions

2 heads fresh garlic

3-5 interchangeable greens

1/2 lb mushrooms

3 carrots

1 tomato

3-5 interchangeable meats or veggie proteins

milk (fresh, or powdered if you like it on cereal)

cream cheese-spreadible

1 cup of cheesy or other dip, soft cheese or hummus for snacks

1 stick butter

instant rice - 3 cups 

1 large baking potato

1 lb pasta

6 eggs (or egg beaters are much easier!)

6 bananas

3 interchangeable fruits

coffee or tea, or instant hot chocolate for 5 days

1/2 cup your favorite sugar, syrup or honey

1 package favorite cookies

1 package favorite chips (pringles pack really well!)

1 box of favorite crackers

1 can tomato paste

1 can evaporated milk

1 can pinto or refried beans

1 loaf bread

favorite sandwich fixin's for 5 days

mustard 

mayonaisse

olive oil - 8 oz

1 bottle vermouth or cheap white wine (a small bottle is plenty)

shreaded cheddar, and parmesan cheese - 16 oz

granola or oatmeal

6 power bars or granola bars (emergency snack)

Spices:

If only on the road for one week, we just bring lemon pepper, salt, oregano, balsamic vinegar, curry powder, and soy sauce, (or dr. Braggs Liquid Aminos is a better option than soy sauce! Plus, less gluten in it).

But, here is our full spice list, for our longer journeys.  Use the smallest spice containers for optimal packing. You won't need that much of these during your trip.  If your favorite seasoning isn't in this list, add it!

cardamon

black pepper

chipotle pepper

garlic powder

lemon pepper

oregano or Italian Herbs blend

curry powder

garam masala

anise/fennel seed

flavored sea salt

taco seasoning mix

balsamic vinegar

Dr. Braggs Liquid Aminos

Here is our spices and hot drinks cupboard. These plastic bin drawers are a real life-saver!

Interchangeable Greens:

two meals worth of any 3 of these:

-broccoli florets

-brussel sprouts

-zucchini

-cabbage

-spinach

bring lettuce if you like salads or putting it on sandwiches. Otherwise, don't bring it and keep the space for other greens in the cooler.

Interchangeable Meats:

Unless you have a fridge/freezer, don't plan to bring a lot of fresh meat!  Maybe just 1 meal's worth, and cook it the first night you purchase it.  Otherwise, have these on hand:

2 meals worth of any 3 of these:

-Canned meats: roast beef, turkey, or chicken

-Sausage meats: kielbasa, turkey sausages (aidel's) or any other pre-cooked favorite (we mostly cut these up and mix with greens, we don't eat them like hot dogs).

-Tofu - firm 1lb

-Soy-based sausage

-Other favorite vegetarian protien source food

-1 meal's worth of a breakfast sausage, pre-cooked, for a fancy egg breakfast meal.