Easy Camping Food Ideas And Recipes

Camping food ideas can spark up purely by inspiration, visiting the local open markets, fish markets or by pulling over on the road when you see local folks selling their home made products.

Do a little research at the open markets and easy food ideas will probably just pop in your mind. And you can always stock up for a few of days in advance with some food for camping while strolling around.

If you happen to be cruising in your camper van somewhere near the seaside, seafood will probably the choice of the day and if you have a grill and a salad bowl with you, you'll have a healthy and delicious Mediterranean meal in no time.

And don't forget that bottle of wine to go with the meal! It helps digestion, calms you down and relaxes your mind. Just go easy on it...

The best food to take camping? Just about anything you can think of as long as it is easy and simple to prepare.

Now let me show you a few easy camping recipes.

Grilled Seafood And Vegetable Camping Food Ideas

Seafood is actually quite easy to prepare using either a camping grill or a simple frying pan because it doesn't need a long time to grill.

Remember to grill on medium fire or something close to it, because what you're looking for is a nice crust on the outside and tender meat on the inside. But down the line it really depends on you camp grill, so sometimes you'll just have to experience a little bit to get your camping food ideas right.

Different types of seafood can be done this way, so here are just a few basic pointers to help you out...

• Fish has to be thoroughly cleaned out. The grilling time depends on the size of the fish. If your fish is to large for the grill or frying pan, just cut off the head and the tail. Still too large? Well cut it up in steaks! Usually it will be done when the eyes turn white or just pop out.


• Tuna, swordfish or similar are usually cut in steaks. They only need a few minutes on each side to be done.


• Shrimps, prawns and similar kind of seafood are done in minutes. About five minutes on each side I guess. And if you don't mind the trouble you can peel them before grilling.


• Calamari or squid has to be cleaned out first. You can choose by grilling the entire piece or cut them out in rings. Same basic rules apply for the fire and crust though.


• Sea shells, clams or mussels, call them whatever you like, put them on the grill and wait until they open up. It will usually take a few minutes. If they don't open up, throw them away!

For a side dish you can also grill some vegetables. So slice up some zucchini, peppers, onions and potatoes, put them in a bowl, sprinkle some salt and pepper over them, use a bit of olive oil and on the grill it goes! Use a fork to check for tenderness.

For a side dish you can also grill some vegetables. So slice up some zucchini, peppers, onions and potatoes, put them in a bowl, sprinkle some salt and pepper over them, use a bit of olive oil and on the grill it goes! Use a fork to check for tenderness.

With all the delicious seafood above you can use a simple dip or sauce if you like and a touch of a fresh lemon. We call it the "Trieste Sauce" in the north parts of the Adriatic sea and It's simply made of chopped parsley and garlic put in olive oil. And you can use the remains for salad dressing if you want.

Pasta For Nutritious Camping Food Ideas

Pasta or spaghetti with tomato sauce is always an easy made and healthy meal. And the basic and cancer preventing anti-oxidant tomato sauce can be used in a wide variety of easy camping food ideas.

Add some seafood inside and you'll have the meal of the day!

So, how do you make a simple tomato sauce? Well, the hole process is quite simple actually, so let's take a look at it...

• Slice an onion and a couple of garlic cloves (skip either one if you wish)


• Sizzle the onion on a bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes and then add the chopped garlic for a minute or so.  Optional: At this point you can add a nicely cut up anchovy and a chilly pepper if you like spicy food. The chilly pepper is full of vitamin C and is very beneficial for your digestion!


• A glass of wine is a nice touch at this point, just let the alcohol vaporize for a minute.


• Now add the tomatoes, either nicely cut fresh ones or the canned and bottled variations of it.

• The seafood optional: You can add the fruits of the sea (shrimps, prawns, squid and clams) just about 10 minutes after the sauce starts to boil. Why? Because the seafood needs only a short time to be done. If you plan to use canned tuna fish, add it at the end as it only needs to warm up. Easy on the salt and just add some parsley for taste.


• Aha, and now the spices. Again, whatever you can find fresh or a dry mix will do the job just as well. Salt to taste and then is basil, oregano, thyme, parsley and so on.


• All nice and set now, so cook the sauce for about 20-30 minutes on a slow fire. You want all the ingredients and flavors to mingle with each other. And the sauce has to be nice and creamy, so add some water if needed and stir occasionally.

While preparing the sauce, you should boil some salted water on the side for the pasta. Use any kind you like or whatever you can get your hands on. Remember, it's just the easy camping food ideas page, not a fancy meal.

Nutritious Spreads

Spreads are easily made from a wide variety of food ingredients such as fresh and dried vegetables, fish and cottage cheese for example. They're great on crackers, flat bread and all types of bread. All you need is a bowl and a "stick blender" to make the spreads smooth enough.

Let's take a look at a couple of recipes:

The main recipe is easy, then just use your imagination and add whatever you like:

• 2Tbsp olive oil
• 2Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2Tbsp Tahini
  
• 1clove garlic
• a pinch of salt
• can of chickpeas (keep the liquid for a smooth dip!)
  

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and use a stick blender. Add the liquid as needed for smoothness. Cook the chickpeas yourself if you have the time!

Again, throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix it with a "stick blender"or use a fork if you don't have electricity. It's a delicious spread that you can use on your favorite crackers or flat bread.

Prepare one of these spreads before you hit the road. Believe me, you'll appreciate it!

Always Refreshing Salads

A salad can be either an independent meal or a side dish for the recipes above for example. Tomatoes, peppers, peeled cucumbers, carrots, sliced cabbage, olives, onions, garlic and so on, are just some of the fresh ingredients for a hardy salad.

With an addition of a couple of eggs, tuna fish or some cheese, you'll get a light and healthy easy camping food that will keep you running for a long time.

Here's a quick Mediterranean style salad recipe!

• Slice up a few tomatoes and peppers.


• Peel and slice a couple of cucumbers.


• Slice up one onion and a clove of garlic.


• Cut in a couple of hard boiled eggs, drain and add a can of tuna fish and add a few olives of your choice.


• Greek feta cheese or the Italian mozzarella cut in small chunks are a nice touch in your salad!


• Again, don't forget the spices, basil, oregano, parsley and others just make the food taste so much better!


• Mix in some olive oil and vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper and stir well.

So here you have it, some very simple and tasty Mediterranean style camping food ideas. As I said before, there is no right or wrong when preparing a meal and no reason for blindly sticking to a certain recipe. Just take it as a rough guide.

Follow your nose and your instinct. Be creative, experiment, improvise and learn on the way. See what the locals have to offer and put it on your camp grill. You just can't go wrong with easy camping food ideas.

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