RECIPES FOR THE ROAD
Meals to Cook Up in Your Camper Van
Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you have to skimp on delicious, wholesome meals!
We’ve teamed up with two of our favorite Washington food brands, Girl Meets Dirt and Firefly Kitchens, to bring you some seriously tasty recipes for the road. Packed with flavor, high-quality ingredients, and simple preparation—these meals will elevate your camping cooking and satisfy even the most discerning tastes. It’s ok to drool a little …
Pink Bartlett Bites
By Girl Meets Dirt
Ingredients:
1 small head radicchio, about 5” diameter, quartered
1 8oz log goat cheese, at room temperature
1 jar Girl Meets Dirt Pink Bartlett Cutting Preserve
30-40 whole pink peppercorns plus 1 tsp. coarsely ground (prep ahead with mortar & pestle or in spice grinder)
2 small shallots, peeled
Vegetable oil (for frying; about ½ cup)
Kosher salt
Preparation:
Prepare crispy shallots (can be made 5 days ahead). Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Thinly slice shallots crosswise into rings.
Place shallots in a medium saucepan and pour in oil to submerge. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often with a fork to encourage rings to separate, until shallots are golden brown, 20–25 minutes. (Keep an eye on them; once they start to brown they’ll darken fast.)
Pour shallots into strainer to drain, then transfer to paper towels. Season with salt and let cool. Reserve shallot oil for another use, like vinaigrettes, stir-fries, and soups.
Whip up goat cheese with 1 teaspoon ground pink peppercorns. Set aside.
Cut out white core from radicchio quarters and separate leaves (each leaf will be a bite and sizes will vary).
Assemble Bites:
Arrange radicchio on a platter or grazing board.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon of pink peppercorn whipped goat cheese onto each radicchio leaf. Top with ½ teaspoon Pink Bartlett Cutting Preserve. Sprinkle with 2-3 crispy shallots. Top with a single pink peppercorn. Can be refrigerated up to one day in advance. Allow to come to room temperature prior to enjoying.
Kimchi Salted Crunchy Nuts
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon Firefly Kimchi Salt
Preparation:
Heat oil in a skillet, stir in seeds and season with the salt. Enjoy! Add a dash of cayenne pepper or coconut oil to jazz them up a little more.
Emerald City Tuna
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
1 cup Emerald City Kraut, chopped
1 can tuna, drained
2-3 tablespoons of mayo
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mix it up and enjoy in a salad, sandwich, wrap or with crackers!
Girlie French 75
By Girl Meets Dirt
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) gin
2 ½ tablespoons (1 ¼ ounce) Girl Meets Dirt Lemon Lavender Shrub
1 cup ice cubes
1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne or Prosecco, chilled
Preparation:
In cocktail shaker, combine gin and shrub. Add ice and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain into chilled Champagne flute and top with sparkling wine. Garnish drink with lemon twist or lavender sprig and serve immediately.
Krauted Egg Salad
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs, mashed
1⁄2 cup Firefly Kimchi, Emerald City Kraut, or Cortido Kraut, minced 2
1 tablespoon mayo or plain greek yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Mix the first 3 ingredients, then salt and pepper to taste. Add finely diced radishes or celery for an additional crunch and use as a dip or a sandwich spread. This also works well mixed into fresh greens and drizzled with olive oil.
Kimchi Peanut Sauce
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter
⅓ Firefly Kimchi Hot Sauce
⅓ warm water
Preparation:
Whisk all 3 ingredients in a bowl or shake it up in a jar! Add a splash of sesame oil, tamari, chili oil, molasses or anything else you think it needs. It’s an excellent dipping sauce for tofu, veggies or chicken, or as a sauce over cooked veggies.
Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Girl Meets Cheese
By Girl Meets Dirt
Ingredients:
2 slices pullman style white bread
1-2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon Spiced Tomato Jam
1.5 slices American cheese
Small handful grated Tillamook aged cheddar
1 jar Tomato Jam
15 grams Sambal Olec
5 grams red wine vinegar
Preparation:
Spread mayo on 3 sides of bread. Spread spiced tomato jam on inner side with mayo. Sprinkle on grated cheddar cheese. Layer on 1.5 slices of American cheese. Top with final slice of bread. Grill directly on griddle until nice and brown.
Ruby Spiced Apple Old Fashioned
By Girl Meets Dirt
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons ( 2 ounces) bourbon or whiskey)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Girt Meets Dirt Ruby Spices Apple Shrub
1-2 dashes Girl Meets Dirt Old Dame Tree Bitters
Optional: 1/4 cup (2 ounces) sparkling or still water, chilled
Preparation:
Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into a rocks glass (extra ice optional). Garnish with a cinnamon stick or herb spring. Optional: top with sparkling or still water to fill.
Recipes to Make at Home & Bring Camping
These easy to make, mouthwatering spreads and dips are just too good not to include! You’re not bringing your blender of food processor along, so whip these up at home before your trip. They’re perfect to prepare a day or two ahead of time, pack in some Tupperware, and enjoy on your journey.
Kimcheese
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
1 8oz cube cream cheese
1⁄2 cup Firefly Kimchi (or more if desired)
2 tablespoons goat cheese (optional)
Splash of kimchi brine if you want it lighter and fluffier
Preparation:
Puree all ingredients until smooth and enjoy! Fantastic on a burger, sandwich or crackers. Or make it thinner with brine for a veggie dip.
Lentil Paté
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
1 cup dark green lentils, cooked
1⁄2 cup Firefly Kimchi
1⁄2 cup toasted pecans
1⁄4 cup caramelized onions
Preparation:
Puree all ingredients until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This is great with crackers or baguette. Also substitute any way you would use hummus.
Ruby Red Tapenade
By Firefly Kitchens
Ingredients:
1 cup Ruby Red Kraut, drained (back into the jar)
1⁄2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Preparation:
Begin by blending Ruby Red Kraut and sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor for a minute. Follow with the remaining ingredients and blend for a minute or two. A few anchovies and pepper make this extra tasty. Enjoy with crackers.
Our favorite ways to enjoy these spreads and dips:
Roll into a wrap
Slather on a sandwich
Mix with rice and beans
Toss into salads
Jazz up burgers and hot dogs
Excellent with eggs
Great on mashed potatoes
Scrumptious with sushi
Top your tacos, nachos or guacamole
Terrific with cheese and crackers
Splendid with sausage
Perfect with pasta
Great over salmon