Convenience Camping

Raw camping, what? Are you thinking "oh my gosh, like, why wouldn't you take advantage of campfire cooking, s'mores are totally the best"?

As I told my dear outdoor adventure companion - "I'm a convenience camper". Take that however you will, but at this exact moment, I'm referring to food.

Preparing your raw meals beforehand is the best idea ever. When you are in the woods it allows for this: Relax. Open container, eat. Relax. Repeat.

If you pack everything in glass containers with lids then you can also use the containers as eating vessels and eliminate extra dishes. Washing dishes cuts into the relax time slot, obviously.

Here are a couple of very simple dishes I made before our recent woodland expedition.

Dinner/Lunch:

Creamy Serrano Corn Salad

The Salad:
3 fresh organic ears of corn, kernels cut off
a handful of fresh green beans, chopped
a few fresh cherry tomatoes, whole (so they don't make a mess of the dish)
a handful of fresh cilantro leaves
a few leaves of fresh basil, sliced
some chopped spring onion or onion of your choice
Place all ingredients in a sealed container.

The Serrano Chili Sauce:
about 1.5-2 cups of raw cashews
a splash of cider vinegar
a touch of water, enough to blend (maybe 1/4 cup or so?)
a fresh serrano chili, chopped, seeds optional
lots of sea salt (to taste)
Blend until smooth. Taste for deliciousness.

Keep the salad ingredients and the sauce in separate containers until you are ready to eat. When it's feeding time, pour the sauce over the vegetables and toss well. Drizzle with hot sauce or chili oil.

Chili Oil:
a mixture of dried peppers (about 8-12 peppers)
olive oil or avocado oil
a few dried onion slices or 1/2 tsp of onion powder
a handful of raw almonds
a handful of raw pecans
sea salt
Place the peppers and nuts in a bowl and pour enough olive oil on them to almost float them, but not quite. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow to marinate on the counter for a few hours or place in dehydrator to warm for about an hour (not sure this step is necessary). Blend all in a vita mix until smooth.

Breakfast:

Coconut Yogurt w/ Vanilla Fruit

The Yogurt:
approx 2 cups of young Thai coconut meat
about 1 tbsp of lemon juice
a few small pieces of lemon zest (maybe 2 thumbnail sized pieces)
water or coconut water to get the blender going
a pinch of sea salt
2 probiotic capsules
Blend everything except the probiotics until smooth. Transfer to a glass bowl and stir in the probiotic powder (open the pills). Let sit on the counter for about 8 hours, then transfer to the fridge.

The Fruit:
Whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand. Pictured here are peaches, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and apricots.
Toss in a bit of fine lemon zest, a few tbsp of lemon juice, fresh vanilla bean or a bit of vanilla extract. Place in a container.

Keep the yogurt and fruit separate until ready to eat. Also top with goji berries or incan/golden berries.

Relax.