More thoughts about camping

It's a really good idea to bring meal ingredients that are flexible.

For example, on our recent trip the weather forecast changed while we were out to include 50+ MPH wind gusts and blowing dust for 2 days.  Not fun outdoor cooking weather.  Happily, I was prepared.  I had grilled a bunch of chicken at home before we left and packed it in the cooler. One night we stayed in the van and ate sliced cold grilled chicken with hummus and avocado in pita for dinner.  Banana bread and fruit went alongside.  The other night we had 'appetizers for dinner' - always a fave - and had guacamole (formerly frozen package) and artichoke jalapeno dip (Costco) on crackers, chips, and pita. Everyone was full, and we minimized the consumption of dust.

What else did I use the grilled chicken for, you ask?  Pad thai.  One our favorite camping meals.  It's easy if you are willing to use a pre-made sauce, and I am.  (We historically used the Thai Kitchen brand, but I'm in the market for a new one because I noted that the most recent package reported that it was made in China. Nothing against the Chinese people, but the food safety record isn't great, and I would prefer even my processed foods to have fewer frequent flyer miles than I do.)  The rice noodles mostly just soak for a while, then get tossed with a couple of quickly-scrambled eggs, sliced chicken (or other protein), and the sauce.  Really impress them by having some slices of lime, ground peanuts, cilantro, and hot sauce on the side.  All are easily prepped at home or brought in the cooler. 

Spinach Moong Masoor Dal

Here's a nice vegetarian dish enjoyed by omnivores as well:

SPINACH MOONG MASOOR DAL
Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side
Adapted from a recipe from Spice of India in Kitchener, Ontario

Ingredients:
· 1/2 cup red lentils (masoor dal)
· 2 Tablespoons split hulled green mung lentils (moong dal)
· 1 3/4 cups water
· 2 Tablespoons ghee or oil ( I used regular butter - use oil for vegan version)
· 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
· 1 medium tomato, diced (I used a 14 ounce can rather than fresh as it is winter)
· 1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seed
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
· 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
· 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon ground chili pepper or to taste
· 1/2 teaspoon amchur (dried green mango) or 1 teaspoon lemon juice (I used lemon juice as I lacked the mango powder, but next time will use the mango powder b/c Nirupma is bringing me some)
· 6 ounces baby spinach (more or less is fine) (I used a 12 ounce package of frozen spinach)

1) Pick over the lentils and remove shriveled bits and pebbles. Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Drain.

2) Place lentils in a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and keep lentils at a gentle simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add some hot water if the mixture seems too thick. Keep in mind that lentils thicken a bit after cooling, so keeping the pot just a bit on the watery side is best.

3) While the lentils cook, place a medium pan on medium heat. Heat the ghee until it shimmers, then add the cumin seeds. They should sizzle immediately. After about 15 seconds, add the onion slices and fry, stirring frequently, until they turn sticky and brown.

4) Add the diced tomato to the onions and cook until the tomato disintegrates. Add the remaining spices and cook until the mixture becomes pasty and thick, several more minutes. (with the canned tomatoes, they didn't really ever disintegrate, or I am not patient enough)

5) When the lentils are tender (this takes 20-30 minutes), add the spinach to the lentils and stir, working in batches if necessary so that the spinach wilts and makes room for additional spinach.  (Frozen spinach is already wilted, of course) Pour the onion/tomato mixture into the lentils and spinach, stir well, then cover and let sit for a few minutes to cook the spinach and develop flavors. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.

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We thought that this dish was pretty mild and benefited a lot from some added spice at the table in the form of pickled jalapenos, hot sauce, or jalapeno-cilantro chutney.  Also, it was even better with the addition of some feta in place of paneer.

For the rice - cook it in the rice cooker, and when the rice is done dump in some frozen mixed peas and carrots or just peas and let the heat of the rice heat up the veg.  Simple.

We also had pita to stand in for chapati or naan which I didn't have time to make.

recipe adapted from: http://www.bonappegeek.com/2007/01/16/one-percent-of-india-dal/

Breakfast baking

Some of the best breakfast baking starts the night before...

Here's the recipe: http://cjzp.blogspot.com/2008/12/just-in-time-for-holiday-breakfast.html


FWIW I did not make the healthy version this time. :-)

Oh yes, I did

I made a cover for my Kindle out of some cardboard, fabric, felt, elastic, and hot glue.  Now I feel productive.  It's really lightweight but should protect from scratches on the screen and cost way less than other covers I have seen.

Pleasant Dinner

Got home last night and didn't know what to make for dinner. Z had been sick and only wanted brown beans (her word for baked beans). Q was sleeping. I had no energy but was pretty hungry, and the fridge was uninspiring but did include a carton of eggs.

Fortunately I turned to the freezer in which I discovered a bag of frozen mixed vegetables and a bag of sweet potato fries.

Into the oven went the fries while I cooked the veg in the microwave and sauteed some onion. Then veggies into the pan with the onions and a few dashes of "Italian seasoning". Beaten eggs atop the mess of vegetables cooked first on the stovetop and then finished in the oven and topped with a leftover bit of smoked blue cheese and some crumbled goat cheese.

Fries drizzled with honey and sprinkled with snipped rosemary and salt.

I can't get away with fritatta every day, but a couple of times a month, it's going into the rotation.

30 minutes. No leftovers, except for Z's brown beans.

Inspirational nugget of the day

...as "clean up is part of play" so is "catching crap from friends is part of having them and spending time together :)". . . you gotsta take the good, the bad and the ugly. . .and sometimes that's icky, but USUALLY it's lots of awesomeness :)

Timbra Wiist on the occasion of a strep outbreak, Dec 2011–Jan 2012

Sharing the inspiration - re-run edition

As the present recipient of much kind help (thank you) from many people, I wanted to honor the notion of small spontaneous service.

I will mention that recently when delayed at an airport, I offered a diaper to a dad who had a baby with him but no bag. He accepted, and everyone was happier. Small thing, indeed.

Frequent visitors to this space will likely recognize bearingblog who writes more thoughtfully than I upon this topic and many others.

Keep up the good works, friends, and tell me about your efforts in the comment box!