camping lunches – Cooking with Campfire

Happy Summer Solstice! The longest day of the year and one of my favorite days. I love summer even though it is a little different this year. I miss baseball, barbecues, hanging by the pool and of course camping. At least I have my family. One thing my family loves is salads. We are usually trying to find new ones especially when we are starting to get tired of some of our favorites. So in honor of summer solstice, I thought I would share one of my favorites. In my family kale and almonds is a hit especially with my mom and sister but I prefer fruit/citrus in my salads. So combining the kale and almonds with some fruit was the inspiration for this one. Also, making your own dressing is so quick and easy once you find one you love, make sure to write it down. Saves on the calories in the bottled stuff!

Ingredients –

Salad:

Kale
Spinach
Strawberries
Sliced Almonds (toasted optional)
Avocado
1/4 cup feta cheese
Sea salt

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (usually 1 lemon)
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. poppy seed
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Directions –

To make dressing, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk until blended (or add to a mason jar and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds to a minute)
In a bowl, toss half spinach and half kale with sea salt
If toasting almonds, line on a baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes keeping a close watch
Slice strawberries and and avocado and add on top of the lettuce blend
Add almonds and feta cheese
Toss with dressing and enjoy!

I would love feedback! If you have tried this recipe, please rate below and/or comment!

This was a new one for last season and since then, I’ve been messing around with my homemade teriyaki sauce. I love spicy and this one definitely has a kick. But if you don’t want spicy, omit the cayenne and red chili peppers.

Ingredients –

2/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup seasame oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 inches garlic, grated – I bought one of these at an Art & Wine Festival and it has been great for grating garlic and ginger!

3 to 4 oz. pineapple juice

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

Green onions, chopped

Skewers

Directions –

Blend or whisk all together

Add green onions to bag
Add cut chicken in cubes, veggies (red onion, bell peppers, mushrooms) and cubes pineapple
Add marinade
Marinate for a few hours or preferably over night before leaving on your camping trip. (Another fun tip, if you don’t plan to have this until the second or 3rd night of your trip, marinate a few hours and then freeze. It helps keep your ice chest cool!)
Also another fun tool that makes coring a pineaple so easy to cut is this! One of my favorite purchases that I didn’t think I needed but now am so grateful to have
When ready, alternate chicken, veggies and pineapple on skewers like these and place on grill. Grill for about 4 minutes on each side.