Tag Archives: camping

Fajita Foil Dinners

I had planned to make these on our last camping trip. Unfortunately, I forgot the foil, so I ended up putting everything in the Dutch oven instead. (Worked pretty well, actually!) Since we were getting bell peppers in our box this week, I decided to get limes, too, and try it at home. Potatoes aren’t a traditional fajita ingredient, but I can’t fathom a foil dinner without them.

Foil Fajita Dinners

You could slice the chicken and serve in a tortilla. However, I was too lazy to do that, so we just put the salsa on top. (Also, trying to watch carbs here; didn’t think we needed potatoes and tortillas.) It was raining, so I ended up cooking them on the gas grill instead of our fire pit, so the cooking time might be a little off.

Fajita Foil Dinners
Recipe type: Main, Camping
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 limes
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 pound thin skinned potatoes, diced
  • Your favorite fajita toppings
Instructions
  1. Zest one lime, juice both limes. Combine lime juice and zest, oil, garlic, and cumin in a zip top bag. Add chicken. Marinate overnight.
  2. Heat coals or preheat grill. Tear 4 sheets of heavy duty, wide aluminum foil about 5 feet long, fold in half crosswise. Spray one side with non-stick cooking spray. Divide chicken breasts, peppers, onion, and potatoes among the 4 dinners. Drugstore wrap each packet.
  3. Cook for 25-30 minutes, turning half way through. Serve with your favorite fajita toppings.

 

Campfire Dessert Enchilladas

I wanted to make a special dessert while we were camping. I had seen this recipe on Echoes of Laughter for a dessert roll up and thought it looked yummy. I had planned to get some strawberries, but when we got sour cherries in our box this week, I decided to use them instead. I also used chocolate hazelnut spread, hazelnuts, and dark chocolate chunks. I cooked them for about 10 minutes. They were amazing!

Dessert Enchillada

Camping!

We finally got to go camping last weekend! Just to show you how dry it has been here, this is a picture taken near our campsite at Heron Lake State Park. I am standing on what normally is the edge of the water to take this picture.

Heron Lake

I was planning to make fajita foil dinners with marinated chicken and vegetables on Friday night. Went to my kitchen box and there was NO FOIL! (I was positive I had put foil in the box…..) So, instead, we made a southwest style stew in the Dutch oven.

Souhtwest Style Chicken Stew

Because I mixed the salsa into the stew, I lost the flavor of the lime marinade I used for the chicken. I’ll have to try this again (with foil) before I post the marinade recipe. The stew ended up pretty good, though! Those are home made pinwheel rolls, also baked in the Dutch oven.

No recipe today, just a reminder that necessity is the mother of invention!

Foil Chicken “Stir Fry”

While researching sugar snap pea recipes, I discovered this recipe from Eating Well for Five-Spice Shrimp & Vegetable Packets. I LOVE Chinese Five-Spice powder! This recipe also uses crushed red pepper flakes for the marinade, so it is a little hot. Since the dish is cooked in foil packets, this would be a fun foil dinner for camping, too!

Foil Chicken "Stir Fry"

(Sorry about this picture, it was underexposed and required a lot of Photoshop.)

This recipe called for bell pepper. I had yellow carrots from our harvest box, so I used them instead. I also substituted chicken, as I had some on hand.

Foil Chicken "Stir Fry"
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1¼ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in thin strips
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • ¾ pound sugar snap peas, string removed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
  1. Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add chicken, toss to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear 4 two foot sheets of wide aluminum foil, fold in half crosswise. Spray each sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from marinade, reserving the marinade. Divide chicken equally between the 4 foil sheets, placing chicken on the center of each square. Top with the carrots, snap peas, and corn; dividing each vegetable evenly on the center of each foil.
  4. Individually drugstore wrap each portion. Place on the oven rack and bake for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (Open a packet carefully to check, watch out for steam!)
  5. While foil packets are baking, pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for 3-5 minutes, until it thickens.
  6. Serve the chicken and vegetables over rice, topped with some of the thickened marinade.

Dutch Oven Green Chile Stew

Dutch Oven Green Chile StewOver the last few camping trips, I have been working on my Dutch oven cooking skills. Last weekend, I cooked a green chile stew in the Dutch oven. I’m not sure where I got this recipe, but it sure is good! I had made it once before, and we found it too spicy, so I cut back on the cumin this time. I warmed some tortillas over the fire to serve with the stew, and it was a perfect dinner.

Dutch Oven Green Chile Stew
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1¼ pound chicken breast, diced
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 1 14 ounce can low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 medium potatoes, diced
  • ½ cup green chile
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¾ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
  1. Heat the Dutch oven over coals. Brown chicken and onion in oil, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Continue to cook until potatoes are soft, about 45 minutes.

I always do as much chopping and measuring ahead of time as possible. For this trip, I had diced the chicken and onion, and measured out all the ingredients so I just had to add them to the oven.

Happy eating!

Ruth