One of the hardest decisions I’m faced with when we are on a trailer trip is what side dish to fix with a simple meat entree. It’s easy to take a couple pork chops or chicken breasts out of the freezer, but then what am I going to serve with them? And yes I do sometimes buy rice, risotto, or quinoa packaged mixes to take along for just this kind of situation. But most package mixes just don’t taste as good as those I prepare at home.

So for our last trailer trip, I made up my own “pre-packaged” rice pilaf to take along for 2 of our dinners. (I cooked the rice the first night, served half, then put the remainder in my fridge for later on in the week.) It worked out great! And it was ever so much tastier than any rice that I’ve previously served that came in a box from the grocery store. (Plus no unpronounceable ingredients to worry about!)  

So I decided I would be preparing homemade rice, quinoa, and even pasta side dish packages in the comfort of my home kitchen before all of our camping trips from now on.

So in celebration of this momentous decision, I have added a new CATEGORY on this blog just for recipes that can easily be pre-packaged in your home kitchen and cooked in your trailer, RV, boat galley, or over a camp stove. (Long sentence, but it just had to be said!)

So if you are a camper or boater and want to serve the same level of delicious food while you are on an adventure, be it over land or sea, keep watching for other recipes under the CATEGORY – CAMPING RECIPES. (Clever name right?!?!)

And while we’re on the subject of food for camping or boating, if you have a good sized freezer I recommend that you stock that freezer really well before you leave home. It is very difficult to find the same kind of choices you are used to when you are shopping in a mom and pop or small convenience store in a small town. But if you plan ahead, you can start your trip with such delicacies as homemade chili, soup, beef stew, meat loaf, meatballs, marinara sauce, curry sauce – to mention just a few. Plus I always include an uncooked package of pork chops, chicken breasts, ground lamb, pork tenderloin, frozen uncooked shrimp, steak, bacon, sausage, and a couple packages of ground beef. Of course I always have to augment my initial supply, but I wait until I get to a good sized town to purchase additional provisions.

But enough about me! This post is really about this dish. It’s tasty and easy to prepare. Nuff said!

Savory Dry Ingredients: (Combined at home before you leave)

2 T. dehydrated onion

2 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. granulated garlic

½ tsp. dried sage

½ tsp. dried marjoram

½ tsp. celery salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. finely chopped dried mushroom pieces (porcini, shiitake, chanterelle)

Combine all of the above ingredients and store in an airtight container. (I use a small plastic bag.)

Rice and Almonds: (Packaged at home before you leave)

½ c. wild rice

¾ c. brown rice

1/3 c. slivered or sliced almonds

Place each in a small plastic bag.

When you’re in camp or docked for the night:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2¾ c. broth – veggie, chicken, beef, etc.  (I use water and broth crystals when camping)

Bring the olive oil and vegetable broth to a boil in a large covered saucepan and add the wild rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir a couple of times while wild rice cooks. After the 15-20 minutes, add the brown rice and the savory dry ingredients (recipe above).

Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 45 minutes or until the rice is tender. Again, give the rice a stir or two during the cooking process.

When the rice is done, remove from heat and add almonds; stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork just before serving.