Category Archives: CAMPING RECIPES

LOWFAT INDIAN CURRY SAUCE

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Usually when I make an Indian curry sauce it contains a lot of delectable fat. But we are trying to eat healthier, so I came up with this low-fat version. And it not only tastes wonderful, it’s just as satisfying as my old standard. Well – almost. (My mouth still loves the richness of butter and sour cream. But I’m sure my heart is happier with a bit of veggie oil and fat free yogurt. As of course is my jubilant conscience whenever I make a more “advantageous to my body” decision!)

Anyway, I worked out this recipe mainly to take along with us on our most recent trailer trip. Therefore, I wanted a curry sauce that would freeze well, work well with an assortment of meats or seafood, of course be delicious, and able to assuage our possibly devastating hunger while parked in the wilds of the Canadian Rockies. (I mean seriously. You can get mighty hungry after a long day of looking at beautiful scenery or staying around camp and reading a good book!)

So one evening we feasted in style with this sauce combined with diced and sautéed chicken, ladled over cooked brown rice, then topped with the condiments listed below. A simple salad on the side and life was just about as good as it gets.

So if you too love Indian curry, give this recipe a try. It’s really tasty and a lot healthier than more traditional recipes that call for butter and sour cream.

But if you should happen to want a creamy, old fashioned curry sauce recipe, you should consider preparing my Curry Sauce for Chicken, Shrimp, Beef, or Lamb on this site. It’s amazingly good and I’ve been making it for decades. In fact, it was one of my children’s favorite foods. It even includes cream of mushroom soup. And if that doesn’t make you want to rush into your kitchen and prepare it this instant, I don’t know what would?

And if you have never eaten Indian curry, you are missing out on one of life’s culinary pleasures. Indian food is delicious. So try some soon. Remember – today, tomorrow and all the future days of your life are not dress rehearsal days. This is it! And it’s SHOW TIME! So try a new recipe. Or make an old favorite that you haven’t prepared in a long time. Or learn to play the ukulele if that has always been your dream. Just don’t prepare a recipe while playing a ukulele. Makes for a horrendous mess! Hugs to all.

1 T. vegetable oil

½ yellow onion, finely chopped

½ carrot, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 T. minced fresh ginger

2 tsp. curry powder, or more to taste

2 tsp. dried parsley

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 can (15-oz.) crushed or petite diced tomatoes (Italian preferably)

1 c. fat free plain yogurt

In a large heavy pan, heat the veggie oil. Add the onion and carrot; cook until soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the curry powder, dried parsley, and salt.

Add the canned tomatoes and yogurt; bring to a simmer and let burble for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add whatever cooked meat or seafood takes your fancy. Adjust seasoning. Or before adding meat or seafood, allow the sauce to cool and store in your freezer. Then when you are ready to use, heat over medium heat and add your meat, seafood or veggies of choice. Great for camping trips.

Condiments:

chopped cashew nuts

thinly sliced green onion

mango chutney

         

CAMPING WILD AND BROWN RICE PILAF

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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.