Summer Camping Cookin'
 As I told you before, I am cooking challenged. Can you imagine what I am like on a camping trip - no microwave? Faced with a campfire and a pointed stick to cook with? Beans and franks. Yup, I am a pro when it comes to a can of brown beans and a package of hotdogs. Add popcorn (in one of those tinfoil pans that poof up) for the vegetable and you have a complete meal!
 My friend, Holly is the complete opposite. This gal can look into a near empty fridge and pull together a complete meal! And it tastes great. The first time I watched her cook over a campfire was magical. Out of thin air, she pulled together chicken fajitas that were absolutely delicious. And it took her less time than it did for my husband to hunt down the two pointed sticks we needed to cook our hotdogs!
That was nearly 15 years ago. Since then, I have learned to make Holly's Chicken Fajitas and ...drumroll please... I have even substituted ground beef for the chicken! Add some extra spices, and it tastes pretty good. Good enough even to serve to company. On the July long weekend, she did it again - freshly grilled vegetables! Mmmmmmm.
Holly's Campfire Chicken Fajitas - serves 4 hungry hikers
(you don't really need a campfire to make these - a stove works too)
2 boneless chicken breasts (or 6 boneless chicken thighs - cheaper)
1 onion
2 peppers (choose from green, red, orange, or yellow - more colorful)
1 T cooking oil (or cooking spray if you are cutting down on fat)
salt and pepper
1 T oregano - optional (gives it a Greek flavor)
1 T lemon juice - optional (adds to the Greek flavor)
4 10" whole wheat soft tortilla shells
1/2 cup shredded cheese (we use whatever is in the fridge - cheddar, marble, mozzarella)
1 sliced tomato
sliced lettuce (sometimes I use fresh spinach - no one can tell the difference!)
sour cream
salsa
Slice the chicken into 1/2 inch strips. Slice the peppers and onions. Holly had everything sliced and packed into plastic bags so they were ready to cook. Heat a frying pan and add the cooking oil or spray. Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until chicken is done. This just takes a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the onions and the pepper. Quickly stir-fry. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and oregano. The vegetables should still be slightly crunchy. Add the chicken back into the saucepan - mix together.
Each person gets one whole wheat tortilla. Spread a spoonful of cooked chicken and vegetables. Add your choice of tomato, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Roll the tortilla from one end to the other. I try to tuck the ends in so the meat and vegetables won't slip out. My husband doesn't even try. He just starts eating!
Cindy's Brave Substitution - Campfire "Beef" Fajitas
I can't believe these taste so good - and I figured it out all on my own! I bravely added a little of this, and a little of that... thanks Holly!
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion
2 peppers (choose from green, red, orange, or yellow - more colorful)
1 T cooking oil (or cooking spray if you are cutting down on fat)
salt and pepper - optional
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 cup salsa (mild or hot - depends on what you like)
4 10" whole wheat soft tortilla shells
1/2 cup shredded cheese (we use whatever is in the fridge - cheddar, marble, mozzarella)
1 sliced tomato
sliced lettuce (sometimes I use fresh spinach - no one can tell the difference!)
sour cream
salsa
Slice the peppers and onions. Brown the ground beef until cooked (no more pink showing). Add the cumin, chile powder, and salsa. Cook for a couple more minutes. Remove the beef from the pan. Add the onions and the pepper. Quickly stir-fry. Season with salt and pepper (I usually skip the salt and pepper when I am using ground beef). The vegetables should still be slightly crunchy. Add the cooked ground beef back into the saucepan - mix together.
Each person gets one whole wheat tortilla. Spread a spoonful of cooked beef and vegetables. Add your choice of tomato, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Roll the tortilla from one end to the other. I try to tuck the ends in so the meat and vegetables won't slip out. My husband doesn't even try. He just starts eating!
Holly's Grilled Fresh Vegetables - serves about 6
This recipe is being created from memory. Holly served this over the July long weekend at a work place camp party. We were talking about old times, new careers, our husbands, and our children. By the time I finished my drink, she had her dish ready for her husband to slip onto the barbeque. I haven't changed LOL - our supper was a platter from the deli section of the grocer - ready to eat.
You have to follow these directions carefully....
1 onion - sliced
2 peppers (whatever color you have in the fridge) - sliced
3 celery stalks - sliced
3 carrots - sliced
1 pound mushrooms - cut into quarters
2 cups chopped broccoli
what ever other vegetables you might have in the fridge
3 tablespoons olive oil
fresh ground pepper
spices (see below)
Mix all the vegetables, oil, and fresh ground pepper into a huge bowl. Then track down the spices. The easiest way to do this is to go to your neighboring campers and ask them what they brought for spices (did I mention that Holly is very friendly?). Bring back the assortment of Mrs. Dash, lemon pepper, oregano, garlic powder, dill and whatever else you collect. No salt though. Add about two to three tablespoons (combined) of the spices that look the most interesting to you. Mix it all together. Place the vegetables into a grill for cooking veggies over the barbeque. Pass this off to your husband to cook on the barbeque.
About 5 minutes later, tell your husband to flip the vegetables so they won't burn. Delicious!
And our ready to eat deli food? Soggy and bland. Blech!
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