Turkey and Cranberry Tarragon Salad

Yield: 4 servings

French tarragon 

Faire du camping (to go camping) correctly the grassahaven team likes to infuse a little French influence into our cooking.  Tarragon, one of the four French fines herbes, is a distinctive herb, with a slight anise or licorice aroma.  But don’t let the licorice flavor concern you.  It is perfect for pairing with turkey and cranberries to make a fresh salad for lunch.  Use your left over turkey or chicken.  Bon Appétit

C’est Bon!

ingredients:

2 cups diced cooked turkey (or chicken)

¼ cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

1 stalk celery finely chopped

3 scallions (green onions) finely diced

½ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons tarragon

¼ teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

Good bread (ciabatta, croissants, etc), lettuce, or tomato for serving

recommended campsite gadgets and gear:

spoon or knife

at home preparation:

prep time 10 minutes · total time: 10 minutes

The day before your departure, dice cooked turkey, cranberries, celery and scallions.  Mix remaining ingredients and season to taste.  Place in resealable bag. And refridgerate until your departure

campsite preparation and presentation:

total time: 5 minutes minutes

Serve on good bread for a turkey salad sandwich; over lettuce for a simple lunch salad or fill a hollowed out tomato for an interesting twist.   Serve immediately.

cook’s notes:

Keep salad very cold until ready to serve

Remember Better·Living·Is·Surprisingly·Simple™ in the outdoors.

Turkey and Cranberry Tarragon Salad · Enjoy

Pulled Pork Lunch Special

Yield: 4-6 servings

ingredients:

2-3 cups cooked pulled pork

¾ cup favorite barbeque sauce

2 cups shredded cheese

Baked potatoes or sourdough rolls

Coleslaw as a side or topping for the roll

at home preparation:

prep time 10 minutes · total time: 10 minutes

Assemble any ingredients (the grasshaven team cooks pork butt one evening for a delicious outdoor dinner and reserves some pulled pork for the next day’s lunch special sandwiches or baked potato toppings)

campsite preparation and presentation:

total time: 3-4 hours

Warm the pulled pork and barbeque sauce in a saucepan.  Toast the bread (or if you have left over baked potatoes – warm the potatoes).  Once the pork/barbeque sauce is hot and the bread or potatoes are warm, plate the sandwiches (or baked potatoes) with the pulled pork mixture. Enjoy!

recommended campsite gadgets and gear:

aluminum foil

disposable aluminum pan

meat thermometer

cook’s notes:

Add a side of coleslaw (we recommend our Lovage Infused Slaw) and homemade chips.  Even a simple lunch can become an epicurean delight.

Remember Better·Living·Is·Surprisingly·Simple™ in the outdoors.

Pulled Pork Lunch Special · Enjoy

Magical Vegan Cream of Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Yield: 6 servings

After a long (or short if there are kids involved) hike on a cool day, what is more rewarding than serving up a piping hot bowl of creamy soup – yet this cream of roasted cauliflower soup is like Houdini!  It is magical, enigmatic and we’re just referring to the taste, wait till you get to the composition.  This soup will amaze even the biggest skeptic of vegan dishes.  What is so remarkable about this soup is that everyone swears it is made with cream or some sort of dairy product.  Curiously, there is no dairy and that’s where the magic comes in.  The key ingredient is rice, which thickens the soup and gives it body without the calories or fat of dairy products.  Coating the cauliflower in good olive oil, sea salt and cracked pepper before roasting, creates a mesmerizing, caramelized, nutty flavor.  So good, it might not make it to the soup.  Make this soup ahead of time, freeze and hope it does not magically disappear before making it to the campsite.  We warned you, this soup will put a spell of you!

ingredients:

to roast cauliflower:

1 cauliflower head, chopped into small florets

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

For soup:

roasted cauliflower

1 cup cooked rice (we like Basmati or Jasmine for a little extra flavor)

3 cups water

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

sea salt to taste

chives for garnish (optional)

at home preparation:

prep time 15 minutes · total time: 40 minutes

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).  In a large bowl, toss cauliflower, olive oil, sea salt and pepper until uniformly coated.  Transfer mixture to baking sheet and cook 30-45 minutes turning occasionally until cauliflower becomes evenly cooked and tips become caramelized brown.

Cook rice according to directions.  Add cooked rice, roasted cauliflower, water, and pepper to a blender.  Blend until silky smooth.  Thin soup with additional water if needed and salt to taste.

Once the mixture is cool, place soup in a freezer bag and freeze until frozen solid.

campsite preparation and presentation:

total time: 10 minutes

Remove soup bag from your cooler and add contents plus 2 tablespoons water to a saucepan. Stir occasionally.  Cook until piping hot. Serve immediately, garnish with chives and pair with warm, buttery bread heated on your fire!

recommended campsite gadgets and gear:

saucepan

heat resistant spoon

cook’s notes:

Make extra soup to be stored in the freezer and serve for dinner at home when life is a little crazy during the week.

Remember Better·Living·Is·Surprisingly·Simple™ in the outdoors.

Magical Vegan Cream of Roasted Cauliflower Soup · Enjoy

Apricot and Honey Smoke Salmon Spinach and Kale Superfood Salad with Citrus Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Yield: 6 servings

 Sweet + Savory + Smokey + Superfood = Salivation!!!!

This is the equation for an amazing camp dining experience!  Food this good, cannot be good for you- yet it is!  Ok, so lets first talk about the boring, nutrition part… salmon with is Omega 3s; Spinach and Kale high in iron and foliate (and too many vitamins to count); blueberries with their Vitamin C and antioxidants – this is nutrition at its salivation.  What an amazing way to top off a day in the outdoors!  Especially when it is packaged with the gooey, smoky goodness of fire grilled salmon layered on a crisp, fresh bed of greens.  It will send outdoor hungry taste buds into overdrive! 

ingredients:

salmon:

2 pounds fresh, salmon

2 tablespoons honey

½ cup apricot jam

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup scallions (green onions), diced

vinaigrette

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 medium sized orange)

1/3 cup olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

½ teaspoon poppy seeds

superfood salad

fresh washed spinach

fresh, shredded kale, stems removed

1/3 cup scallions (green onions), diced

¼ cup dried blueberries

½ cup candied pecans

1/3 cup feta cheese

at home preparation:

prep time 15 minutes · total time: 15 minutes

salmon: Combine honey, jam, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and scallions in a resealable bag.  Place marinating salmon in refrigerator the night before you leave.

vinaigrette:

Combine orange juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.  Emulsify (stir vigorously).  Pour into and seal in a small resealable bag.

supersalad:

Set out 3 resealable bags (1 gallon size-large; 2 pint size-small). Place washed and dried greens and diced scallions into large resealable bag.   Place dried blueberries and candied nuts in one small resealable bag and seal.  Place feta into second small resealable bag and seal. In the large bag with the greens and scallions, add the sealed fruit/nut bag, the sealed cheese bag and the sealed vinaigrette bag.  Place in the refrigerator until departure time

Salad components

Ready for the cooler 

campsite preparation and presentation:

total time: 10 minutes

Place the salmon on a hot, smoky fire (we use aluminum foil between the fish and fire grates).  Cook until the fish becomes opaque, flakey and cooked through.

Open and pour the fruit/nut, cheese and vinaigrette bags into the large greens bag.  Seal and shake (this tosses and mixes the salad ingredients all together).

Plate the salad and overlay with a slice of warm smoky fish

recommended campsite gadgets and gear:

aluminum foil

heat resistant spatula

cook’s notes:

Salmon should be cooked the first night of a camp trip and left overs (if kept super cold in the cooler) make awesome salmon omelets the next morning (just reserve a little spinach and feta!)

Remember Better·Living·Is·Surprisingly·Simple™ in the outdoors.

Smoked salmon and citrus supersalad · Enjoy