Recipes for the road: Spring edition

Cooking in the outdoors can be one of the best parts of your trip — and there’s nothing like that springtime freshness combined with the enticing aroma of a hot meal enjoyed van-side. There are a lot of amazing recipes to choose from when you’re grazing for what to cook on the road. It wasn’t easy, but we’ve narrowed it down to a few of our favorites for a range of occasions. Bon appétit! 

TIP: If you’re planning your next road trip with Voyager Campervans, be sure to review our Van Guide to see all of the items we already include so that you don’t double up.

All the right eats to keep you warm 

There are certain foods that can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even during those early spring days that are still a bit chilly. So, speaking of chilly — this chili recipe, which can easily include added ground beef if vegetarianism isn’t your jam, is one of our favorites because of the delicious cornbread bonus on the top. 

5 Can Chili
Prep: 10
Cook: 25
Freshoffthegrid.com

Ingredients 

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 14 oz can black beans, drained
• 14 oz can red kidney beans, drained
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed (see below)
• 12 oz can beer, preferably lager
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder & cumin

Directions

• Pull a few chipotle peppers from the can. Milder space, use one!
• In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Add the drained kidney and black beans, tomatoes and their juices, chopped chipotles and the adobo sauce, beer, salt and spices. Stir to combine.
• Cook the chili until thickened to your liking, about 20 minutes was perfect for us. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings (cheese, avocado, green onions, etc).

Voyager hack: Bring some Jiffy Cornbread mix. It only needs 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. Pour mixture over the chili once it’s simmering, and cook for the remainder of the time. Eat once the corn bread isn’t soft in the middle. 

The Dinner & Breakfast Duo 

Buying ingredients you can use more than once is a serious #vanlife hack. We’ve included a perfect example of this strategy, with gooey quesadillas at night, and breakfast burritos on a morning (or lunch) of your choice. The ingredients here really vary on what you prefer, but here’s an idea to start:

Campfire Quesadillas 
Prep: 5min
Cook: 5-10 (keep an eye on them until the cheese is melty).
cupcakediariesblog.com

Ingredients

• 4 medium flour tortillas
• 2 8oz chicken breasts, grilled and sliced
  • Voyager tip: Do this at home in prep to make things speedier. Or, replace with cubed sweet potatoes! 
• 1 jar Tostitos salsa con queso
• 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese
• tin foil

Directions

• Spread 1 Tbsp salsa con queso over one side of a tortilla.
• Place 1/4 c. chicken on half the tortilla over the salsa con queso. Sprinkle 1/4 c. black beans and about 1/4 c. cheese over the chicken.
• Fold other side of tortilla over to cover the ingredients. Place on a piece of tin foil large enough to cover the quesadilla. Leave the ends open.
• Place the foiled quesadilla on the grate directly over the campfire. Keep over fire to cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy.
• Remove from the grate and cut in four pieces. No plates needed because you have the foil!

Bonus if you remember to bring cilantro to sprinkle them with! 

The next morning, you could whip up breakfast burritos in minutes. We recommend stir frying up any other additional veggies you want to add, scramble some eggs, add on some black beans, cheese or left over chicken to the tortillas from the night before and voila! Breakfast is served, ingredients aren’t wasted, and your packing list is smaller. 

And of course, for the outdoor foodies 

Some of us are alright with pancakes or a cheeseburger while exploring…while others are going for that gourmet camping life. We love both, TBH. Here’s one of our fave recipes for the foodie that doesn’t quit — even while they’re on the road. 

One Skillet Spring Green Breakfast Frittata
Prep: 15min
Cook: 30min 
Simplebites.net

Ingredients

• 8 slices of bacon
• A bunch of green onions
• 1 small bundle of asparagus
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes
• 10 large eggs
• Cheddar cheese (as desired)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

• Cook the bacon over medium high heat until it starts to get crispy. Remove from the pan and save it for later — along with some grease.
• Toss the green onions and asparagus in the pan, adding the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes once they start to get tender.
• Mix up the eggs in a separate bowl, adding salt and pepper at your own discretion (we like to guess).
• Add some bacon fat back to the pan and pour in your eggs.
• Re-add the bacon on top, and 3/4 of the cheese available.
• Cook, covered, for about 30 mins or until the egg is just about cooked through.
• Sprinkle some more cheese and bacon on top, and give yourself a pat on the back for being Gordon Ramsey.

And lastly: Something sweet, simple, and healthy.

This recipe is an unlikely combination, but an incredibly tasty one. Sweet potatoes are a great ingredient to take on your trip because they can be used in all sorts of ways — both sweet and savory. 

Fire Baked Sweet Potato S’mores 
Prep: Less than 5 min
Cook: 50-60min
Conciouschris.net

Ingredients

• 2 small to medium sweet potatoes
• Crushed chocolate (can opt to buy vegan option)
• ¼ cup marshmallows (can also be bought vegan)

Directions

• Wash and prick sweet potatoes, wrap them in tinfoil, and place them over the fire for about 45min (or until they’re soft to a fork)
• Remove from fire, unwrap tinfoil and cut the sweet potato longways. 
• Stuff as much chocolate or marshmallows as you’d like – wrap again, and place on the fire for 5-10 more minutes! Enjoy.

We’d be *nuts* to leave out the snacks.

With all the adventuring you’ll be doing outdoors, your appetite may surprise you – you’ll likely be hungry all the time! Here are some of our favorite snacks ideas to either make yourself, or be sure to pack in prep for your trip. 

• Granola – Tip: Save money by buying dried fruits, oats, and coconut flakes yourself. Make it custom!
• Trailmix – Tip: Hit the bulk section and save $ by piecing together your favorite nuts and sweets.
• Fruit – Tip: If your bananas go a bit soft, use them in oatmeal or pancakes.
• Beef Sticks + Jerky – Tip: Buy meat you won’t be worried about spoiling on the road.

The only thing more satisfying than waking up in the outdoors may just be having the perfect meal to pair with the view. What are your favorite recipes on the road? Tweet us @voyagercamp.We’re all ears.

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