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Ssummertime is on here. With that in mind, we might find ourselves pondering the great outdoors and taking the family, loved ones, or just ourselves out to the nearest state or national park for a camp-out. And, alongside any good camp-out is a campfire cookout.
Now, plant-based meals may not be the first thing people picture for campfire cuisine, but that’s only a matter of exposure. There are loads of great vegan dishes that can be cooked on the open flame, providing all the woodsy wonderment that marshmallows and hot dogs (both of which have plant-based alternatives) do.
But why just go with alternatives to the campfire classics? Why not kick this whole thing up into a new stratosphere of scrumptious! Get the cast iron out. Get the skewers out. Get the matches, newspaper, and firewood. It’s time to do it on an open flame.
1. Grilled Tofu on a Stick
Tofu Vegetable Kebabs with Peanut Sauce
If marshmallows on a stick are so fun to cook, little chunks of extra-firm tofu might be just as endearing and much healthier. Once the tofu has browned a bit over the fire, there could be a slew of sauces: hot mustard, buffalo, peanut sauce, or barbecue sauce. This flavor buffet alone beats the old marshmallow motif.
If tofu doesn’t do it, perhaps the trendy throwback to Brussels sprouts (now, on a stick!) will fit the bill. Roasted Brussels sprouts are amazing.
2. Open-Flame Kebabs
Grilled Ratatouille Kebabs
A few metal skewers can go a long way in making the campfire cookout a winner. Any assortment of fresh fruit and veggies can go onto skewers for a delightful dinner. Some personal favorites include mushrooms, pineapples, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, red onion, beets, tempeh, strawberries, peaches… maybe it’s easier to say everything.
Pull a few hot coals from the fire and use a couple of rocks or bricks to suspend those skewers above them. Let the magic happen.
3. Corn on the Cob
Mexican Street Corn
There is no logical answer for why corn on the cob, cooked over an open flame, is not a campfire tradition, but for many of us, it is not. That can change, and the key may be in the foil wrap. Semi-shuck the ears of corn (just remove the outer leaves), dab them with some coconut oil, add a shake or three of salt, and wrap them in foil.
Cook the corn for five minutes or more in the hot coals at the base of the fire or, better yet, atop a campfire grill that isn’t directly over the fire. Be sure to turn it so that the corn cooks evenly on all sides.
4. Coal-Baked Potatoes
Baked potatoes are a wonderful thing anytime, but they feel extra special when camping, particularly with some campfire baked beans poured over them or covered in a chopped summer salad. Poke the potato a few times with a fork, slather coconut oil over it, a coating of coarse salt and pepper, and double-wrap it up in tin foil.
Bury the potatoes in the hot coals at the base of the fire for about half an hour.
5. Campfire Baked Beans
Source: Peter Galvin/Flickr
Skewers and foil are fantastic campfire cooking implements, but when it comes to beans, it’s the cast iron that makes all the noise. Throw in some thick cuts of onion, peppers, and garlic to caramelize while the cast iron heats up, a couple of cans of pinto beans (or a soaked bag of dried pinto) beans, and water. Baked beans are the delicious darlings of the campfire.
To get that tomato goodness, add a spoonful of tomato paste for each can of beans, and for the flavor, options include molasses, hot sauce, brown sugar, and a touch or two of whichever spices feel right, i.e., cumin, chili powder, mustard powder, etc.
6. Grilled Peaches
Peaches are probably the hands-down winner here, but lots of fruits take well to grilling: plums, watermelon, pineapple, nectarines, and even bananas. The trick is to simply warm the fruit and put those appetizing grill marks on it. Cut the fruit in half, brush it with some coconut oil, and put it face down on the campfire grill, long enough for the grill marks to sear in but quick enough for the fruit to hold its shape (careful with the bananas).
Any of these can be kicked up a little with a drizzle of rum or maple syrup or dark chocolate, a shake of cinnamon, and some crumbled walnut/pecan pieces.
In other words, a plant-based campfire cookout can remain rustic, but at the same time, it can be filled with fresh produce, fun flavors, and new, healthy traditions.
