campground cuisine Archives - Cruisin with the Colemans

Sometimes after a big day out exploring we just don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking. That was the case after our day exploring Cape Coral. After visiting the fantastic Cape Coral Farmer’s Market, we did an eight-mile walk around town and found a great little Italian place for lunch that served gluten-free pizza. A visit to Wicked Dolphin Distillery and pool time back at the campground with some newly invented cocktails finished up our day.

By the time we got back to CC we were exhausted and starving. Here’s a quick dinner that you can throw together in no time at all with things that you might even have on hand.

Start out with a variety of potatoes: red, russet, and Yukon gold are my favorites. Dice them up into bite-sized pieces along with a couple of shallots and put into a microwave safe bowl.

Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cook in the microwave for five minutes or so until the potatoes are mostly cooked but still firm.

While the potatoes are cooking, get the grill heated up and add Italian sausages.

When the sausages almost done, add the potatoes and shallot mixture to the grill. BE CAREFUL to not pour the collected oil and water in the bottom of the bowl onto the grill or you will have some major flareup!

Cook the potatoes and sausage until they are nicely charred. Once they’re done, add a few handfuls of spinach and allow it to wilt for a second before removing everything from the grill and dividing between plates. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

I would highly recommend making sure that you have plenty light on the grill. We had to keep the lights off because of the no-see-ums and I might have burned things a bit! Also, you might notice that I didn’t use spinach… we couldn’t find any at the farmers market that morning so we just went without.

Grilled Sausages with Potatoes, Shallot, and Spinach

1-2 Italian sausages per person
1 lb of assorted potatoes, such as russet, red, and Yukon gold\
2 shallots
1 T olive oil
1/2 t each salt, garlic powder, and pepper
1 cup spinach leaves
1-2 T parmesan cheese

Cut potatoes and shallots into bite-sized pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Top with oil and seasonings and stir to mix. Cook for 4-5 minutes in microwave until almost cooked.

Heat grill and add sausages. Cook for 6-8 minutes and turn. Add the potato-shallot mixture and continue to cook until charred to your liking, another 5-10 minutes, making sure that the sausages are cooked through. Add spinach on top and let wilt then remove to plates.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

This week we’re making a quick one pot dish that can be made on the stove or over the fire that came from the Primavera Kitchen. Not only is it gluten free, but also healthy and super tasty!

In a pot or iron skillet (especially if working over a campfire) heat 2 T of olive oil and brown 1 lb of ground turkey and a 1 clove of minced garlic. I used 90% lean turkey, if you’re using a fattier ground, reduce the oil a little.

Once most of the liquid is cooked out and the turkey starts to brown, add 1/2 c each of onion and bell pepper (we love the veggies, so I just use a whole onion and pepper since they add almost no calories). Cook until soft and the onions start to brown a little. It’s important to make sure that the liquid evaporates from the turkey before adding the pepper. Sautéing peppers in liquid will make the skins bitter.

Next add 1 1/2 cups of diced sweet potato (that’s about 1 whole decent sized potato), salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (for some reason I don’t have any in the RV so a added a splash of Crystal Hot Sauce, which is my favorite). Stir it all in and put the lid on it. Make sure that you give it a stir once and a while and monitor the heat. If it seems dry add a little water. Cook about ten minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Finally give it a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and put the lid back on to give it a melt. At home I toss it under the broiler for a minute to give the cheese come color.
If you wanted to vary the recipe a little, you could always use ground beef or pork. Substitute Yukon gold or red potatoes, or even butternut or acorn squash. A nice summer variation would be to throw in some zucchini or summer squash for the last few minutes of cooking (just make sure that things don’t get too wet and mushy).

Don’t forget the beverage pairing! We like Atwater Vineyards Dry Rosé of Cabernet Franc. Rosés go great with turkey at Thanksgiving dinner and they’re especially nice on a hot summer evening when you want something with a little more bite than a white wine.
If you make this recipe, snap a picture and tag #CruisinWithTheColemans on Instagram or post to the comments.

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lbs extra-lean ground turkey
1 tsp garlic clove, minced
½ cup onions, diced
½ cup bell pepper, diced
1 ½ cups sweet potato, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of red chili flakes
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

In an iron cast skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add ground turkey and garlic. Stir occasionally and cook for about 7 minutes.
Add onions and peppers and cook until onions are soft.
Add the sweet potato, chili pepper, salt, and pepper.
Cover the skillet and cook until they are tender. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add a little bit of water to cook the sweet potato.
While the sweet potato is cooking, preheat the broiler.
When the sweet potato is tender, add shredded mozzarella cheese and bring the skillet to the oven to melt the cheese* (see note below).
When the cheese melts, remove from the oven, and serve.

* You can just put the lid on the skillet for 5 minutes. The cheese will melt.

Tag: campground cuisine

Recipe of the Week – Grilled Sausages with Potatoes, Shallot, and Spinach

Grilled Sausages with Potatoes, Shallot, and Spinach

Recipe of the Week – Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet