Vegan Tofu Jerky - Camping Food!

I posted about my favorite campfire foods here last year, and they were a huge hit!  I know I always love hearing about new fun ideas for camping foods, and I am happy to share mine as well. :)

I did try the Tofu Jerky after I created that post, and it was DELISH!  I kind of forgot all about it until this week when I realized that A) we're going camping this weekend, and B) we had an over abundance of tofu in the fridge.  Perfect!

VEGAN TOFU JERKY
Adapted from Allrecipes.com "Tofu Jerky II" recipe. 

I just eyeballed a lot of these ingredients, since it's a marinade - it still turned out great!  I also cut WAY back on the cooking time - the original recipe wants you to cook them for 8 hours!  I don't have that kind of time.  Also, I'd rather my "jerky" be a little softer personally, but that's totally up to you. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Marinade time: 1 hour

Cook time:  4-8 hours

Ingredients
    1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained
    3 tablespoons soy sauce (this recipe is gluten-free if you use the gluten-free soy sauce!  I actually used Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids for the soy sauce instead since it tastes just like it). 
    2 teaspoons maple syrup
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    3 tablespoons barbecue sauce
    2 teaspoons brown sugar

Directions
Wrap your tofu block gently with a kitchen towel, and set on a plate. Set another plate on top, and put a weight on top of the plate such as a can to press the water from the block of tofu while you prepare the sauce.

In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic powder, black pepper, barbeque sauce and brown sugar until smooth.

Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and dip them in the sauce to coat (I dumped any extra marinade on top too). Place in a tightly sealed container, pop in the fridge, and let marinate for one to two hours.

Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature, around 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Line the oven rack with heavy duty aluminum foil, and place in the lowest position of the oven. Place the tofu slices on the foil. (I just put them on a cookie sheet, but maybe this would help them dry out faster). 

Bake for at least 4 hours, checking and turning over tofu slices every few hours. Tofu jerky is done when it is hard and uniformly dark in color.  (Again, mine was not terribly dark, but I like it a bit chewy!) 

 
Keep in mind, these pictures are from BEFORE these guys went in the oven, so they look quite wet & juicy.  Trust me, they will dry out significantly.  

And they are BANANAS GOOD!!  So so yummy!  I put them in a tupperware container, and I'm so bringing them with me for camping.  They'll be a great salty snack!  YUM! 

I'm totally making my famous breakfast burritos wrapped in foil for this trip, as well as a crazy yummy vodka drink I made up last night (homemade iced tea mixed with cranberry juice, vodka, and a little bit of honey).  

So excited!
 

Memorial Day Weekend CAMPING (and a new camera - YAY!)

This weekend a group of friends & I went up to the mountains to enjoy the great outdoors.  We did a lot of hiking, a lot of laughing, a lot of eating things heated over a campfire, and a lot of soakin' up the sun.  It was wonderful just to get out of town for a couple of days! 

Stacey & I on our first hike of the weekend!  It was a relatively easy hike, but we walked for a good 2 1/2 miles.  We goofed around a lot...

And John played "explorer"! :)

Sigh, don't you just love Aspen trees?  I LOVE THEM!!!  Their leaves are so magical looking when they flutter in the wind.  Holy crap, I sound like a hippie.  They're pretty okay??

A failed "mid-jump" picture.  Hey, I just got a new camera.  I'm still getting used to the shutter timing!

Love this boy.

Our humble (yet awesome) campsite!!  It really was a perfect spot!

I love this picture - hilarious!!

This new camera has amazing quality - this is with the macro setting, and it captures really great details!  Even with shaky & unsteady hands like mine.  Which means you guys are in for some awesome food pictures!  YEAH!

Speaking of!  :)  I had this for lunch.  Ezekiel sprouted bread with Jarlsberg cheese, Yves "Ham" slices, red onions, butter lettuce, mustard & Veganese.  I wrapped it in foil, and cooked it on the grill until it was slightly browned on both sides & the cheese had melted.  It was DELICIOUS!

Roasting food & marshmallows over the fire.... one of my favorite parts about camping!

 A perfectly cooked marshmallow.  I love when they get a little charred on the end - it means they're DONE!  And one word... caramelized.  That's all that needs to be said.

We all piled in the back of Phil's truck like a bunch of hillbillies to reach a hiking trail.  It was worth the bumpy & dusty ride!

ACKK!!! It's eating my head!!!

I thought this rock looked like a face.  I had John demonstrate. :)

We got REALLY high up there!  I think it was called "Devil's Peak" or "Devil's Head Peak" or something of the sort.  At the end of the hike you could climb up a gajillion steps to the ranger look-out station.  You could see for miles & miles - it was pretty amazing.

Mmmmm.... smores. :)

How was YOUR Memorial Day Weekend?? 

Campfire Foods - Healthy & Vegetarian too!

My friends & I are going on a camping trip for the long weekend, and my friend Stacey asked me for some ideas about what to bring.  We're both trying to stay healthy, but we don't want to feel like we're giving anything up while we're on our little mini-vacation.  

I decided to send her a little list of what I'm planning to bring, and then I thought - why not share it with you as well??  I know that I always love getting new campfire recipe ideas - especially ones that I don't have to adapt to being vegetarian / vegan.  So here's what I came up with! 

Apples & Nut Butter
How can you go wrong with this?  Bring a small knife, cut apple into slices, enjoy.  Simple as that. 

Canned soup and/or canned chili
Just remember to bring your can opener!  I love to bring soup camping, because you can literally just open the top (just 1/2 way - you don't want ashes gettin' in there), nestle the can in the embers, and wait until it's bubbly.  This is great when it's a chilly night... just be sure you use a towel to pick up the can.  It will be hot!

Pre-made breakfast burritos (wrapped in foil) 
I like to make mine with scrambled eggs or tofu, onions, mushrooms, spinach, shredded hashbrowns or potatoes, Daiya "cheddar" shreds, corn, and veggie chorizo.  Wrap them up in a tortilla, then wrap them each in heavy-duty aluminum foil.  I just throw 'em on the embers in the morning & wait!  They take about 30-40 minutes to cook up (be sure to flip them 1/2 way), but they're worth it.  Everyone eating a granola bar will be very jealous. 

Veggie dogs
These are easy to just buy at the store & bring with you.  Bring buns & condiments, OR just eat 'em the old fashioned way - on a stick over the fire! :)  They're a great snack all around. 

Powerballs
Great as a snack, a pick-me-up during a long hike, or for a quick breakfast.  I'll definitely be bringing these babies with me!

Veggie sandwiches (wrapped in foil) 
Put anything you like on these!  My favorite is Ezekiel sprouted bread, Yves veggie "ham" with butter lettuce, veganese, dijon mustard, and maybe a slice of swiss (or vegan swiss).  Wrap them up the same way you would the burritos, and heat on the fire.  They'll toast up like a good old fashioned grilled cheese!  YUM!  

Tofu "Jerky"
I'm actually giving this a try tonight!  I've been marinating the tofu all night & today, so it should be super flavorful.  I added some Siracha hot sauce for a little kick.

Corn on the cob
Pretty self-explanatory! :)  I like to put vegan butter on 'em - or sometimes if I'm feeling saucy, some vegan mayo & hot sauce.  Trust me, it's amazing.  Wrap them in foil length-wise, and tighten the ends so that it looks like a candy wrapper.  These guys only take about 15 minutes, and be sure to turn them!  Nobody likes chewy overcooked corn.

Bloomin' Onions
I found this idea online a while ago, and it was pretty delish.  Just cut an onion lengthwise in a circle so that it flowers out, but don't cut all the way to the bottom.  Stuff it full of butter, seasonings, and breadcrumbs.  Carefully wrap it in foil and place it on the fire for about 45 mins to an hour (it does take a while).  When finished, unwrap & enjoy!!  Be careful though, it will be hot!

Veggie Skewers
Put a bunch of vegetables on skewers, and marinate them in tupperware with teriyaki sauce, or any other marinade sauce you can find.  They're easy to roast over the fire, or to just wrap in foil & toss on!  My favorite things to put on skewers are: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, firm tofu, cherry tomatoes, and pineapple.  Yum!

That's all I got! :)  Happy Camping!!

All photos from WeHeartIt.com

A Campin' we will go!

Last weekend some friends & I headed up to Winter Park to do some good ol' fashioned camping.

Well, if you consider waterproof jackets, lighters, grill, tents, air mattresses, and cooking skewers ol' fashioned. :)

We actually didn't do all that much - just kinda hung around, played cards, read books, played cornhole.... and ate a LOT of food. And drank a lot of booze. But that's what camping's all about, right? Enjoying the outdoors? And drinking a bunch?


Our humble little campsite!

We are such explorers.... not really. I think our hike took us about a 1 mile radius around our campsite - possibly less! Ah, well - this weekend was more about relaxing than anything.


Cornhole time! Ryan actually made this set entirely himself. Ambitious, isn't he?

Kim has the greatest cornhole-toss form that I've ever seen. I had to attempt to replicate, although I'm still not sure how her leg gets up that high!

I thought this photo series was hilarious, so I had to make a triptych out of it. Yeah, I'm a huge dork (click to see the full-size photo).


Dinnertime / fire-making time! This was prior to Ryan knocking over the grate.... 3 times. He's just a big animal, folks.

And now for fireside photos - everyone has quite a lovely glow to them!


Ryan ripped his jeans - right down the middle! Hilarious. The next morning he tried to burn them on the fire, but we didn't let him. Silly guy!



It's hard to see, but this is a S'more made with a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup instead of regular chocolate. Man, they were filling, but OH so delicious!!




Beth's Campfire Burritos
These are best made at home beforehand, wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum foil, tossed in a ziplock bag & brought along in your cooler. You will thank me later I promise! I kid you not - I ate like 5 of them on this trip...

Ingredients
2 eggs*
1/4 red pepper (diced)
1/4 green or poblano pepper (diced)
1/4 yellow onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup beans (pinto or black)
1 avocado (sliced)
1/2 cup frozen corn
2-3 red potatoes (chopped, boiled until tender & drained) OR frozen hash browns / home fries
1 small tomato (chopped)
shredded cheddar cheese*
mayonnaise
green chili OR salsa
salt / cayenne pepper / cumin

Directions
Saute peppers, onion, & garlic in a large pan until tender. Add 2 eggs (best if you scramble 'em good beforehand), along with desired amount of salt, cayenne, and cumin. When eggs are almost fully cooked, turn off heat & set aside.

In a separate pan (or the same pan - cleaned), spray with non-stick cooking oil and over medium high heat fry the potatoes until they are brown.

Separate the warm ingredients along with everything else on the list to each tortilla in even amounts. I like to mix everything with a spoon before rolling up the tortilla to be sure everything is well mixed.

Wrap each burrito in heavy-duty foil. When you're ready to cook 'em - bury them in the embers of the campfire (this is the best way to do it, I swear), and cook each side for about 15 minutes. They will be all gooey & warm & delicious!

Makes about 3 large burritos (on 13" tortillas), or 5 small burritos (on 8" tortillas).

Add or remove any ingredients you like - you can make it your own way!

*To all the vegans out there - either omit the cheese or use vegan cheese (same with mayo) and substitute extra firm tofu for the eggs!