When a Vegan Goes Camping...

I went camping with a bunch of friends this past weekend. It was my first time doing so in a few years. I'm not sure why we haven't been in so long - i am a true urbanite, but i do love the escape to nature every now and then. Maybe it's because i've had a few cottages to go to each summer, and i must admit i prefer that to camping. But, now that we have our very own tent (thanks to my sis and her partner), we were ready to go and test it out!

The weather co-operated with us for the most part, and we went to a conservation park that i used to go when i was a kid, so that was fun and nostalgic. Ironically enough, we also stayed in the same camp site i went to with my sweetie on an anniversary about 6 years ago - oh, and happy 8 years to us this week!

When going camping, it can present a certain challenge to be vegan and still eat well, especially being the only vegan in a group. But, i have to say we were pretty successful. When doing some searches on-line for more ideas for menus, i came across Cooking Camper or Camping Cook's blog. There's a great post all about tips on how to prep food for camping. A great resource for sure - and it's vegan! So, while i didn't get to use any of the recipes there, on the menu was:1) Bannock dogs and beans (simple recipe of bannock placed over a veggie dog that was cooked over an open fire)
2) Pancakes (brought a homemade dry mix that we added soy milk and oil to). Recipe was found here
3) Hummos and crackers like these awesome ones!
4) Burritos - stuffed with veggies cooked in the open fire (peppers, mushrooms and onions), refried beans, vegan cheese, avocado, and salsa
5) Chocolate-stuffed bananas - if only i got a photo of this loveliness. I simply cut small chunks of bittersweet chocolate, and then cut a scratch into a banana. Don't cut all the way, treat the banana like a hot dog bun. I then covered it in tin foil and placed it in the open pit for about 10 minutes or so.
6) Breakfast burritos - used left over beans and cheese from the night before. I also had a bagel with peanut butter - boy, one sure gets hungry when camping!
7) Vegan Brownies - made by a great friend who made them from the trusty Rebar cookbook

Plus, lots of good wholesome snacks like veggie chips, fruit (mmmm, local strawberries!) finished off with some lovely Pomtinis!

Can't wait to go again!