RV COOKING 101: Lazy Man's Chile Rellenos

I woke up this morning to the wonderful sounds and smells of Ken making breakfast. How lucky I am to have a man who knows how to cook. He was making chile rellenos, the lazy way. And as a bonus, the “lazy way” also means they are gluten free!

First, you take a large can of whole Ortega chiles and choose only the largest six or seven peppers out of the can. Set the rest aside for another day. Cut some pepper jack cheese into large sticks (or mozzarella, Colby, or plain jack, whatever your preference, except cheddar). Stuff each pepper with a generous hunk of cheese. Grease your baking pan and preheat the oven to 325. Scramble four eggs, add a little milk and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the peppers. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy with some hot corn tortillas and maybe some fried potatoes.

RV COOKING 101: Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I made meatballs last week and froze them, planning ahead for once. I chose to make them from ground turkey, using a simple meatloaf recipe. After forming them into balls, I individually froze them on a cookie sheet before placing them in a Ziploc bag. You could also choose to buy already prepared and frozen meatballs.

After thawing the meatballs today, I rolled them in flour (I used rice flour since I have to choose gluten free). Then I placed them in a hot skillet with a little oil. To the pan, I added one cup sliced carrots and one sliced red bell pepper. After the meatballs were browned on all sides, I added one cup of pineapple tidbits plus some of the juice, a cup of chicken broth (left over from making the tomato soup), a cup of the tomato puree (set aside before making the tomato soup), and half a cup of my favorite BBQ sauce. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated. Serve over rice, and another easy dinner is served.

With the leftover rice and pineapple tidbits, I made a tasty after dinner treat. I also added the rest of the can of evaporated milk from when I made the tomato soup, some fresh blackberries we picked up the other day, and agave nectar; and a simple dessert was born.

A friend joined us for dinner.

RV COOKING 101: Roasted Tomato Soup

Preparing healthy, homemade meals in an RV or while camping really isn’t that difficult. You should be able to prepare the same kinds of meals you are used to at home, but you might have to use a little more imagination or ingenuity to get the job done, being short on space and all. Menu planning is highly important, in order to take advantage of what little refrigerator and storage space there is available in an RV. What I mean is, make ingredients overlap. If there are leftovers, make sure you can use them at another meal or in another dish. My great aunt used to make her end-of-the week pot of minestrone, which was basically all the leftovers from the week thrown into a soup pot. I tried my best to not go over to her house on minestrone day. Today’s cooks can be more creative. Leftover meat from tacos can be used in an omelet, on a salad, or in quesadillas. Roasted chicken can be made into a chicken salad or put into a casserole. You get the idea.

And now, on to our first recipe.

ROASTED TOMATO SOUP

What do you do when you discover your tomato plants are loaded right before you leave? Bring that luscious fruit along, of course.

Cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters and place cut side down in a roasting pan. Cut up some carrots and celery and add to the pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add chopped basil and oregano leaves (I used dried but you can use fresh if you have it). Add salt and pepper to taste. Roast at 300 degrees for about one and one-half hours, stirring every half hour.

Once the carrots are soft and the tomatoes have turned to mush (a rather technical term, I know), take them out of the oven to cool slightly. If you are brave, you can puree them in the blender immediately, but I have fears of forgetting the lid and being scalded as hot tomatoes fly everywhere (not to mention the mess I would have to clean up after such a fiasco).

Pour the pureed tomatoes into a soup pot and thin with either chicken stock or vegetable stock. Add some evaporated milk if you prefer creamy tomato soup (I know I do). Adjust the flavor to your taste, reheat, and dinner is served.

We added some Tillamook Pepper Jack cheese to ours. Delish!