Being on a vegetarian diet doesn’t mean you have to skimp on essential macronutrients like protein and fat. In fact, plenty of bodybuilders manage to maintain both muscle mass and health through a strictly vegan diet.
Other than nutritional value, a lot of people struggle with making their vegan meals tasty. In this article, we show you how to make your camping food vegetarian, all while replenishing you with the energy you need for the trip.
We also include ideas to ensure you won’t be lugging around too many cooking utensils or bringing too much food that ends up going to waste.
These recipes are versatile and can be adjusted to your taste; the ingredients included have a great shelf-life so you don’t need to overload your cooler either.
Let’s explore your options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you have an idea of what you can do for every meal of the day.
Breakfast
Some people like a sweet breakfast, others prefer savory. These camping food vegetarian options offer something for everyone.
1. Grilled Halloumi Sandwich
This sandwich is all about the halloumi cheese, and everything else can be modified to your preference. A good starting point is a slightly sweet bread; for instance, a sweet Hawaiian roll. A nice thick slice of halloumi cheese goes right in the center.
You can pan-fry the cheese or grill it on a high flame from the previous night’s campfire. Use a tangy sauce like a ranch sauce to help slice through the sweetness of the roll and the dense taste of the halloumi cheese.
You could add slices of avocado for that extra-creamy texture or maybe even a crispy-friend, sunny-side-up egg.
2. Coconut French Toast
Rather than the plain old French toast, change things up with this recipe that uses coconut milk rather than regular milk. Coconut milk has a unique natural sweetness and gives the bread a very creamy texture.
Ideally, start with an unsliced loaf so you can slice it to your preference. In the batter, you can add a bit of cinnamon along with any other background spice, or keep it completely plain.
Top your French toast with all kinds of fresh fruit for an energy boost. Fresh berries and bananas work extremely well.
And while you’re at, if you have some jelly around, slather that on too!
Lunch
Quick preparation lunches are a life-saver especially when you’re out camping. These recipes are easy to put together and loaded with everything you need to keep you going in the second half of the day.
3. Campfire Nachos
This versatile dish can be served hot or cold.
For the hot version, you would assemble everything from the nachos and sauces to the cheese, vegetables, and any other extras like tofu in a pot and place it over a medium flame to warm up and combine.
For the cold version, you can put it all together in a regular mixing bowl and serve.
If you want to add some protein to your camping food vegetarian meal then consider adding some canned beans, chickpeas, or tofu. Fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and spring onion will add flavor, texture, and plenty of healthy micronutrients.
This works great as a main course or a side dish.
4. Warm Salad Bowl
If you have some of that halloumi cheese leftover from breakfast, you can make use of it here.
The base of the salad bowl will be all the fresh vegetables you’d like. If you want to give it a tangy twist, consider adding a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.
The warmth comes from a warm sauce. This could be a cream cheese sauce, a spicy barbeque style sauce, a mushroom and onion sauce, or any other dressing that tickles your fancy. Add your halloumi cheese to the sauce to warm it up and pour it over your salad.
Once prepared, this dish lasts for a while. You can take it with you on a hike, but it’s best served warm and fresh while the sauce is still sizzling and the vegetables are crisp.
Dinner
After a busy day at camp, this is the time to enjoy a hearty meal. With these recipes, you’ll use a few ingredients to create enough food for all the mouths you have to feed.
5. Sweet Potato Peanut Stew
All you need for this recipe are some canned tomatoes, some sweet potato, and your favorite meat-protein alternatives like vegetarian meatballs.
Combine all the ingredients in a big pot, top with your favorite spices, and allow it to roast for a couple of hours at a low flame until everything is nice and tender. You can add some spinach, cheese, or any other toppings of your choice.
To give this a twist, add some roasted peanuts when serving together with a slice of lemon. The lemon will help add flavor and bring some sharpness and tartness to this otherwise hearty, creamy dish.
6. Protein Pasta
For this dish, you can use any kind of pasta you like. Simply boil the pasta until it is al-dente and then add it to a pan along with all your flavorings, protein, and anything else that you want with the meal.
Start with a sauce base, it could be a cream sauce or just a simple tomato-based sauce. For quick meals, you can opt for canned lentils or beans; otherwise, you can boil the lentils separately and add them to the pan before the pasta.
With your sauce and protein ready, add the pasta in the last couple of minutes to coat it with all that deliciousness. Before serving this meal, add some freshly grated cheese on top. Don’t be afraid to make extra sauce, as you can keep it for a good few days and simply boil some pasta to savor the leftovers.
To get the most out of your meals, be sure to use fresh ingredients whenever possible. Rather than buying everything at once, buy things as you need them and in smaller quantities to keep everything fresh.
This diverse menu has shown you that you can have many healthy and delicious vegetarian meals on the go using basic equipment and simple food.
Hi, my name is Brett White, and I have a passion for cooking, and following a raw diet. Eating raw has completely changed how I view food, and has led me down a much healthier and happier path in life over the last three years.
Through Addicted To Veggies, I want to share with you my favorite raw recipes. From brownie recipes, to recipes containing pumpkin, my site is full of delicious and wonderful options to consider.
