Campfire Recipes
Pepper Stew or Fajitas for the Campsite
It’s easy to cook a healthy and non-processed meal even while camping. Ingredients in this recipe are easily portable and don’t require exact measurements. All of the ingredients pull double duty, so you can choose between fajitas or a stew.
Equipment:
For this recipe, you’ll need a large fire safe pot and a way for it to be heated over a fire. Depending on your preference, this might be a tripod or it might be a grill that is placed over the fire. Your fire should be fairly hot even as you begin this recipe. Alternately, you can also create this stew on a camp stove that can maintain heat for at least two hours. For food preparation, make sure that you have a cutting board, knife and can opener available. Peppers can be washed before you leave home. Optional seasonings can be dashed in or measured with the palm of your hand. A small cupped palmful is about one tablespoon.
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers (any colors you like)
- 1 large onion
- 1 pound beef (can be ground beef, sliced skirt steak, or cubed stewing beef)
- 2 cans stewed tomatoes (Alternately, you can also use 5-6 fresh tomatoes, but it will take longer to cook)
- Canola/vegetable oil
- Optional Seasonings: Salt and Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Coriander, smoked or sweet paprika
Cooking:
Place the pot on whatever you are using as a heating element and allow it to warm up. Peel the onion and cut it up into chunks or slices. Throw the onion chunks into the pot along with a small amount of cooking oil. Cut the bell peppers into strips and throw them in the pot with the onions to soften for a couple minutes.
Fajitas:
If you would like to make fajitas, add sliced skirt steak and optional seasonings. (About half a tablespoon each)
Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place in the fire for 30 seconds to warm up. Wrap the fajita mixture in warm tortillas and add optional cheese or salsa and enjoy.
Stew:
Add the meat and brown for a few minutes and then add your cans of stewed tomatoes and any optional seasonings you like up to a tablespoon of each. Cover the ingredients with about two inches of water and place the lid on the pot.
This simple stew is done when the water is cooked off. The key is to make sure that the ingredients are wonderfully soft and nearly spreadable. If you notice the pot going dry, just add a bit more water.
To serve you can simply spoon the stew into a bowl and serve as is. Optional additions can grated cheese and a thick slice of bread.
Erica Hill is writing on behalf of Gaiam TV, a healthy lifestyle media company based in Colorado. Gaiam TV specializes in green living, online yoga videos, and workout videos online.