You’re lounging in a chair at your campsite thinking about how peaceful it is and how wonderful it is to get away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life. You suddenly realize you’ve been sitting there for a while, are hot and thirsty and want something cool to drink. But you really don’t have anything that will refresh you—alcohol will only dehydrate you and that’s not good; nor are you in the mood for just plain old water, but that’s all you have… Does this scenario sound familiar? If so, you’re in luck because we just happen to have a few recipes for refreshing cold drinks and tasty snacks that are easy to make at home and bring with you on your next camping trip!
Thirst-Quenching Drinks and Tasty Snacks
Watermelon Slushy (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 8 c. of frozen watermelon, seedless 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp. of honey
- 3 tbsp. of lime juice, fresh
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and cut in half
Directions:
Put the lime juice, jalapeño, honey and watermelon in a blender.
Process until the mixture’s smooth; pour into a thermos or leak-proof pitcher with a lid to take with you while camping.
Strawberry-Banana Quesadillas (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 8 tortillas
- 8-16 strawberries
- 2-4 bananas
- 4-8 tbsp. of your favorite jam
- 4-8 tbsp. of natural peanut butter
Directions:
Spread the jam on one side of 4 tortillas.
Spread the peanut butter on a side of the other 4 tortillas.
Slice up strawberries and bananas to create a layer on the bottom of the 4 jam tortillas. Put the peanut butter-covered tortillas on top, peanut butter facing down.
Cook each quesadilla in a cast-iron skillet over your campfire for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms are crispy.
With a spatula, flip the quesadilla over and cook another 2 minutes or until it’s crispy on that side.
Bon appétit and put any leftovers in your cooler.
Berry-Lime Liquado (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 1½ c. of blueberries, fresh
- 1½ c. of strawberries, fresh
- 1 c. of water
- 2 tbsp. of agave nectar (or sugar)
- 1 c. of ice
- 2 tbsp. of lime juice
Directions:
Using a blender, purée the blueberries and strawberries.
Put a fine-meshed sieve over a small bowl and pour the purée in the sieve; the juices will run into the bowl. When all of the juices have strained through, throw away the pulp and seeds.
Wash the blender; then pour the juice from the bowl into the blender along with the water, agave nectar, ice, and lime juice. Blend until it’s smooth. Then grab your favorite camping pitcher and fill it up!
Avocado Toast (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 4 avocados, mashed and seasoned with pepper and salt
- 24 slices of fresh paneer (or your favorite block cheese)
- ¼ c. of eggplant, cubed and cooked
- 8 slices of multi-grain bread
Directions:
Place the bread slices in a cast-iron skillet and toast over a fire until lightly brown.
Spread a generous amount of mashed avocado on each slice of bread.
Using the same skillet, cook the paneer cheese until it’s golden on every side.
Place some eggplant cubes on top of each avocado spread then lay 3 pieces of fried cheese on top of each for tasty avocado toast.
Peach-Thyme Iced Tea (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme, chopped
- 6 c. of fresh peaches (8 medium-sized), sliced
- 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, fresh
- ½ c. of honey
- 8 c. of water (6 c. boiling, 2 c. room temp.)
- 10 black tea bags, normal size
Directions:
In a large saucepan, start creating your peach syrup by combining thyme, 4 c. of sliced peaches, honey and the room-temperature water. Cover and, on medium-high heat, allow the mixture to come to a simmer.
Mix and decrease the heat to low, return the cover and simmer for 30 minutes, mixing periodically. Now, allow the mixture to cool thoroughly, roughly 30 minutes. Then, using a wire-mesh strainer over a bowl, pour the mix into the strainer and press on the solids to remove the juice. This juice is your peach syrup.
In a heat-proof, leak-proof pitcher, put in the black tea bags, 2 c. of peaches and boiling water. This will need to steep for 15 minutes then toss out the tea bags. Mix in the peach syrup and lemon juice.
Pomegranate Lemonade (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- ¼ c. of lemon juice, fresh
- 2½ c. of water
- 3 tbsp. of sugar
- 1 c. of pomegranate juice
- Crushed ice
Directions:
In a medium-sized bowl, blend lemon juice and sugar; mix thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.
Next, pour the pomegranate juice and lemon combo in your large camping pitcher stirring until everything is well blended.
Stir in the water and as much crushed ice as you wish.
Banana Sushi (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. of any flavor of nut butter
- 4 medium bananas
- Possible toppings: chia seeds, chopped nuts, shredded or shaved coconut
Directions:
Peel each banana and spread 1 tbsp. of nut butter on each banana.
Toppings should be sprinkled on each banana; to make sure the toppings stick, lightly press them in the nut butter.
With a sharp knife, cut the bananas evenly into “sushi” pieces. You can store them in your cooler to have later or enjoy after making them.
Cucumber, Lemon and Fennel Spritzer (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 2 cucumbers, large
- 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, fresh
- 1 fennel bulb, large
- 3 tbsp. of honey
- ⅛ of sea salt
- 2 c. of club soda
Directions:
Using an electric juicer extract the juices from the fennel and cucumbers. When you’re done it should equal 3 cups. Pour the juices in a large, leak-proof pitcher.
Add in the honey, salt, club soda, and lemon juice; mix well.
Fruit Pizzas (Serves 4)
Ingredients – Crust (choose one):
- 4 Whole-wheat flatbread
- 4 Whole-wheat pita
- 4 Whole-grain tortilla
Sauces (use one or multiple):
- Natural nut butter (any flavor)
- Cream cheese, reduced-fat
- Sugared vanilla yogurt fruit dip
- 100% fruit jam or jelly
- Greek yogurt, non-fat
Toppings (use as many as you like):
- Dried fruit like: chopped dates, cranberries, raisins, apricots, figs
- Fresh fruit like: bananas, berries, apples, grapes, kiwi
- Granola
- Coconut
- Cinnamon
- Slivered or sliced almonds
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Spread one or many sauces on your choice of crust.
Cover with your preferred toppings and slice into pizza wedges. If you don’t want to cut wedges, you can roll them into burritos or fold them up in quesadillas.
Cantaloupe Cooler (Serves 8)
Ingredients:
- 1½ c. of ginger ale
- 1 6 oz. can of limeade concentrate
- 8 c. of cantaloupe, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ⅓ of water
- 2 tsp. of fresh ginger, grated
Directions:
Add to an extra-large Ziploc freezer bag the cubed cantaloupe, being sure to make only one layer.
Place in your freezer for 8 hours; then remove and set the bag on your counter for 15 minutes.
Place in a blender ¾ c. of ginger ale, 3 oz. of limeade concentrate, 4 c. of cantaloupe and 1 tsp. of grated ginger; process until the mixture is smooth then pour into your camping pitcher.
Process the remainder of the ingredients in the blender; add to your pitcher and mix well.
These drinks and tasty snacks are sure to take the heat out of your summer—or at least reduce it—leaving you free to go hiking, swimming, fishing or just gaze at the clouds or stars.
