Since the sun started setting closer to 9pm, we’ve been packing our weekends with outdoor activities. There’s just something about being outside that energizes our creativity, and we admit that we are darn lucky having both the mountains and the beach in our backyard. Whether it’s north, east, west or south, there seem to be infinite options to camp, hike, surf, bike and run. The best thing to share after a beautiful day outside is a fire-cooked meal. Whether it’s over a campfire or a barbecue, food cooked on a grill over hot coals will always taste THAT much better. So today, we have five very easy recipes for you to try on your next outdoor adventure that will surely impress all of your friends. Scroll on to see what you can make for breakfast, lunch AND dinner!
The recipes below serve four hungry campers and integrate similar ingredients to make it easy for transport.
French Toast Skewers
Ingredients:
— 1 loaf thick bread, we used French brioche
— 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
— 2 eggs
— 2/3 cup almond milk
— 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
— salt to taste
Tools:
— grill or campfire with hot coals
— heavy duty aluminum foil
— cutting board
— knife
— wooden skewers
— mason jar
Instructions:
Pour eggs, almond milk, salt, cinnamon and vanilla into a mason jar, screw on a lid and shake! The great thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the French toast batter before your camping trip. Just keep the lid on and bring it along with your bread and skewers. Reuse the mason jar for campfire drinks!
Slice up your loaf of bread into cubes.
Dunk each piece of bread into your mason jar and use your wooden skewers to pull it out. Thread about six pieces of French toast on your skewer.
Repeat until either all of your French toast batter or bread is used. Fold a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil the size of your grill and lay your skewers on top.
Pour any remaining batter over your skewers and grill until brown. Rotate your skewers as they brown to evenly cook. Drizzle some maple syrup and serve hot!
Grilled Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
— 2 chicken breasts
— 2 sweet potatoes or yams
— 4 Tablespoons olive oil
— juice one lemon
— salt and pepper
— 1 Tablespoon cumin
— 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
— 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
— 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
Tools:
— grill or campfire with hot coals
— heavy duty aluminum foil
— cutting board
— knife
— bowl
Instructions:
Dice your sweet potatoes into one-inch pieces. Cut each chicken breast in half. Place sweet potatoes and chicken breast in your bowl and fold in your spices, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes.
Tear square sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil, large enough to fold around your chicken and sweet potatoes into packets. Evenly distribute your chicken breasts and sweet potatoes onto each sheet.
Squeeze the juice of one lemon over each serving. Fold the edges of your aluminum foil sheets, fold the left and right side over your chicken and sweet potatoes, then raise the top and bottom sides up to fold into a packet.
Place on the grill for 30-40 minutes. Slice into a chicken breast to check tenderness.
Grilled Spicy Cotija Corn
Ingredients:
— 4 corn on the cob
— 2 limes
— cayenne pepper
— salt and pepper
— crumbled Cotija cheese
— garlic and herb butter (we used a prepared stick of butter but you can easily make your own by mixing butter, pressed garlic and chopped parsley together)
Tools:
— grill or campfire with hot coals
— heavy duty aluminum foil
— butter knife
Instructions:
Pull the husks and strip away the silk for each ear of corn.
Lay each ear of corn on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil that is large enough to wrap all the way around. Use a butter knife to spread the garlic and herb butter evenly across each corncob. Sprinkle cayenne pepper, salt and pepper on each one. Drizzle the juice of a lime and wrap the corn with the aluminum foil. Repeat for each piece of corn. Place on the grill for 15-20 minutes, turning every five minutes, or until kernels are tender when pierced with a knife.
Once cooked, open up the aluminum foil and sprinkle with some Cotija cheese.
Sunny Side Up Avocados
Ingredients:
— 2 avocados
— 4 eggs
— salt and pepper
Tools:
— grill or campfire with hot coals
— heavy duty aluminum foil
— butter knife
Instructions:
Slice and de-pit each avocado. Create a boat for each avocado half by folding a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and curling the edges up to shape around the avocado. Sprinkle some salt and pepper into each half.
Crack one egg into each avocado half, season with a little more salt and pepper and set on your girl. Cover your grill for about 15 minutes, until eggs are cooked to your liking.
Almond Chocolate Banana Boats
Ingredients:
— 4 bananas
— chocolate chips
— mini marshmallows
— almond or nut butter of your choice
Tools:
— grill or campfire with hot coals
— heavy duty aluminum foil
— knife
Instructions:
Slice each banana with a knife lengthwise through the peel, making sure not to cut all the way through to the other side. Spread it open with the side of your knife to create a little more space.
Stuff the bananas with almond butter, marshmallows and chocolate chips. Wrap each banana in heavy duty aluminum foil and place onto your grill for five minutes or until chocolate is melted.
Show us your foil packet meals by tagging us on Instagram + using the hashtag #iamcreative!
Food Production and Styling: Anita Yung
Photography: Chris Andre
