Last weekend I got to take off with some friends on Sunday to go spend the evening on the Little North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River in Idaho in a 1985 VW Westfalia. We hung out all afternoon, did some fly fishing with no luck, and found a little spot to settle about 15 miles up a windy dirt road along the river to make a meal and spend time with no distractions.
Eating in the outdoors is something I really enjoy. I highly recommend making a meal outside and away from civilization once a week, it allows you slow down and enjoy everything as its happening without the distraction of your phone, work, and the general busyness of life. It wasn’t Taco Tuesday, but we still enjoyed an easy camp tacos recipe.
When it comes to cooking while camping, it isn’t usually the most glamorous activity unless you have the right tools.
Personally, I’ve had many nights of sausage over the fire with some s’ mores later on. Then there’s the back country. That’s an entirely different story. Those adventures usually consist of an MRE or another freeze-dried food equivalent.
As of late, I’ve been more into camping with my family. The more I’ve gotten into car camping with my family, the more I’ve enjoyed actually cooking a real meal while in the woods. This form of camping may require a little more planning and extra space, but having outdoor meals with my loved ones makes it all worthwhile. Bonus points if it’s an easy camp tacos recipe.
Before we get to the recipe, remember those essential tools I was talking about to make camp cooking a breeze? My Stanley cookware is a key player in that mix in making camp cooking super easy for my family and me. I always bring my Adventure Full Kitchen Base Camp Cook Set for any family camping trip. My favorite thing about this cook set is that it packs down so nicely.
Inside of a 3.7 QT / 3.5 L steel pot, there are:
- 1 3-ply frying pan holds 32 OZ / .94 L
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Spatula with extending handle
- 1 Serving spoon with extending handle
- 4 Plates (6 in / 15.2 cm diameter)
- 4 Bowls (22 OZ / .65 L)
- 4 Sporks
- 1 Dish drying rack
- 1 Trivet
Oh, and did I mention that the lid to the pot is a vented lid, designed to be used as a strainer? Yep, the set is pretty damn fancy.
Pro Tip: One thing I’ve noticed about the Stanley cookware is that char is definitely unavoidable. No matter how much oil I cook with I always end up with a little layer of black and a weathered pot/pan afterward. Now to me this is a non-issue, but in the woods cleaning them can be a bit tricky. I found that the best way to clean them on site was to run down to the river and toss some sand in the pot and run across it with a rock. This cleaned most everything off the surface and left minimal cleaning to do once I arrived back at home
EASY CAMP TACOS RECIPE
I’ve made all sorts of fun camping recipes with this gear but one of my go-to camping meals is a version of a taco. Tacos are a crowd pleaser and you can never go wrong with this simple, yet satisfying recipe.
Ingredients:
- Ground meat of your choice
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Yellow onion
- Red Pepper
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Tortillas (corn, flour, or you could even do a lettuce wrap to cut down on carbs)
- Taco Seasoning (This is an essential in my camp box along with salt, pepper, and hot sauce)
- Cooking oil
Easy Camp Tacos Cooking Directions:
- Season your ground meat with the taco seasoning. Then, add a little cooking oil to your steel pot and cook the ground meat until it’s browned.
- Chop your onion and peppers and sauté in the frying pan.
- After sautéing the veggies and browning the ground beef, tossed everything in the pot.
- Use the frying pan to warm your tortillas (optional step, but who likes a cold tortilla?)
- In a warm tortilla, place a scoop of ground meat & veggies, and garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole.
Boom! Dinner is served.
Now, get out there and make some food in the woods. You’ll thank me later.
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