cooking on the road.

everything tastes better outside.

There’s nothing more "no frills" than cooking in the great outdoors. When hiking with your supplies on your back, a packet of 2 minute noodles definitely does the trick. However, if you've got the relative luxury of a van to cook from like I do, that's when things can get a little more creative.

breaky on the beach in gerroa, dharawal country

I've cooked in perfect conditions on the beach, in the bush, and on the tops of hills. However, I've also cooked in an alleyway behind a beach toilet when it's been too windy. See below for my boyfriend/ sous chef Blake happily flipping some tofu katsu, fighting off the wind. What I've learned from all this is - it always tastes good. You work a bit harder for your meals when your kitchen is anything but permanent.

kwartatuma, nt / beans for breakfast / cooking in an alleyway.

It's possible to hit the road and eat well while doing it. The key to this is a good freezer bag. If the weather is below 25, you can get away with bringing along some fresh food.

it was not below 25 degrees here. we bought ice and kept our veggies lukewarm (at best) in a freezer bag. doubt we’d pass any food safety checks.

On our last trip, we had a gas leak so the nearly 50 year old cooktop may have to call it a day for now. But I'm glad we got some great meals out of the trusty (rusty) old thing.

I'm going to give you a rough take on some easy meals to make on the road. Make sure you always have some oil, salt, and dried herbs in your vehicle. They make life so much easier. If you’re changing your car oil, however, you can’t use olive oil.

Also, sorry for the lack of food photos here; I’m often too hungry to take any. When there’s wind, the food can go from hot to cold pretty quickly as well. Instead enjoy some 35mm from the last few trips in Stella the van and Billy the 4WD!

northern territory diaries / stella at the end of the rainbow

In terms of breakfast, there’s nothing better than savoury (see my last post). Homemade baked beans are a go. You can have these with some cheesy vegan croissants like we did last weekend, or you can stick a hunk of bread in there. Tasty and filling. Fry off 1/2 an onion in some butter or a generous glug of olive oil; add in your beans (I used butter beans) a tin of tomatoes and half the tomato can of water; bring to a gentle boil and season with salt, pepper and herbs. Make sure to add a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the acidity.

Blake made our sandwiches for lunch and we also bought some hot chips. Fry some vegan schnitzels/ marinated tofu/ tempeh according to instructions; add to some dark rye slathered with vegan butter. Top with pre-cut coleslaw veg (+ vegan mayo) and spinach. Make sure to add plenty of salt and pepper. Hot chips in the sandwiches - highly recommended.

blake enjoying the view and a schnitty sanga (that’s bogan for schnitzel sandwich)

A hot dinner is in order when you’re camping, especially as it's getting colder here in Sydney. When you've been for a swim in the freezing south coast water, pasta becomes essential.

Vegan carbonara is one of my favourites; it's so comforting and the textures are wondrous. vEEF brand bacon bits are highhhhly recommended. Boil some water and cook your favourite pasta; I use spaghetti. While that's going, fry the bacon until crispy and set aside. In the same pan, make a roux by melting about 3 tbsp vegan butter on low and adding 1 tbsp flour, mixing until the roux is formed. Then add 1 cup soy milk, stir until the sauce starts to thicken. Add as much nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and dried herbs as your heart desires, then add the cooked pasta with some pasta water. Add vegan cheese until it melts, and finally the crispy bacon. Eat and enjoy the sunset, you've earned it. The view is always worth it.