Tin Foil Dinners

Tin Foil Navigator

One of the things I like about camping is the food. It's so simple. In it's most primitive setting, it's just cutting up some vegetables, adding meat and seasoning, and wrapping in foil to place near the campfire. That translates to those nights at home, when you just don't feel look cooking and you want to let the grill do all of the work!


The Recipe

The Tools:

• Grill, Gas or Charcoal
• Tin Foil

The Ingredients

• 3 Potatoes, Chopped
• 3 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
• 1 Onion, Diced
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• Seasoning Salt
• Pepper

The Method

This recipe will me 3 to 4 servings. Start by getting 3 to 4 large pieces of tin foil. Fill up each piece of foil evenly with the meat and veggies. Season with seasoning salt and pepper. Wrap up with the foil. I like to cook these on the top rack of the grill at around 350 to 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes a side. Grab some paper plates and open the foil right on the plate!

Happy eating!

No Sugar Tomato Sauce

For as long as I can remember, I've added sugar to my tomato sauce. Whether I'm making something quick or an all day affair, I've used sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes. The other day, I decided to try something different. Instead of the usual sugar, I added some carrots to the sauce. The naturally sweet carrots took care of the job the sugar usually performs, and added some extra nutrients too!

The Recipe:

• 1 Large Onion - Diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves - Diced
• 3 Celery Stalks - Chopped
• 3 Carrots - Peeled and Chopped
• 2 Large Cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup Red Wine
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley
• 1 Tablespoon Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Basil



No Sugar Tomato Sauce

• Olive Oil

In a heavy bottom stock pot, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the remaining ingredients. 

From here, there are 2 different routes to take: 

The high heat method, which can be little risky, but can make the in less than an hour. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Be careful with the high heat method, because tomatoes can burn very easily. just make sure to stir the sauce often to prevent burning. 

The low heat method, which is definitely the safer route. Once the onions and garlic are ready, reduce to the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. The low heat method will allow all of the ingredients to break down and help the flavors come together, without the risk of burning.

Either way, I like to use a heat diffuser with my sauce, to help evenly distribute the heat around the bottom of the pot.

Once the sauce is cooked, I like to blend everything together with an immersion blender, to break down all the large pieces.

Happy eating!