Gnocchi is an excellent "vehicle" for the pesto cream sauce. The textures are perfect together. The shiitake mushrooms add an extra dimension of flavor, texture, and richness- I love them! I also sauteed some kale to go on the side and the meal couldn't have been better!

Gnocchi: Cook according to package directions. This typically means boiling for about 2-3 minutes.

Mushrooms: Slice and saute in Earth Balance margarine (or olive oil) until browned and the smaller ones are beginning to get a little crunchy.

Kale: Saute 2 minced garlic cloves in a bit of olive oil until beginning to brown. Add kale (washed and chopped) and saute until it is bright green and the thicker stems are somewhat tender. I season mine with red pepper flakes, a squeeze of lemon juice, and gomasio (lightly toasted sesame seeds processed in the blender with sea salt until it is a course powder like ground parmesan cheese).

Pesto cream sauce
Serves about 3 to 4 people

1 cup water or unsweetened non-dairy milk
1/3 cup raw cashews
~1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp gomasio (or 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp tahini)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic
Dash of fresh cracked pepper

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and add more sea salt, if necessary. To serve, place the hot gnocchi on a plate and top with the cream sauce then add the mushrooms over the top.

My husband and I enjoyed this delicious comfort food with a very smooth glass of zinfandel from Parducci Winery. Ahhh, the perfect way to kick off a long weekend!

For oven chips: Leave the peels on the potatoes for extra iron and fiber (try to find organic potatoes- they are one of the "dirty dozen"!) and thinly slice. Toss them with olive oil and salt, spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (or lightly oiled) and bake at 400 degrees until browned.

...but that's just part of the fun for them. The water was cold but gorgeous...



...and we had a great day at the beach!


Cooking was quick with our simple accommodations- I love the minimalism that camping forces! To make our meals easier, I did most of the food prep at home. I chopped all of the fruits and veggies and bagged them for each meal. For breakfast we had tofu scramble burritos one day (one of my veg bags contained all of veggies and a small container of pre-measured seasonings) and then instant oatmeal (we added a few goodies like peanut butter, bananas, raisins, applesauce, etc.) the next day.

Tofu scramble burrito prep on the camp stove:


Lunch was PB&J sandwiches for the kids and Indian samosas (wheat tortillas with a mixture of potatoes, peas, and Indian spices that I prepared at home) for us. For dinner I pre-made my favorite lentil recipe (red lentils with kale) so we just had to heat it up when we were camping. The second night we had pasta with sauteed veggies (pre-chopped and bagged) and, of course, vegan s'mores (we used Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows which are fabulous)!

We also brought along tons of snacks including Larabars, zucchini bread, Super Charge Me cookies, sesame cashews, fruit, and veggies with hummus.

Here is a menu brainstorm that I did before planning the meals for our trip. I know this list will come in handy for me on future trips!

Breakfast:

• Pancakes
• Oatmeal
• Tofu veggie scramble with potatoes (or as burritos)
• Scones (Dreena Burton's Squirrelly Scones- YUM!)
• Cinnamon rolls
• Bagels with peanut butter or vegan cream cheese

Lunch:

• Sandwiches (PB&J, tofu or tempeh, soy cheese)
• Samosas Lentil and/or grain salad with veggies

Dinner:

• Chili and cornbread
• Veggie burgers and sweet potatoes or grilled corn
• Veg kabobs, hummus, pita bread
• Pasta with sauteed veggies
• Soup and bread
• Red lentils and kale with bread

Snacks:

• Muffins or quick bread
• Cookies
• Veggies and dip
• Fruit (incl. apples w/PB)
• Bars 
• Nuts
• S'mores!