Three Square
Dirty Gourmet: uncomplicated, outdoor-friendly recipes from three friends
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
I know this isn’t the dessert section, but I need to let you in on a secret—blueberry baked oatmeal is pretty much breakfast bread pudding: It’s warm, comforting, soft, and just the right amount of sweet and tart to help keep it in the breakfast realm. It is oatmeal, but like no oatmeal you’ve ever tasted. And if you don’t want to bring eggs (or you forget them), substitute with 1 tablespoon flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg instead.
We tested this recipe on a camping trip to Carrizo Plain National Monument, and despite our “failed” first attempt, our Dutch oven was scraped clean by our professional taste-testers. The surrounding California poppies, popcorn flowers, and rancher’s fiddleheads exploding with color probably helped! We present this as a large portion so you can share the love and feed all your friends and family with it. —Mai-Yan
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons butter (dairy or plant-based)
- 2 cups blueberries, divided
- 2 cups milk (dairy or plant-based)
- 2 eggs (or 2 tablespoons flax plus 6 tablespoons water)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- For Serving
- Maple syrup
- Milk
- At home: In a large ziplock bag, combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- At camp: Place the Dutch oven on a grate set over a campfire. Add the butter, melting it completely.
- In a medium bowl, carefully pour the melted butter, leaving a little behind to keep the Dutch oven oiled.
- Add 1 cup of the blueberries to the Dutch oven. Make sure the oat mixture is well combined, then pour it on top of the berries.
- To the butter bowl, add the milk, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla. Whisk to combine, then pour on top of the oats. Submerge any oats that didn’t get covered in liquid, then scatter the remaining cup of blueberries on top. Cover the Dutch oven.
- Adjust your fire so that you have room to place the entire Dutch oven next to the fire on a level surface with very few to no coals underneath it. Place the oven next to a medium fire and add about 14 coals on the lid. Let it bake for 10 minutes and then take a peek to make sure nothing is burning.
- Rotate the oven 180 degrees so the other half is facing the fire. Also, rotate the lid one-quarter turn in the opposite direction of the Dutch oven body to redistribute heat from the lid. (If your fire is getting too hot, move the Dutch oven farther away from the flame to avoid burning the sides of the oatmeal.) Let it bake for another 10 minutes, and take a look. The top should be golden brown and the oatmeal thickened with a little moisture remaining. If there is still a lot of liquid, repeat the Dutch oven body and lid rotation (as above) and let it bake for another 5 minutes.
- Serve hot with a little maple syrup and milk, if desired.
Buffalo Cauliflower Wraps
Usually I find wraps boring, but these are anything but. They’re stuffed with spicy cauliflower, pickled onions, cream cheese, and the kicker—salt and vinegar potato chips! The cauliflower cooks quickly in foil packets and then it’s just a matter of putting everything together. If you don’t have a campfire, you can skip wrapping the cauliflower in foil and sauté the florets in a pan on a camp stove instead. —Aimee
- For the Pickled Onions
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ to ½ cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
- For the Scallion Cream Cheese
- ½ cup cream cheese (dairy or plant-based)
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
- For the Wraps
- 4 (12-inch) spinach or plain tortilla wraps
- 4 leaves romaine lettuce
- Salt and vinegar potato chips
- At home: Make the pickled onions: Combine the onion, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a jar. Seal it tightly, label it, and keep chilled until ready to use. (You can also prepare this at camp, but make sure to do it at least an hour before you’re going to eat, to give the onions some time to pickle.)
- At camp: First prepare the cauliflower: Cut 4 pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to create a foil pouch around about one-fourth of the florets. Divide the florets between the pieces of foil. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Fold the aluminum foil into a pouch and place on a grate set over a campfire. Make sure there is ample room around the contents of the pouch so heat can build up inside the pouch, creating a mini-oven.
- Cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes, then remove from heat and pour about 1 to 2 tablespoons of hot sauce on top of the cauliflower in each pouch.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the scallion cream cheese: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese with the scallions, mashing in the scallions with a fork.
- On the campfire grate (or in a large skillet on your stove), warm the tortillas. Spread each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture followed by a romaine leaf, the contents of one foil packet of cauliflower, and a handful each of the pickled onions and the chips. Wrap tightly like a burrito and serve.
Spicy Miso Ramen
In the world of backpacking, ramen is to dinner what oatmeal is to breakfast. Even though the packaged stuff is the perfect backup meal because it is compact and inexpensive, it doesn’t offer much to love beyond that. Plus, the three of us are from Los Angeles, so we know what real ramen can be! This recipe is nothing like the three-for-a-dollar option that stays in my pack for emergencies only. The noodles float in a creamy umami broth that gets better the longer the dried shiitakes simmer. It’s a special thing to have a freshly made ramen dish while car camping. —Emily
- For the Miso Soup Base
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ cup miso
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- For the Ramen
- 1 (14-ounce) block extra-firm tofu
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups milk (dairy or plant-based)
- 6 to 10 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 8 ounces ramen noodles
- Suggested Toppings
- 2 to 4 scallions, sliced
- Nori seaweed sheets, torn or cut
- Chili-garlic sauce
- Soy sauce, for drizzling
- At home: Make the miso soup base: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade attachment, place the onion, miso, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, vinegar, oils, and soy sauce, and blend until well combined. Transfer mixture to a jar to transport to camp. Keep chilled.
- Press the tofu: Wrap the tofu in a kitchen towel and place it under a heavy object, like a cast iron skillet or meat press, until most of the liquid is out, about 30 minutes. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a container to take with you to camp.
- At camp: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cubed tofu and fry until it’s golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the miso soup base, and stir until tofu is coated, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- In a large pot, combine the broth, milk, and mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms have softened, about 20 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board, slice them, and return them to the broth. Add the ramen noodles. Return the broth to a boil. Continue to cook at high heat, stirring occasionally, until ramen is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the rest of the miso soup base to the broth, stirring to combine. Let cook just until broth is heated through, about 2 more minutes.
- Serve the ramen by using tongs to pull out some noodles and place into big bowls. Then ladle the broth over the noodles and add a scoop of tofu. Top with chopped scallions, seaweed, chili sauce, and a drizzle of soy sauce.
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