10 / Five Winner-Dinner Vanlife Recipes
Vanlife Locations: Norway, Sweden & Denmark
I’m not a chef. I just love cooking and eating delicious food, so when our six week ‘first-timer’ vanlife adventure was fast approaching, baked beans and nachos simply wouldn’t cut the sriracha.
A menu upgrade was needed.
Before we hit the Nordic road back in June, I searched for decent cook-ups minus the fuss. Alas there was no oracle to be found, so I took on the ‘Mini-Kitchen Masterchef Challenge’.
I’ve never written a recipe, so I’m relying on my neurotic Virgo logic to deliver. In this final vanlife post, I promise you simple, minimalist cooking without the stress, or too much mess.
A note on ingredients – I’m not vegetarian, but these dishes happen to be meat-free. You won’t miss the roadkill. I’m working with what keeps well, and doesn’t cost a bomb. Cabbage for example will last out of the fridge for a good week if it’s not ‘Euro-heatwave’ baking hot.
All recipes make a hearty dinner for two, for two nights, because we ❤️ leftovers. And all photos are ‘on the job’… a proper iPhone snap n’ shovel it in.
One Pot Broccoli Orecchiette Pasta
Ingredients
350g dry orecchiette pasta (or whatever pasta’s hand)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
4 cloves garlic, crushed/sliced
2 vegetable stock cubes, dissolved in 1 litre of water
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup (at least) grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt/Pepper
Tools
1 cooking pot
1 chopping knife
1 chopping board
1 mixing spoon
Method
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes until the oil is flavoured, ensuring the garlic isn’t overcooked/brown. Pour in the stock, stir well then add the pasta and bring it to the boil. After 3/4 of the pasta cooking time (7-ish minutes), add the chopped broccoli to the water and stir. Keep it cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the pasta is al dente, the broccoli cooked and the broth has formed a slick, glossy sauce.
Add enough cheese to satisfy, season with salt n’ pepper and serve… with extra cheese.
Dan Dan (& Josh) Spicy Noodles
Sauce Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp of chilli oil or flakes to your heat tolerance
1 (decent) tbsp Sriracha
The Rest
Cooking oil of your choice
1 carrot, sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed/sliced
A knob of ginger, crushed/sliced
2 slabs of instant noodles
Tools
2 cooking pots
1 bowl
1 chopping knife
1 chopping board
1 mixing spoon
Method
Mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Boil water, add noodles and cook as per packet instructions. When cooked, drain, keeping a 1/3 cup of the cooking water – add this to the sauce. Whisk with a fork to combine.
Meanwhile, heat a decent splash of oil in the pan on medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and cook, keeping a bit of crunch (add some tofu for more protein if you like).
Transfer noodles into the bowl with the veggies and toss in sauce. Plate up and sprinkle with nuts or sesame seeds if you have them.
Mediterranean Lentil Soup
Okay… this one isn’t mine. It’s a van-friendly mod of a recipe from one of my fave online cooks Nisha Vora. Nisha is American born and of Indian heritage – she really knows how to build a rockstar flavour profile. Check out her YouTube channel… tell her I sent you. It looks basic but it tastes ‘the goods’.
Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
5-ish cloves garlic, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chilli flakes (I use more 🌶️)
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp lemon peel, finely chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 cup brown or green lentils (not the red ones, they go mushy)
Salt/Pepper
Optional: 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Tools
1 cooking pot
1 chopping knife
1 chopping board
1 mixing spoon
Method
Heat oil in pot over medium-high. Add the onion plus ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until onion has softened and is golden brown, around 10 -15 minutes.
Now add the carrots, garlic, and chopped lemon peel and cook for 5 minutes until carrots are starting to soften. Add the chilli flakes and coriander and let the spices come to life.
Pour in a splash of stock and scrape up any brown-y bits. Then add the rest of the stock broth, water, lentils, and a good whack of black pepper. Stir well, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
Optional sauce: While the soup simmers, make a yogurt sauce: In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup yogurt with 1 tbsp lemon juice, some herbs, and season with salt and pepper.
When the lentils are tender, stir in the nutritional yeast if you’ve got it, and gently cook, uncovered, for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 to 2 tbsps lemon juice.
Serve soup in bowls with a dollop of sauce with crusty bread. YUM.
Chickpea Veggie Curry in a Hurry
Ingredients
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained
400g can chopped tomatoes (good ones)
Pearl couscous, or rice
1 brown onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed/sliced
1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, sliced
1/2 cup veggie stock
1–2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt/Pepper
Optional: Lemon wedges to serve (takes flavour to the next level)
Tools
2 cooking pots
1 chopping knife
1 chopping board
1 mixing spoon
Method
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5-ish minutes until soft.
Add the garlic and sauté. Next add the chopped cabbage and capsicum (You can add any other veggies like sliced carrot, zucchini, peas etc.). Cook until starting to soften, then add the chickpeas, stir through.
At this point put the water on the boil for the couscous.
Add the cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, canned tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mix to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add the couscous to boiling water and cook as per instructions.
When the stew sauce is thickening and shiny, we’re good to go. Serve up with the couscous, and maybe a dollop of yoghurt (yes, I like yoghurt) if handy, plus a good squeeze of lemon over the lot. Ladies n’ Gents, dinner is served!
A Simple Tasty Dhal, Darls!
Ingredients
400g can tinned chopped tomatoes
400g can coconut milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4ish cloves garlic, crushed/sliced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, crushed/sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili flakes
1 1/2 cups red lentils (dry)
3 cups vegetable stock
Salt/Pepper
Rice, or your fave carb to serve
Optional: Spinach, good squeeze of lemon
Tools
2 cooking pots
1 chopping knife
1 chopping board
1 mixing spoon
Method
Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until transparent and soft. Add the garlic and ginger for another minute or so to get the aromas punching.
At this point start cooking your rice. I use the absorption method which is super easy. If it’s white rice – 1 cup rice plus 1 1/4 water, bring to the boil then cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Fluff away! Rice done.
Back to the dhal… chuck in the turmeric, cumin, chilli flakes (more if you like heat). Let the spices release their fury for a minute or so, then add lentils, tomatoes, stock, salt n’ pepper. Bring it to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 5–10 so it’s nice and creamy, and the lentils are cooked.
Serve it with a squeeze of lemon. You can also throw in a few handfuls of spinach towards the end of cooking for some green goodness.
If you end up cooking any of these dishes, please share your candid review in the comments below. Uncensored feedback welcome.
And… onwards! 💚