Eating Outside- Vegan, Paleo, Diabetic- Spicy Broccoli
Eating outside is one of summer’s great pleasures. Hiking up mountains, swimming in lakes, and of course jumping into ice cold rivers are all extremely fun. By the end of that busy day you are hungry like a bear! It feels good to eat delicious food cooked over a fire. For healthy cooking outside you need four things: a fire, a grill, a cast iron pan and your health ingredients. Voila! A tasty, low glycemic, paleo meal that tastes way better because it is cooked and eaten outside under the stars.
Cooking over a fire is best done with a cast iron skillet. I like to take two sizes of cast iron pan so I can always make small quantities of yummy things like grilled onions. The cast iron pan can withstand the searing heat from the fire, and render your normal root veggies into a crunchy, caramelized and intensely delicious treats.
Bring your favourite foods to cook. Don’t forget quality supporter foods like good olive oil, French grey salt, Italian vinegar and fresh herbs like garlic and basil. I use cabbage to make salads, and cook the very perishable things such as kale on the first two days. Most camp-sites have stores close by, so you can always visit one if you need food that is refrigerated.
If you don’t like to camp you can still grill over a fire. Visit your local state park. They usually have an outdoor cooking section. Bring your cast iron pan, oil, matches and ingredients. Get the kids involved gathering kindling and helping you make the fire.
How to pack healthy food for camping.
- Fruit– Apples, grapefruit, oranges,lemon, lime
- Veggies– Onion, cabbage, jalapeño, avocado( get hard ones that will ripen) tomato, garlic, basil, kale
- Dry supplies- cans of beans, quinoi,mustard, coconut milk,olive oil, vinegar, oatmeal, hot sauce, salt, pepper
- Kitchen-2 cast iron pans( I bring small and medium), a medium pot with well fitting lid, cutting board, 2 knives, 2 big bowls for salads, small bowls for serving, long handle spatula, wooden spoon, large thermos for cooking and washing water.
Eating Outside- Vegan, Diabetic, Paleo- Spicy Broccoli

An easy go to camping formula for creating fast, vegan, paleo and diabetic friendly foods while camping and getting outside. Tasty and satisfying!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: 10 oz
- Category: vegan
- Method: fire roasted
- Cuisine: camping
Ingredients
1 head of broccoli chopped
olive oil for cooking
garlic or hot peppers
optional: Your favourite hot sauce
Instructions
Put a cast iron pan on a grill over a hot fire. Let it heat up for 5 minutes. Add in oil. When it sizzles add in the broccoli, garlic or peppers and hot sauce if you are using. Stir often. Broccoli will crisp up. If it is getting crunchy but is not done in the center add some water. When the broccoli is soft on the inside take off the fire and consume. Yum!
Notes
You can easily sub any veggie you have on hand. Great choices are cauliflower, kale, onions, cabbage, or eggplant. Be careful when cooking over the fire that you don’t burn yourself. Never use river stones around your fire as the water in them can cause explosions.
“Eating Outside- Vegan, Paleo and Diabetic- Spicy Broccoli” is our first post of the July series “Eating Outside”. If you are in the mood for more nature, please visit our other “Well Said” posts Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, Dr. Seuss, and Helen Keller.
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“Eating Outside- Vegan, Paleo and Diabetic- Spicy Broccoli” first appeared on the blog L.S.Lvewell. For more info about what we do here, visit our “About” page. Copyright 2018 Lisa Shaub.