Outdoor Family Time and Good Nutrition with Foil Dinners on a Campfire!
By Patty McManus-Huber (Nash’s Organic Produce) and Sarah Salazar-Tipton (Owl’s Hollow Forest School/Olympic Nature Experience).
Originally published in Peninsula Families Today, an advertising supplement produced by Peninsula Daily News and Sequim Gazette.
There are many healthy root vegetables available in the winter, including carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas. They have spent more time in the soil, absorbing lots of minerals and nutrients that will help keep your family healthy in the cold months.
The easiest and quickest way to prepare them is to roast them. Simply chop them into inch-square pieces, toss with a high-heat oil, such as sunflower or safflower oils, and cook on a baking sheet in the oven set at 400°F for about twenty minutes or so. No need to stir them if you lay them out just one layer thin. Once they are almost done to the texture you want, kick the broiler on high for two to five minutes and lightly toast and caramelize the tops, keeping a close eye on them so as not to burn them.
As good as they may taste to an adult, parents may be wondering how to get their children to eat them. Entice them to have some wonderful family fun outdoors by roasting the vegetables in foil on an open fire! This activity is a great way to play and cook outdoors during the chilly months of winter.
Locally, Carrie Blake Park, the Dungeness Recreation Area (the Dungeness Spit) and most of our county and state parks and beaches contain fire pits for having safe open-air fires. However, if you want to try this at home and don’t have a backyard fire pit, a charcoal grill can also work.
Since kids of all ages love a real camp fire, use the opportunity to teach them not only about healthy winter eating but about good safety behavior around fires. Check the website http://www.smokeybear.com/campfire-safety.asp for tips on building and extinguishing a safe fire if you want to have one at home.
Following Smokey’s safety instructions, build a fire that is about as wide as your elbow to finger tips. Let it burn until there is a nice bed of glowing coals. Cut your root veggies about an inch square and let your kids help you mix them in any combination they like; then add a tablespoon or two of butter, plus a sprinkle of salt and pepper. You may also add uncooked ground meat or sausage for protein and flavor. Wrap all the items in two layers of foil and fold up like a little packet. With tongs, place the packets on the bed of coals and cook about 10-15 minutes, flipping over once. Then take the packets off and check for doneness. Simply rewrap and place back on the coals if they need more time. Let cool a little before eating.
Try these roasting combinations: root medleys (carrots, beets of all colors, potatoes, rutabagas, turnips and parsnips in any combination); parsnips with mild curry or turmeric and salt or soy sauce; beet medley with balsamic vinegar and high-heat oil or a little nutritional yeast; dried parsley and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce); or chunky, mild salsa and grated cheese. Throw them over a bed of rice for a simple but oh-so-satisfying meal, and then share stories beside the camp fire while you toast some marshmallows on a stick for dessert.