Boil water with sugar and lemon juice, in the meantime peel and cut the apples into cubes. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5/10 minutes, blend everything, let it cool and it's ready.
We have the 5ml steel campfire from Primus.
The intermediate step.
Here is my juice bottle ready to drink!
If you want to put them under vacuum in the bottle or glass jar remember to put them to boil to sterilize them and then put the content still hot inside and put it upside down and let it cool.
We see many different campervan conversions on our Insta every day. Our favourite ones by far are the upcycled campervan kitchens, so inspirational! So sit back, relax and enjoy taking a peek into these inspirational upcycled campervan kitchens.
Using recycled and upcycled items in your van build can save on cost. It is beneficial in other ways too. Using recycled items and upcycling them saves perfectly good items from landfill. Like many other vanlifers, we try to look for ways to live sustainably. Reusing items and reducing waste (ours or someone else’s) is all a move in the right direction for this movement.
We love the sentimentality upcycled items have associated with them. It’s so fab when parts of your campervan conversions have their own stories to tell. Looking at them can remind you of a certain time, place or person instantly and that’s a lovely feeling.
That leads us on to the 7 inspirational upcycled campervan kitchens in this article. We hope that you enjoy them too.
Recycle Inn
Yasmine & Rene specialise in converting vans into campervans using recycled materials. The couple are are based in France, and promote living in a sustainable way. They do this by using as many upcycled items as possible in their builds. Reducing plastic use in their van and often participating in beach clean ups are other ways.
They have converted a number of vans, and we will be focusing on one in this article. This van is a long wheelbase, high top Renault Master 2. Everything in this campervan kitchen has been upcycled using recycled materials, and they love that each item has a story attached to it. A lot of the wood used in the van is pallet wood which they obtained for free. They lovingly took the time to sand all the pieces down to create the look you now see. The worktop was created from an old wardrobe door. The cupboards were also created from upcycled furniture.
Upcycled Campervan Kitchen Features
There are many features in this beautiful campervan kitchen that immediately catch your eye, the first being the eye shaped window. This unique feature is felt to protect them on their travels, and even has an ‘eyelid’ to block out the light at night time.
The couple really wanted some authentic Portuguese tiles in their campervan kitchen. They struggled to find any on their travels. Eventually they found these lovely tiles and upcycled them to create their splashback. The colours complement their build perfectly.
Some more beautiful upcycled items include the tap. The tap was was originally from a wine barrel obtained during their travels through Bordeaux. Two old biscuit tins are now used as overhead storage. The second hand map of Spain & Portugal helps them document their travels. All of these help to create a cosy campervan kitchen, with lots of memories and personal touches.
Favourite campervan kitchen gadget
They confess to keeping life simple with no gadgets, however, they do love their stove top. Plus having the ability to cook a variety of meals with their oven. The oven was also second hand for $30 and has been given a new lease of life in their campervan.
Favourite campervan meal
Their favourite thing to make in their campervan kitchen is fresh bread or vegetarian lasagna.
What better way to start an upcycled campervan renovation than with an upcycled van? Let’s show you Dan’s ex police van, now inspirational campervan! This van is a full-time home on wheels, and a lot of the conversion was completed using recycled and upcycled items.
This was a true labour of love, all of the wood in the kitchen is reclaimed. Dan helped tidy up the local area by collecting any crates at the side of the road. These were then cleaned up ready to use in the van. The majority of the screws and nails used were either reclaimed from old pieces of wood or from junk stores.
That isn’t the only recycled thing in this campervan kitchen. The cutlery, pots and pans are all second hand too.
Dan is a fan of old style cabins which may be where the inspiration came from. Converting a campervan yourself means you can get exactly what you want. Travelling in the van full time Dan felt it was important for it to feel homely and is very happy with the end result.
The kitchen is fitted out with a cast iron dual gas stove, a water pump and a cooler. The electrics run off solar power allowing them to stay off grid and reduce their carbon footprint.
The set-up of their kitchen means there is no need to set anything up, it’s all ready to go. They considered this an important factor when planning their kitchen.
A favourite feature in the van is their stove. This not only warms up the van while boiling water for a morning coffee, but also allows them to make awesome Cuban sandwiches!
Favourite campervan kitchen gadget
A hand blender, which comes in handy for smoothies, soups & curries.
Favourite campervan meal
It was too hard pick one! They said they enjoy making broccoli soup, pumpkin soup, steak burritos and curries, and they love Mexican nights in the van too!
As their Insta name may suggest, Jonny & Megan are enjoying vanlife in Ireland. They have a Toyota Hiace. It may be small but that doesn’t mean they can’t have everything they want in their home on wheels.
Surfing plays an important part in their life and they even have storage for their surfboard in the van! Their van is colourful and cosy, plus it has a rooftop garden. The upcycled kitchen is made with some reclaimed wood that has a very special story behind it. The kitchen units are made from Jonny’s Dad’s old garden fence!
“Almost the full kitchen is reclaimed, the wood is all reclaimed wood panels from a fence. It’s cool because I remember helping my dad build that fence when I was a kid. He would always have me out helping him with little jobs like that when I was younger. I definitely gained my skills and love for wood working from him. It’s nice being able to use those skills, especially repurposing something that we both built together“
Upcycled and recycled items, full of memories, can make your campervan even more magical inside. Meaning you can take your memories from home on your travels with you.
They describe their own kitchen as basic but functional. There is a 2 burner hob with a grill. If extra space is required, the end of the cupboard folds up to create extra worktop space. These space-saving ideas are total campervan kitchen inspiration.
The reclaimed wood sets off the teal coloured tiles, which happens to be one of their favourite features, alongside the cupboard door knobs.
The hose linking the water tank to the tap is another recycled item in their van kitchen. This was originally a garden hose which has been thoroughly cleaned.
Favourite campervan meal
Jonny admits that Megan is the one with the culinary skills. He does however, make a mean cheese toastie & the world’s best cup of tea!
Their advice to anyone embarking on a van build…
Anyone thinking about embarking on a van build, it’s the best thing you’ll do! The enjoyment of building the van alone is amazing. The best bit about it is that you can build it to your exact specifications, to suit your needs. There aren’t really any rules when it comes to putting a van together. That reflects nicely on the life you can live with a van too, a never ending exploration in your home on wheels.
Vanoraks are made up of Jess & Darren. In September 2019 they purchased an old window fitters van and decided to convert it into a mini home on wheels. The global pandemic arrived not long after they bought the van. Lockdown provided the time to work on the van. It is now ready for adventure, as soon as they’re allowed to.
Many of the items in the campervan kitchen are upcycled. This meant the couple could use the money elsewhere for all their homely comforts. They found the upcycling process fun, enjoyed putting unwanted items to good use, and felt it added character to the interior of the campervan.
Upcycled Campervan Kitchen Features
Some of the upcycled items came from the previous owner. The window fitter racking was used as the internal frame for the kitchen, shower and bed. The worktop in the kitchen is made from upcycled scaffolding boards. They spent time sanding the boards, waxing and sealing them to make them suitable for use.
Using upcycled items can be a conversation starter too, the lamp above the kitchen hob is actually an upcycled blowtorch from Darren’s Grandfather’s garage. It proves to be a talking point when they have visitors in the van. There are many more gorgeous talking points in this campervan. One being the beautiful copper sink which actually started life as a pan. The wind deflector behind the hob was created using a copper sheet from a skip.
The eco-friendly aspects of the van don’t end there. The van runs off solar panels which provide enough energy for all their internal electrics and gadgets. Their water tanks have sensors to monitor the water usage in the van. The shower head contains beads to improve water pressure and reduce the amount of water they use. This is handy when there isn’t an unlimited supply of water!
Favourite campervan kitchen gadget
We have another fan of the hand blender. These guys like to make soup, dressings and use it for chopping herbs. Their wall mounted bottle opener has come in useful too!
Favourite campervan meal
They love to enjoy a breakfast treat of vegan pancakes. After a long walk one of their favourite ways to warm up is with a warming vegan chilli. The recipe is right here for you to recreate it yourself.
Watch as many YouTube van build/conversions to get an idea of the style and layout that will work for you. Don’t be afraid to ask other vanlife/van builders questions, even if they seem simple.
These guys love using reclaimed items so much, they even made a business from it! They create beautiful wooden home decor using reclaimed timber. The campervan kitchen is no exception. They have used upcycled items to create their perfect living space.
They have used reclaimed wood in their build which is included in their table, worktop and light piece. Upcycled roofing battens were used to make their table and chairs. Another upcycled feature is their tap. They made this themselves from industrial pipe work.
This campervan kitchen has a twin hob burner, jetboil and portable gas bbq. They make the most of the sun by having a solar shower in the van, A portable solar pack means they can charge smaller items without using energy from the van batteries.
Favourite campervan kitchen gadget
Having a hob as the main way to cook meals in their campervan, their favourite gadget is a vanlife necessity. A high quality non-stick pan can be versatile and is easy to wipe down when doing the washing up in a campervan.
Favourite campervan meal
Their favourite meal is a veggie burger. This has the versatility of going with many different things to make a meal. On special occasions they like to make pan pizza!
Their advice to anyone embarking on a van build…
Be true to your own. It’s great to get inspiration from other van lifers but you will never recreate something they have made. Be unique and think outside the box. Make it around your own needs.
If you are looking for an inspirational upcycled campervan kitchen – look no further. We see this campervan kitchen attracting attention on Instagram frequently.
These UK vanlifers travel in their van full-time and have recently been enjoying Scotland. At the beginning of their build they knew they wanted to try to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.
They have done this by using as many recycled and upcycled items as possible, and installing a solar powered system to make sure they can camp off grid.
Upcycled Campervan Kitchen Features
Their kitchen was structured around some second hand cabinets they found. As many recycled and free items as possible were used, to minimise the cost and effects on the environment. Upcycled pallet wood was used to create their countertops & all their crockery and cutlery is second hand. They found a store which makes use of paints and varnish that would otherwise be thrown away and used these in their build.
The couple would have loved a live edge worktop in their campervan kitchen. This would not have been within their budget though. Luckily they found some long slats of wood in a skip. Some of these had live edges, and so they combined them together. After sanding and oiling them, they managed to get the worktop they desired.
The single ring camping stove is perfect for cooking inside and outside the van. This was also upcycled by using coach enamel to paint it a soft gold colour. They have been having issues with condensation in their van. This means they are braving cooking outside as much as possible, or making some fab one-pot pasta to minimise cooking time. Having over 40 jars of condiments in their van means they are never going to be eating a bland meal!
Upcycling your van isn’t limited just to the interior. Laura & Aaron upcycled the outside of their campervan too – by painting it themselves!
Laura & Aaron don’t limit their upcycling just to their van, all of their clothes are from thrift stores too. One of their favourite things about buying second hand items is imagining the history of the item and they characters that owned it before.
Why use upcycled items?
The couple like to be conscious of the environment around them and trying to protect and preserve it. Buying new items made them cringe knowing that there was likely little consideration for the workers or environment in production. This is one reason they decided to create an upcycled campervan, plus the lack of funds! Upcycling and recycling items meant they managed to keep the cost of their conversion low.
The couple like to travel extremely slowly on their travels, take it all in and be considerate about the amount of fuel they use. The tap is operated via a pump to minimise water use (and it’s fun to pump!). A solar power system set up in their van to help with energy supply.
Favourite campervan kitchen gadget
Their favourite gadget is their carbon monoxide detector. Cooking in a small space can be risky if not well ventilated. Having a carbon monoxide detector means Laura & Aaron can sleep soundly knowing there are no dangerous gases in the van.
Favourite campervan meal
Part of wanting to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle is eating a vegan diet. The couple like to make hearty italian meals with lentils, courgette and wayyyy too much garlic!
Their advice to anyone embarking on a van build…
The main thing is to not let ‘lack of knowledge’ hold you back, you can learn it all!!
Their van may currently be off the road, but that is not going to stop us including it in our inspirational upcycled campervan kitchens. Louise, Emily & AJ the dog are all fine and hopefully will soon be back on their adventures.
They worked within a budget and did their best to stick to it all the way through. With the pandemic, the uncertainty made them more determined to stick to their budget. This is one of the main reasons they decided to use reclaimed items in their van.
Upcycled Campervan Kitchen Features
Louise built the kitchen cupboards and drawers using reclaimed wood. The wood used, was made up of pallet wood and wood that was leftover from their build. They feel the use of these upcycled cupboards reflect their personalities, ‘not perfect, but does the job’
The coffee sacks used in their kitchen are from a small coffee distributor they found on a campsite. These fit in with the decor, and can bring back memories of their trip.
Their build shows that you can incorporate some reclaimed materials in your build, no matter how big or small.
Favourite Campervan Kitchen Feature
Their favourites are the blackboard where they can leave notes to each other and their cactus shelf. Emily likes the tiniest draining board, and Louise loves the worktop
Favourite campervan meal
They love one pot meals, and who doesn’t less washing up, woo-hoo! Their particular favourite is a vegetable Jambalaya.
Their advice to anyone embarking on a van build…
Take your time on the planning. It really is the most important part and don’t be afraid to have a nose in other people’s vans, we still do now. Don’t rush it, speak to as many people as you can who have done it already to get multiple opinions (of which you will get MANY). Use this knowledge to make your decisions based on your needs. Every van builder has made a few mistakes try and learn from as many of theirs, but no matter what you will make some of your own.
We hope seeing these inspirational upcycled campervan kitchens has given you some ideas. There are many reasons to use upcycled items in your van build:
Save on cost
Give a new lease of life to unwanted items
Save items going to landfill
Fill your van with memories
No matter how many upcycled items you choose to use, it can provide those finishing touches to your campervan kitchen.
Want to see more inspirational campervan kitchens? Be sure to check out our other article showcasing 10 of the best van kitchen designs right here!
Let us know in the comments if you have any upcycled items in your campervan!
As good Italians we couldn't help but try to make pizza !! Super easy to do, and super fast!
Only 1 hour of leavening/proving.
The video can be found on our Instagram page! @vwt4_furbone_
Remember to grease the stove well with oil, so it will come off perfectly, at least if you have no silicone element.
Put the yeast with warm water, mix, add flour and oil, knead until a loaf is created.
Let it rest for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough to create the right width of our omnia,season to taste!
Over low heat, cook for about 15/20 minutes depending on how crunchy you want to make it!
I used all organic, and I used type 2 flour, but better to use Manitoba flour and type 00 flour and mixing them.
The dough will come like this, and you will make two pizzas with it.
Fried Tagliatelle with Chickpeas and Tomatoes in Cajun Oil
Vegan, Vegetarian
Where Italy meets Louisana. This simple, hearty and flavoursome campervan recipe will knock your socks off and leave you comfortably warm on the inside.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped garlic along with all the spices. (Smoked Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder and Oregano)
Season with Salt and Pepper and continuously stirring cook the spices for about 2 minutes.
Add the Tagliatelle nests into the pan and give them a good coat in all the oil.
Fry away stirring often for 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas to the pan (including the water in the tin) and add the tomatoes, a cup of water and crumble the stock cube into the juices.
Stir it all up and cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Using a fork squash each and every tomato in the pan. It should be easy as they will be soft and juicy.
Stir in the fresh coriander and squeeze in the lemon juice.
By now the tagliatelle should be al dente and ready to serve.
Enjoy!
This is an easy and delicious treat for lunch or dinner. The creamy butterbean sauce smothered in cheese is the perfect texture for crispy sourdough toast.
In a bowl add the sliced red onion, sliced chilli and sugar. Season with salt and drizzle the apple cider vinegar over the top and give it a good stir with a teaspoon.
Leave to one side to soften up.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan on medium heat.
Finely chop the ginger and garlic and add to a pan along with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of medium curry powder.
It is important to cook out the spices to bring out the flavour yet take extra care not to burn the garlic.
Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the butterbeans and the cheese to the mixture and season generously with salt and pepper.
When the cheese starts to melt remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes.
Stir through the cream and chopped coriander.
If you have a grill, toast a couple of slices of sourdough bread under it or if not use a pan and fry the bread with a little olive oil.
Make your toast and place on a plate.
Pour your butterbean mixture over the toast and top with a generous amount of the pickled onion and chilli.
Add extra salt and pepper.
Yum!
We are very excited to feature our first family of vanlifers! What could be more exciting for children than camping every day in their very own campervan. Make sure to follow the families adventures on Insta @van_chula_travels
Meet the vanlifers…
A pretty certain thing about a home on wheels is that it is a tiny home. However, that doesn’t mean it is filled with any less love than a home made of bricks. Meet our featured vanlifers, The Howls. Annie, Luke, Hugo & Sacha have given us some insight to their home on wheels and their family experiences living in their self built campervan.
The family live full-time in their van Chula, and are based in the UK. They originally decided to travel full-time in their van but currently to allow their children to attend school they limit their travelling to the weekends and holidays but enjoy full-time vanlife nonetheless. They make the most of having their home on wheels by parking up at local beauty spots during the week, close enough to do the school run. Then at the weekend, the world is their oyster!
One of their favourite places to visit is Cornwall. A particular place they recommend is St Michael’s Mount. It is a great place to visit with children, and there is something magical about being able to cross a stone path which is only there when the tide is low.
Their van kitchen
The family eat an almost vegan diet, with a few dairy products. Due to this type of diet they manage without a fridge in their campervan. They have an emphasis on eating fresh meals, little convenience food & minimal washing up! Sounds perfect for vanlife. The family plan meals ensuring the fresh products are used up first after a shop, and adapt their meals towards the end of the week to use up leftovers and other remaining items.
Mum Annie, likes to cook meals requiring one pan so the family tend to eat meals such as vegetable stews, curries etc. Washing up after 4 is never fun even with a large sink and unlimited hot water, so it makes perfect sense to keep washing up limited in a family home on wheels.
Some of the family favourite meals include, risotto, soup and pasta. They enjoy cooking curries but eat them with naan bread rather than rice to save on pots and pans. One of their favourite family meals to make in their campervan is cheesy mashed potato, roasted butternut squash and gravy. Ultimate comfort food!
Family vanlife meals
One of the family’s most memorable meals in Chula was on a cold winter’s day in Snowdonia National Park. Their diesel heater had broken and what better way to heat up than a big bowl of soup. A bowl of hot sweet potato & lentil soup soon worked it’s magic and was declared the best soup ever!
See The Howls Vanlife recipe here. Omnia Roasted Butternut squash & Cavolo Nero, served with cheesy vegan mash and Mango, chilli dressing.
There are a few essentials in this van family’s pantry. Being as the family like to use up leftovers as the week progresses, gravy granules are classed as a definite essential. They can turn some leftover roasted vegetables into a yummy meal. Hugo & Sacha love overnight oats for breakfast with some ginger marmalade, nuts and seeds. This makes porridge oats another essential in this family’s van kitchen. Finally which UK pantry would be complete without baked beans!
Of course cooking in a tiny home doesn’t come without it’s share of disasters. Annie admits that cooking in a small space with children around can come with it’s challenges. One of the most memorable mishaps happened when cooking a family favourite, curry. A pan full of chickpea curry not only ended up on their new rug, but the children also ended up wearing it.
Tips for future vanlifers
What tips do The Howls have for families about to embark on a vanlife adventure?
Keep things simple, minimal and as easy as possible.
2 pairs of shoes each are enough. Only pack what you need and wear.
Have a box for muddy things so they can be dealt with later on (tiny living = easy mess!)
If meat & dairy are not a big part of your diet, then a fridge is not always required in a van build.
Finally…..
We all know vanlife doesn’t come without a few hiccups, and this was no different for The Howls. They were so excited to set off for their full-time adventure that they forgot one thing…… their toilet! Their first week was spent in a remote location, needless to say the children were not impressed with having to poop outside. Stories like this is what makes the vanlife experience and it has not hindered the families enjoyment of it at all.
This vegan Omnia roasted squash with mango, lime and chilli dressing is a great stove top meal. This is perfect for meat free Monday, or any other day of the week. With the squash roasted to perfection in the Omnia and cheesy mash, that’s vegan too! The lime and chilli dressing adds a sharp, spicy flavour that cuts through the sweetness of the roasted squash.
A great dinner for the family, full of nutrients and good flavours. You can vary the level of spiciness to adapt to smaller taste buds if required. A great thing with this recipe is that you can add whatever you want, a great way to use up leftovers.
Omnia roasted squash with lime & chilli dressing
van_chula_travels
Vegan, Vegetarian
Some really yummy dishes can be created from ingredients that do not need to be refrigerated.This meal has some simple but really tasty elements. Roasted butternut squash & Cavolo Nero, served with vegan 'cheesy' mash & Mango, lime & chilli dressing
Peel the butternut squash and cut into 2cm cubes. Peel and cube the potatoes.
Put the potatoes in a pan of water and bring to the boil, leave to cook for 20 minutes or until soft
Meanwhile coat the cubed butternut squash in a small amount of oil and sprinkle with the cumin and paprika. Season with salt & pepper
Place the squash into the Omnia oven and roast over a medium heat for around 20 minutes
While the squash and potatoes are cooking make the dressing. To make this blend the mango, apple cider vinegar, a dash of oil and the juice of the lime. Add as much chilli as you like depending on the spice level required.
After 10 minutes add the cavolo nero to the butternut squash and cook for a further 10 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, pour away the water and mash. Add vegan butter and cheese plus seasoning.
Place the mash on the plate. Place the roasted butternut squash and cavolo nero on the top. Drizzle the dressing and voila!
The ultimate comfort food and this recipe is bursting full of rich zingy flavour that will leave you drooling away whilst it bubbles away on your van stove.
Use your Zyliss Easy Pull to blend up the mushrooms until they are finely minced.
With a splash of olive oil in a pan add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Fry stirring constantly for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan and set aside.
Use the Zyliss to blend the Onion, the garlic cloves, the chilli and only the stalks from the fresh coriander. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the red onion, garlic, chilli and coriander stalks. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Roughly chop the celery and the red pepper and add to the pan and stir up the mixture.
Add the spices (chilli flakes, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, star anise, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper) and mix everything up so the veg is coated in the spices.
Add the red wine, soy sauce, tomato puree and balsamic vinegar and reduce the liquid down by leaving the lid off the pan. When the liquid has reduced right down add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens up.
Return the minced mushrooms to the pan along with the maple syrup, the chocolate, drained kidney and black beans. Reduce the heat to a gentle low simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the sauce is a thick rich mixture.
Remove the bay leaf and the star anise, stir through the fresh coriander and serve with rice or nachos!
This guacamole recipe is ideal for a campervan kitchen. No cooking required and using the manual blender, means no power required either! It tastes delicious too, win win!
Using your manual food processor (such as the Zyliss Easy Pull) finely chop the onion, chili and most of the coriander.
Squeeze the lime half into the mixture taking care not to get any pips into the mixture.
Cut the avocados in half, remove the skin and stones and scoop into the manual food processor. Use about 5 or 6 pulls on the cord to give a chunky blend of avocado.
During our vanlife adventure in Sardinia we discovered Fregola, tiny pearls of pasta made by hand which originate from the Italian island. Fregola is a very versatile ingredient and can be used in soups, stews, salads and in this recipe made into a risotto-like pasta dish.
It is one of our favourite campervan kitchen staples. So much so we brought plenty back with us! However, you can find it online (amazon), in posh supermarkets and Italian delis. Although you could substitute it for Orzo or Arborio rice, you may need to add more stock/water.
This recipe can be easily adapted to suit your tastes, camper kitchen supplies and diets - it can be made totally vegetarian and vegan.
Recipe from Meg, from Flora & the Novice Explorers
Heat a saucepan (preferably heavy based) on a high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.
Begin to sauté the prawns, onions and garlic, adding a little colour/caramelisation. Add a pinch of chilli flakes, healthy grind of salt & pepper and slowly allow the aromas to be released.
When the prawns are cooked and have turned pink remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat and add a tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir into the hot pan of onions and allow the paste to cook out for a few minutes. Add the jar of passata and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
Now add the Fregola to the pan and stir every few minutes - sometimes it has a tendency to sink to the bottom, stick and burn as it swells.
On a low heat, simmer for around 15 minutes, constantly stirring. The fregola is cooked when the tiny balls of pasta are soft but still have a little chew, or a little bite - “Al dente” as they say! Check for seasoning as the pasta itself is pretty bland - as most pasta is. It takes on the flavour of a punchy sauce!
Turn off the heat and allow it to rest for a few moments, as it soaks up any remaining liquid as it finishes cooking.
Whilst you are waiting, roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes and the capers, add them to the pan along with the previously cooked prawns.
Finely chop the fresh herb of choice and stir some into the tomato fregola and save the rest to scatter on the top.
Serve up, add a wedge of fresh lemon and enjoy a little taste of Sardinia. Perhaps with a glass of wine!
We love using leftover bananas to make cakes. Without an oven in our van, the Omnia oven makes that all possible. In this one I decided to swirl some nutella through it for extra indulgence (not sure our waistlines appreciate it though!)
Looking for a low carb breakfast or lunch that's high in healthy fats? I'm sure that's why this recipe was invented! Egg and avocado are a match made in heaven and in this simple recipe we fire things up with some cayenne pepper and paprika!
Pre-heat your mini oven to a medium heat. (around 160 deg)
Evenly cut your avocado in half and remove the stone. Place face up on a baking tray. With a sharp knife score vertical and horizontal lines inside the avocado. This is so the egg can seep into the avocado.
Break an egg over the top of each avocado half, aiming for the yolks to sit in the stone cavities. Break into a cup first if this is easier for you.
Sprinkle with cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme and nutritional yeast flakes.
This little bowl just bursts with coconut curry flavours. It's quick and easy to make and use your favourite stir-fry veggies or whatever veggies you have leftover in the fridge. Our version here is protein packed and makes two medium bowls.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan over a medium heat. Add the diced tofu cubes into the pan and fry evenly on each side. Once golden brown remove from the heat and set aside on some kitchen paper.
To the pan add your selection of veggies or use a pre selected stir-fry pack if it's easier for you. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then remove from the pan.
Add another tablespoon of avocado oil to the pan and add the sliced garlic. Lightly fry for 1 minute and then add the curry powder, ground ginger and the tumeric. Stir continuously and cook the spices for 2 minutes and then add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
Return the pre cooked veggies back into the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes. Taste the broth and add soy sauce and lime juice to your taste.
Remove from the heat.
In a second pan soak the vermicelli noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until soft. Drain the water and split the noodles between the two bowls.
Add the veggies & coconut broth to the two bowls and top with the crispy tofu. Scatter a few cashew nuts on top of you like. You are salivating... Enjoy!
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and bring to a medium heat.
Add the can of chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree and the sugar, season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir and let simmer.
Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the butternut squash. About 2mm slices or as thin as you can get it. Keep the slices and dispose of the peelings and seeds. Have a tidy up.
Finely chop an onion.
On your second hob, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and gently fry your onions until translucent.
Add the 2 minced garlic cloves.
Add the Vegan mince some salt and give it all a good stir. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Tip the pan of tomatoes into the mince mixture, add a handful of torn basil and let simmer.
Wash the pan that had tomato in it and then over a low heat combine 2 tablespoons of oil with 1/4 of a cup of flour. Mix for about 4 minutes into a paste.
Turn off the flame and add 1/3 of your milk to the paste and carefully stir until combined.
Turn the hob back on, add the next third of milk and switch to a whisk to stir the sauce. Once combined add the last third of milk and whisk until smooth and creamy.
Add the Vegan cheese to the sauce and give it a good mix until the cheese has melted into the sauce. It should be smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper.
Remove the pan of meat sauce from the heat and drizzle some of the liquid into the bottom of the Omnia silicone insert.
Layer the bottom with your first layer of sliced of butternut squash.
Add your one layer of meat sauce.
Add a layer of cheese sauce.
Add a layer of butternut squash.
Add a layer of cheese sauce.
Sprinkle some dried herbs on the top and cook in your Omnia over a medium heat for 40 minutes.
We suggest serving with a peppery salad, flat bread or some garlic bread.
Fritatta's are a great way to use up any leftover veg. Choose any toppings as you like, but remember, the softer the toppings, the quicker the meal. Some topping combos we like:* Mushroom, Broccoli and Feta.* Tomato, Mushroom and red onion.* Cherry Tomatoes, Onion and Basil.* Multicoloured Peppers and Feta.
2tbspDairyIt doesn't really matter what you use, the point is to use up whats left
1handfulgrated cheese
1Handful of toppings. Whatever you have on hand and needs using up. I like; Mushrooms, Broccoli and Tomato
1sprinkleFeta
1pinchGarlic powder
Instructions
Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add your dairy of choice and salt. Whisk with a fork just until the egg yolks and whites are mixed. Add grated cheese.
Warm olive oil in your pan and add your toppings of choice and sprinkle some garlic powder and salt.
When cooked to your liking, add egg mix to the pan and stir with a spatula briefly to combine and distribute the mixture evenly across. If you are adding feta, now is the time to sprinkle it on top
Let cook till it looks puffy and jiggly in the middle. Normally this is cooked in an oven for the last 5 minutes, so instead, you can cover it so the top cooks nicely too. About 5 mins on a medium heat. And DIG IN
First, chop tomatoes, coriander and onion as tiny as possible.
Mix them together and add juice of one lime over it.
Season with salt to taste.
Now, rub some garlic on to your bread slices, a drizzle of olive oil, and toast on your pan for a couple of minutes.
Finally, lay out the slices of bread and add the mixture on top. Now crumble a bit of Feta over them and a drizzle of Balsamic cream to make this the best Bruschetta de Gallo in the world 😉
A definite favourite when it comes to vanlife breakfast or brunch!
*You can use normal eggs, but they will take a bit longer to cook, and you won't need as many*
Dice the onions and peppers as small as possible. Add to your pan with some olive oil.
Simmer them until soft (about 8 mins)
Add chopped garlic and spices and cook for an additional 2 mins.
Pour in the tomato, add fresh herbs and Worcestershire sauce and let simmer for 5 mins.
With a spoon, make a little pocket in the mixture and tip an egg in each hole. Let cook for a minute then sprinkle with feta.
I like adding little dollops of greek yoghurt and a few fresh herbs for garnish. Then spoon some on some bread or dip your bread in straight to the pan. YUM
A delicious simple one-pot Vegan chilli with pretty much zero prep time. Easy to cook on a camping stove when hiking, climbing, or even camping! Plus one pot means less washing up.
5 from 1 vote
30 minute meal - 5 ingredients or less - Less washing-up - One-pan - Open fire - Tinned food
Meet featured vanlifers Antoine & Alaena of @vantashjoey. They travel full-time in their van Joey and are currently between France and Spain. They have had their van for a year now, and are always making delicious looking food on their travels.
What is the kitchen set-up in your van?
As we have a Vito, there isn’t much space for a kitchen. We use a Camping Gaz Hob and cook on our slide out table outside.
What’s your favourite part of your van kitchen?
It is a very practical kitchen so we can move it to our convenience. If you have a fixed exterior kitchen it can be hard depending on the weather conditions. The good thing about ours is that we can cook wherever we fancy, even on the roof :)
Do you have a favourite vanlife kitchen accessory?
We don’t, but it is on our Christmas List. We would love to have an Omnia Oven! Although our home made chopping board is very precious.
What 3 food items do you always have in your van pantry?
Eggs – Always have eggs as it completes so many meals. Couscous – Such an easy and quick to cook carbohydrate to accompany so many meals. Greek Yoghurt – We have it for breakfast, sauce bases, salad dressings, dessert.. So many options!
What is your favourite / best meal you have made in your van?
We were very pleased with our Shakshouka, I have to say the fact of cooking in one pot makes it a favorite.
The one when the gear stick broke in half. The one when we got caught by the tide and had to swim with our basket on our head. The one when we had a siesta in Joey with another couple, and the faces of the people seeing us come out of the van one after the other. The one when we go stuck in the sand… We could start a comedy show :D
Have you had any van cooking disasters?
You should have seen us, we were in the middle of nowhere, somewhere far from civilization. We literally only had one packet of truffle ravioli left. Nothing else in our pantry. So we start to set up a nice dinner, ready exactly for sunset. Both of us suuuper hungry and excited for these raviolis. I (Alaena) was planning on taking some cool photos of said meal with said sunset. So, after counting down the minutes till the pasta was ready, Antoine goes next to the bushes to drain the water… 0.2 seconds. That’s all it took for our ravioli to be splattered on the sandy ground. All of them. How does this story end? We had to hand wash each ravioli, losing most of the lovely filling, and having a little extra crunch in every other ravioli :/
Be sure to check out Antoine and Alaena’s recipes on our website & follow them on Instagram @vantashjoey
Here at Vanlife Eats we have been very lucky to receive a bundle from Just Smart Kitchenware to review. Click here to go to the product review section on our website to read other reviews on their products.
This review is of the Just Smart Kitchenware bundle, the bundle arrived in a cute jute bag. A great idea to save on packaging and it can also be re-used. Either keep it in the van for your shopping, or use for packaging gifts.
Inside the bag you will find 2 large, square collapsible storage tubs, a collapsible multi-function bowl and a collapsible funnel.
A bit about Just Smart Kitchenware
If you haven’t read our other reviews you may not know about this company, so let us fill you in.
Just Smart Kitchenware is headed up by Jacquie, a lady keen on travelling. She travels Australia in her trailer. While travelling she realised there was a gap in the market for van kitchen storage and Just Smart Kitchenware was born. Items are available to purchase on Amazon as well as at www.justsmartkitchenware.com. (Scroll to the bottom for an exclusive discount code). They currently dispatch to the UK, Australia & Germany.
There are 3 main features of their products:
Space-saving
Multi-function
Quality materials
Smart tubs
We LOVE re-useable tubs in our van, it helps us reduce our waste and means we use less plastic.
As with the other Just Smart Kitchenware products these tubs are completely collapsible. This is ideal for life on the road, as when not in use they can be collapsed to use minimal space. Essential in a van kitchen. These tubs are made of silicone, meaning no chance of any breakages on the road. There is also the advantage of them being lightweight for those worried about weight.
See our previous review of a different set of tubs from Just Smart Kitchenware here. We enjoyed using them, but the main issue we had was that they weren’t leak-proof. Also we liked the minimalist look they have, but realise some people like more colour in their tiny space. The new tubs solve both of those issues!
They are definitely leak-proof. We put them through their paces and had no issues at all. These tubs are transparent with a little pop of colour, which actually fits our colour scheme pretty perfectly!
Just How Smart?
Here is what we did and didn’t like about the tubs. The fact these items are collapsible makes them perfectly suited to vanlife. This and the fact they are light means we are very happy to use them in our van kitchen.
We love that these are leak-proof, we have mentioned before that we are soup fans in the winter and these tubs are perfect to store it in! We have tried tubs that have unfortunately leaked, but no issues here. They are great for taking along on trips, picnics etc too.
We love the colours of these new tubs, they fit in with the Vanlife Eats van perfectly. The transparent tubs make it easy to see what’s inside with a quick glance. The only downside we found to this was that we noticed a slight stain after storing a curry in one. To be fair, we think the majority of transparent tubs would stain after having a curry inside. It hasn’t affected the use at all it is just something to bear in mind.
Bowled over?
Next out of the packaging was the multi-purpose collapsible bowl. Mark loves making 2 ingredient bread in the van (recipe here). He bought a mixing bowl for this purpose, and it was too big! Tiny kitchens with limited storage space and large mixing bowls do not mix.
This bowl isn’t very large but it’s an adequate size for a van kitchen. Mark managed to mix up his bread mixture with no issues. The best thing about it though, is that it is collapsible. When not in use, simply collapse it almost flat and put away. As with the other Just Smart Kitchenware it is made of high grade silcone. This means there are no chances of breakages.
After both of us using the bowl neither of us had anything negative to say about it. In fact we love it! We feel it is the right size for our van kitchen, a salad for 2, making up bread etc.
Funnel-ly..
The item we used least was the funnel. We think for vanlifers who like to make their own preserves etc then this would be really useful. It can also be used for disposing of cooking fat into a bottle, or when making orange juice.
As with the other products it is completely collapsible. It is also the same colour as the bowl, providing a bit of colour in your van kitchen cupboards. The top is fitted with a steel rim making it sturdy even though collapsible.
What did we think?
We loved everything about this bundle. Would we recommend it for vanlife? 100%!! There isn’t much better suited to vanlife than collapsible, lightweight kitchen products.
A couple of other things to mention, all these products are super easy to clean. Even after cooking in them or reheating food in a microwave, they still clean easily. This is such an important factor when picking van kitchen storage. Easy cleaning means less water when washing up. Water can be a limited resource in a van so using less is always best.
A second thing to mention is that these items can be used in the oven also. If you have an oven in your van, these are safe to use in there (apart from the lids). Ideal for baking or reheating leftovers.
Exclusive offer
If are reading this you think you NEED these in your van kitchen, then you are in luck. Just Smart Kitchenware are kindly offering 15% off this van kitchen bundle. Head to www.justsmartkitchenware.com and enter discount code ‘vanlifeeats’. Only valid for this bundle and not other Just Smart Kitchenware products.
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