Yoghurt flatbreads are a perfect vanlife recipe, and ideal for making in a campervan or any small kitchen!
Ash Butler, author of The Small Kitchen Cook (@thesmallkitchencookbook) makes these yoghurt flatbreads all the time. They are super affordable, full of protein from the yoghurt, contain very few ingredients and are quick to make as the resting time is minimal. Eat them with curries, meat from the barbeque, or on their own with dips and dukkah. Use them to replace store-bought wraps and fill them with your favourite sandwich ingredients. Check out more recipes in Ash’s book – exploringedenbooks.co
This super easy and quick recipe is a favourite from the author of this vanlife cookbook! Flatbreads are super versatile and can go with so many different dishes!
5 from 2 votes
5 ingredients or less – Family friendly – Quick cook – Stove top meal
6tspOlive oil or butter for pan fryingabout 1 teaspoon for each
sprinkleDukkah
Instructions
Combine the flour, yoghurt and salt in a small bowl and stir it to combine. Lightly flour the bench or a chopping board and bring the dough together until you reach a non-sticky and smooth dough. This will only take a minute. You don’t need to knead this flatbread.
Place the dough back in the bowl with a little flour in the bottom.
I have found that it’s easier to roll out these breads once the dough has had a little time to rest, either in the fridge or in a cool place in your small kitchen. It doesn’t need much rest time; around 20 minutes is fine.
Once the dough has rested, divide it into six equal parts. Form them into balls and then roll them out with a rolling pin or a floured wine bottle (or any other glass bottle you have handy.
Next, place your frypan on medium heat and add a small splash of oil or butter – just enough to lightly grease the pan. Cook the dough until golden on both sides – it should only take a couple of minutes. Wrap the breads in a clean dish towel to keep them warm as you cook.
These are best served immediately, sprinkled with dukkah.
Notes
This recipe can be easily adapted to be vegan by substituting the yoghurt for vegan yoghurt.This recipe can also be adapted to be gluten free by substituting the flour for a gluten free option such as rice flour
This Peanut Butter Cookie recipe was the star baker winner for biscuit week on Van Bake Off 22! Meshell of @americanx_travels is obviously on a roll, as she was a Van Bake Off winner at the Vanlife Eats Big Picnic this year too!
Peanut butter cookies are a great thing to make in your van, super tasty and easy to make. These cookies will go down perfectly with a cup of tea!
Easy Peanut Butter Biscuits
amerimanx_travels
Vegetarian
Soft out of the oven, crispy when cooled. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee for elevenses, or paired with a slice or two of crisp apple for a great afternoon snack. Easy recipe to make with basic ingredients. Recipe can be halved to make a smaller amount.
In a large mixing bowl cream softened butter, add peanut butter
Mix well. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally.
Add in egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in as much of the flour as you can with a spoon or spatula. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle. Place about ¼ cup granulated sugar in a plate.
Cover and refrigerate dough for about 1 hour or until easy to handle. Place about ¼ cup granulated sugar on a plate.
Use teaspoon to measure out a ball of dough. Roll in a ball, place on baking tray. Slightly wet a fork, dip prongs into sugar, then make a criss cross pattern on biscuit, mashing dough as you do. Repeat with rest of dough.
Bake on gas mark 6 for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown
This apple and honey cake is perfect for the autumn. It’s a cake with the taste of an apple crumble. We made this as our entry for the Van Bake Off competition which is back this year. If you like baking be sure to enter.
This cake was made even more special to us as we used some honey given to us by our lovely friends Carl and Sally-Anne of @motorhominglife. The honey was produced by their bees in Portugal and they kindly bought some to the UK for us to try.
If you are cooking in a conventional oven, then you can bake this in a 20cm round tin at Gas mark 4
Apple & Honey Cake
Vanlife Eats
Vegetarian
As delicious as this honey is we have been saving it for a special occasion! This honey was given to us by our friends Carl & Sally-Anne and was produced by their bees in Portugal. As lovely as it is to eat straight out the jar I knew I needed to make a cake with it, so here it is. Apple & honey cake.
5 from 2 votes
10 Ingredients or less – No water – Stove top meal
Cube the butter and mix it with the flour to create a breadcrumb texture
Stir in the sugar
Add in the milk and egg and mix thoroughly together
Peel & chop 2 of the apples and stir them through the mixture
Stir through 2 tablespoons of the honey
Pour into the silicone mould, the mixture will be quite thick
Slice the remaining apple and place around the top of the cake. Drizzle with some extra honey
Cook over a low flame for 35-40 minutes
Leave in the mould to cool as it may break if you remove it while hot. Drizzle the last tablespoon of honey over the top (or more if you love it as much as us!)
Once cooled, it is ready to cut and serve. Although it is super tasty when still warm
Notes
This recipe can also be made in a 20cm cake tin and be baked in a conventional oven at Gas Mark 4. The timings will be similar.
A quick classic recipe to make in your campervan and its just bursting with flavour! In less than 30 minutes and with the use of just the one pan you can have one of the tastiest dinners we’ve ever made.
Tuscan Chicken
Meat Based
A classic Italian Chicken dish that is perfect for cooking in your campervan. When we made and ate this we both said it was one of the tastiest things we have ever eaten.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet pan and add the chicken mini fillets. Instantly season generously with salt. Fry in the pan for about 6 minutes until the chicken turns slightly golden on both sides. Do not over cook as it will go chewy, break a fillet in half to ensure its cooked.Remove the chicken from the pan when cooked.
Its time to make the Alfredo Sauce in the same pan so lower the heat to a very low gentle heat.Add the 2tbsp of Butter and the pot (300ml) of Creme Fraiche and give it a good mix. Add the 100g (half a block) of Parmigiano Reggiano. Again give it a good mix.
When the sauce is all melted and smooth, add the chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes.
Return the chicken to the pan and turn up the flame to a medium heat. Simmer and not boil for about 10 minutes.
Add the chopped fresh Spinach to the pan and mix it all in. Add the lid to the pan.
Once the Spinach has wilted remove the lid and throw in some fresh Parsley and give it a good stir.
Packed with the flavours of Africa, a ton of veggies, a hint of chilli and the tang of lemon, this delicious bowl will just explode in your mouth. Somehow this hearty and delicious vegan stew works well in both the wintertime and the summertime.
Vegan West African Peanut Stew
Vegan, Vegetarian
Its hearty and warming yet vibrant and tangy. This is our take on a Vegan West African Peanut Stew.
400gBlack Eyed Peas1 Tin drained (alternatively use chickpeas)
2Sweet PotatoesLarge and cut into smallish bite sized pieces
2tbspPeanut ButterSmooth
2CupsSpinach
2Fresh ChilliesYour preference of heat
1CupVegetable Stock
1/2CupFresh Coriander
2Spring OnionsChopped
1/2LemonJuice of
Paste
2Onions
1tspFresh Ginger
1tspPaprika
2tspGround Coriander
1tspGround Fenugreek
1tspCumin
2Garlic Cloves
1tspSalt
Instructions
Using a manual food blender finely blitz up all the paste ingredients.
Heat a little oil in a pan and add the blitzed paste and cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Meanwhile peel and chop your potatoes.
Add the chopped sweet potatoes to the pan along with the tin of tomatoes, the tin of black eyed peas, the cup of vegetable stock and the peanut butter. Give it a good stir. Put the lid on the pan.
After 10 minutes add the sliced chillies and return the lid to the pan.
After a further 10 minute (25 minutes cooking so far) add the sliced spring onions, the spinach, a handful of shopped coriander and squeeze half a lemon into the mix. Season with salt and pepper and return the lid for a further 5 minutes cooking.
Originating from Tuscany, Italy these dumplings are incredibly delicious. Really quite easy to throw together and can be served in a buttery sauce, stock or tomato sauce.
Malfatti – Spinach & Ricotta Dumplings
Vegetarian
This is an authentic Tuscan dish that we have adapted for the van. It's simple quick and easy and very delicious! Malfatti means badly made in Italian but they are yummy none the less!
Add the 200g of Spinach to your skillet pan and cook the spinach for a few minutes until its all wilted. Do not let it stick to the bottom!Drain and press out as much liquid as possible and leave aside to cool.
Add the Ricotta, Parmesan, flour and the egg to a bowl and mix it all up.
Once the Spinach has cooled add it the manual blender along with half a slice of bread and blitz it all up. Add this to the bowl and mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmegYou should have a sticky but firm mixture that you can roll into balls. Add more flour if need be.
On your tray sprinkle a little flour. Take a tablespoon of mixture and roll into little balls or mini sausage shapes. Make sure they have a light dusting of flour. The balls should feel slightly firm and yet not too wet.
Add to a pan a shallow amount of water (enough to cover most of the dumpling) and bring to a simmer. Add the Malfatti dumplings and simmer for about 7 minutes.
Drain a little of the water but leave a little a drizzle in the pan and add a good knob of butter. Coat the dumplings and serve 3 or 4 in each bowl.
Long grate or thinly slice the red and yellow onion into a bowl. Use a tea towel or thick kitchen roll to dab dry it as much as possible. You don't want it to be too wet.
Grate the Sweet Potato into the mixture.
Add 1/2 cup of Gram Flour, 1 tsp of Cumin, chopped Coriander,1 tsp of Turmeric, salt and pepper and with your hands mix it all together and form 2 large patties.
Heat some oil in a pan (I use avocado oil) and shallow fry the 2 patties on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown on each side. Whilst frying make the Piquanté Chutney
Piquanté Chutney
Using your manual blender add 3 baby plum or cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of pickled Piquanté peppers and 1 tablespoon of Tomato Ketchup. Give it a rough chop in the blender.
Construct the Burgers
Build your burgers with your favourite fillings. Ours were as follows: *Seeded Vegan Burger Buns *Bhaji Burgers*Piquanté Chutney*Mixed Salad Leaves*Sliced Gerkins
Here it is! The recipe for the flatbreads we made at Camp Quirky. We make these nearly every day in van. It only take a s few minutes to knock up the dough and whilst taking the dog out for her morning walk we leave the dough to prove.
These flatbreads are extremely versatile and just about any herb can be added for flavour depending on what you are serving them with. We often like them with just butter for a yummy and filling breakfast.
Quirky Flatbreads
Vegetarian
We make these almost every day in the van. Simple recipe with basic ingredients and far better than any you can buy. Also who doesnt love the smell of warm bread?
5 from 1 vote
10 Ingredients or less – Leftovers – One-pan – Open fire – Quick cook
1HandfulHerb of your choiceMaybe add grated garlic :)
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl add 500g of Plain Flour, 1tsp of Salt and 2tbsp of Dry Active Yeast. Combine it all together with a fork.
Cautiously Add 150ml of cold milk to 150ml of hot water to result in a warm liquid. Add the liquid to the flour and roughly mix it taking care not to make it overly wet.
Add 3tbsp of Olive Oil and then knead the dough for about 3 minutes. It should result in a springy dough that bounces back when pressed.
Sprinkle a little water on to the dough and cover with a tea towel. Leave in a warm place like on your dashboard.
Leave to rest for at least 1 hour, so go for a walk and explore.
By this time the dough will be about double its size. Turn it out on to a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 balls. Oh and heat your pan to a medium heat.
Flatten one of the dough balls out to a disc about 7-8cm in diameter and 1cm thick.Place it onto the hot pan and dry fry each side for about 4-5 minutes. The flatbread will form bubbles. Ideally 3 or 4 large bubbles.Whilst cooking prepare the next flatbread.
Coat each finished bread with melted butter or herbs. We like to use a sprinkle of paprika and some finely chopped parsley.
This lemon drizzle cake baked in an Omnia oven, looks beautiful at any meet-up. It’s ideal with a cup of tea & it’s hard to only eat 1 slice. Deliciously moist and sticky without being too sharp. This lemon drizzle is one you just have to try! It can be baked in a conventional oven also if an Omnia isn’t available.
We would always recommend baking cakes in the silicone mould when using the omnia. If you do not have one you will need to line the oven well. The mould makes the lemon drizzle a lot less messy too!
If you make this lemon drizzle omnia cake be sure to rate it below!
Lemon Drizzle Omnia Cake
Vegetarian
We made this delicious, moist lemon drizzle cake to celebrate Vanlife Eats second birthday! It was the perfect way to celebrate the start of Summer.
Start by pre-heating the Omnia on the hob. This will help get a good rise on your cake.
Add the cup of butter & cup of sugar and beat together until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix through slowly.
Add in the cup of flour and combine.
Add in the lemon zest and mix through without over beating.
Add mixture to the silicone insert & place into the Omnia.
Keep over a high heat for 2-3 minutes and then drop down to a low/medium flame. Bake for 50 minutes or until cooked & a knife/skewer comes out of the mixture clean.
If possible remove the silicone insert from the Omnia to help the cooling process & mix up the drizzle.
For the lemon drizzle
Squeeze the juice of the 2 zested lemons into a bowl and add the 2/3 cup of sugar. Mix together to form a thick sticky drizzle.
Prick the cake all over with the top with a fork and slowly spoon the majority of the drizzle over the top of the cake, and leave to cool fully in the mould.
When cool tip the cake out and slowly drip the remaining drizzle down the side of the cake, add the flowers to the top for decoration.
Notes
If you have an oven in your van, bake at Gas Mark 4 for a similar time
When we saw @thedornstroms had made pumpkin donuts in their van, we knew we HAD to have the recipe on our website. As if donuts weren’t good enough, this cinnamon pumpkin recipe just took them to the next level! If you have an oven in your van then this donut recipe is a must try! They used the original recipe from Brooklynfarmgirl.com and adapted it slightly for their van. All the ingredients can be mixed in one bowl so less washing up! This recipe makes 12 donuts
Pumpkin Donuts
@thedornstroms
Vegetarian
Donuts in a van, is that even possible? They sure are and these pumpkin donuts are so good you are going to want to make them all year round!
Us vanlifers love a one pan recipe. It’s handy if you only have one hob, and it also saves on washing up. What’s not to love? This recipe of smoky, spicy one pan chicken is a favourite of @campervancodgers. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adjust the spices to your tastes making it suitable for all. If you would like to make this a vegetarian or vegan option just change the protein option to tofu / jackfruit / halloumi / quorn etc
Smoky, spicy one pan chicken and rice
Campervancodgers
Meat Based
A one pan meal which can be made vegan with a substitute like jackfruit. This meal is quick and easy ideal for vanlife cooking and delicious served with a garlic ciabatta. Can be as spicy as you like or use less to make it a little milder. Chuck it all in one pan and wait for the yumminess!
This recipe is vegan, and requires zero cooking! Great option for those looking for a sweet treat with limited cooking facilities. A super tasty recipe that vanlifers @where.is.hummus have shared with us all!
A quick and easy recipe to cook in your campervan and so delicious! You’ll love how the Chorizo sausage leaks all the flavour into the mash
Chorizo and Sweet Potato Mash
Vanlife Eats
Meat Based
Simple low ingredient recipe for your campervan here. By cooking the sweet potato in the rich juices of the chorizo you get the most delicious rich mash.
5 from 2 votes
10 Ingredients or less – Less washing-up – One-pan – Stove top meal
Peel the 2 sweet potatoes and cut into small chunks. (sugar cube sized)
Take the chorizo sausage and stab it with a fork all over
On a medium heat in the skillet pan place the sausage and scatter the potato cubes around it. Drizzle with oil and cook for about 10 minutes making sure the potato browns but not burns.
Flip the sausage over. It should be charred brown and crispy on the heated side.
Turn over all the potato cubes making sure they are browned but not burnt.
Take a cup of water and pour it over the sausage and potato and then place the lid on the skillet.
After 5 minutes lift the lid and place the Asparagus tips on top of the mixture. Add a tablespoon of butter and cook for a further 5 minutes. The potato should be soft when poked with a fork. The liquid should be evaporated but if not leave the lid off and cook for a further few minutes if necessary.
Place all the potato in a small sharing bowl (or decant into 2 bowls), season with salt and pepper and use a fork to mash it all up.
Take the Chorizo sausage and slice it into pieces. Place the sausage on top of the potato.
Open up the 6 chicken thighs (slice them to open further if they are too thick) and place the Brie cube into the center. Close up the thigh around the cheese as tightly as you can.
Wrap a rasher of Bacon tightly around the chicken thigh making sure the wider part of the rasher closes up the underneath of the chicken thigh. Repeat this with all the thighs.
Pre-heat a skillet pan on a medium / high heat and then place all 6 chicken brie bombs into the pan top side down.
Whilst the chicken cooks.. empty the tinned tomatoes into a bowl and add the minced garlic, tomato paste and a little salt and pepper.
Turn the chicken over in the pan. You should have a nice brown and almost burnt top to the chicken.
Add a splash of red wine (just a little) to the pan. This will deglaze the pan and bring in all the flavour that is stuck to the pan. Let the alcohol cook off for around 5 minutes.
Next pour over your bowl of tomato sauce, turn down the heat and place a lid on top. Cook for 20 minutes.
Chop some fresh Basil leaves.
After 20 minutes remove the lid and add in the chopped Basil leaves. Leave the lid off and cook for another 15 minute. (you may need to turn up the heat so that the tomatoes simmer).
Serve 2-3 chicken brie bombs each., drenched in the sauce. We like it with rice.
Who doesn’t love Halloumi? Well we LOVE it! This is a quick and easy campervan recipe for hot dogs, an amazing vanlife lunch. The recipe makes 4 hot dogs but we have 2 each :)
Halloumi Hot Dogs
Vegetarian
The perfect vegetarian option for a hot dog! Easy to make and even a meat lover will love these. Vanlife meals at its finest!
5 from 1 vote
10 Ingredients or less – No water – One-pan – Quick cook
Cut the Halloumi Cheese into 8 thick slices. (I usually cut lengthways).
Cut the Bell Pepper into chunky slices.
Cut the 1/2 Red Onion into slices.
Add the Halloumi and peppers to the hot pan. After 4-5 minutes the Halloumi should be brown on the pan side down. (Keep checking as Halloumi can burn easily). When it looks golden brown turn the cheese and peppers over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Remove the Halloumi from the pan.
Add the red onion to the pan and cook the Peppers and Onion for a couple more minutes and then turn off the heat.
Slice the hot dog buns lengthways and generously blob on the Guacamole.
Load up the buns with 2 slices of Halloumi each, some peppers and red onion.
Cut off two triangles of Toblerone and save for later. Roughly chop up the rest of the Toblerone in to bits.
In a pan add the 200g (half a tin) of condensed milk and warm over a gentle low heat for 5 minutes. (strictly no bubbles!)
Add the Toblerone chunks and stir through for another 3-4 minutes.
When melted it will be sticky, at this point add the table spoon of butter to loosen it up slightly. Warm for a further 1 minute until the butter has melted into the mixture.
Pour the mixture into tin lined with greaseproof paper.
Chop up the two Toblerone chunks you saved earlier in to small chunks and crumbs. Sprinkle this over the top of the mixture and gently press it down into the mixture.
Chill for 2 hours and then remove from the tin and cut into your desired bite size pieces.
It was a cold, dreary and rainy evening in the campervan and we wanted something hearty for dinner. Something filling with a little heat (but not too much) and this recipe was the perfect match! A vanlife must try!
With only the need of one skillet pan and one of our favourite cheat ingredients, Jerk Seasoning this was a really simple recipe to put together.
We’ve got some left over for lunch and I cant wait to eat more!
Caribbean Jerk Chicken with Pineapple and Coconut Rice
Meat Based
A vanlife one pan recipe perfect for a cold evening meal in your campervan. Its delicious and simple to make with minimal mess and washing up!
Place the 4 chicken thighs in a bowl and coat with 1tbsp of olive oil, 1tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp of jerk seasoning, 1tsp salt, and 1tsp cayenne pepper. Massage the marinade into the chicken.
Place the chicken top side down in the hot skillet and leave it for 5 minutes to brown on top.
Meanwhile cut a bell pepper into chunks, mince 2 garlic cloves and slice the bunch of green onions (scallions).
Make sure you have a nice brown crust on the chicken and then turn it over.
Add the bell pepper chunks, the garlic cloves, the packet of white microwave rice and the whole tin of coconut milk. Make sure the top of the chicken isn't covered. so you keep that nice spicy crust. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the cup of pineapple chunks and the sliced green onions.
Lower the heat so it gently simmers for a further 25 minutes.
On a recent trip to a campsite in Aylesbury we decided to visit the on-site farm shop. With super fresh ingredients, we decided to make a stove-top meal for two. A campsite in the UK in March isn’t the warmest of trips away so we decided a bit of stodge was in order. Hence the gnocchi lasagna we’re sharing with you now. The best bit is you don’t even need an oven! This gnocchi lasagna was made on our 2 burner hob in our van.
Gnocchi Lasagna
Vanlife Eats
Meat Based
A simple yet super tasty dish for any campervan. A delicious recipe cooked on the hob! We visited the farm shop at the campsite we were visting to ensure we got the freshest ingredients for extra tastiness.
1cupCheeseUse the cheese of your choice, we used mozzarella, cheddar and red leicester.
Salt & pepper to season
Parsley to garnish
Instructions
Chop the onion, heat some oil in a pan on a medium / high heat and stick the onion in. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Season the beef with salt, then add to the pan with the onions.
While this is cooking, finely chop the 2 garlic cloves.
When all the beef is browned (5-10 minutes), add the gnocchi. Cook for a further 2 minutes
Add the tomatoes to the pan and put the lid on & leave to cook while you make your cheese sauce. Take the lid off after 10 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce.
For the cheese sauce
In a seperate pan add the 1 tbsp of butter over a low heat.
When melted add 1 tbsp flour and stir continuously to make a roux
Add the milk slowly and keep mixing to ensure no lumps form, continue until the sauce coats the back of the spoon. You can whisk if needed to make it extra smooth.
Season with salt & pepper before adding the cheese.
Remember to check your gnocchi mix!
Add your cheese and keep mixing 💪
Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi mixture and spread evenly.
Like cooking in your van? Want to know 5 cookbooks that’ll make vanlife a piece of cake? Jakob Staudal from www.headlessnomad.com takes us through his top 5!
Wait… what the heck is vanlife? It’s when you live in a van. Oh, we guess it wasn’t as complicated as we thought it was. Obviously, the sarcasm is off the charts here as vanlife is not even close to as easy as it sounds.
One of the problems can be food, and that’s what we want to focus on today. It’s not as if you’re just going to eat out for the entire time you decide to want to indulge in the van life. Finding appropriate recipes and meals to make on the road can be a difficult endeavor. However, a well-written, vanlife cookbook can make all the difference, and here are five that are just that.
1. The Clever Camper Cookbook
We have to say that even though most have heard the expression, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” we really love the cover ofthis book. It just has a really nice and happy camping tone. Anyway, as for the book, it’s written by Megan and Simon who are both world travelers.
What makes this vanlife cookbook both a good read and very useful is there are over 20 simple-to-make recipes that can be done with a two-burner camping stove. The recipes were created by the authors during their travels, and they decided to share what they created with the rest of the world.
It’s a relatively short book at 64 pages, but the simplicity of it makes it worth it.
2. The New Camp Cookbook
This is a muchlonger read and book overall, and it was made for anyone who enjoys cooking outdoors from campers to day-trippers to adventurers. Outside of just recipes, this vanlife cookbook also gets into different elements of camping such as maintaining heat in a Dutch oven and grilling in foil packs.
As for the recipes, they’re actually presented by meal, which is really a nice touch. The meals include breakfast, lunch, feasts, sweets, and snacks. Now, you’ll probably see a number of recipes that will be too complicated for vanlife, but there are also simple recipes included that are very easy.
Indeed, this is kind of a broad camping cookbook that covers many different styles of camping and adventuring. So, not everything will apply to you and your vanlife situation.
3. Hungry Campers Cookbook
Yet another vanlife cookbook that is more or less a cookbook for campers, this one gears more toward simple and easy recipes. This will be right up the alley for vanlife, and the author uses her love of camping and many years of writing to create a cookbook ideal for the entire family.
Virtually all of the included recipes will require very little cooking equipment, and some of the chapters in the book include Prepare Ahead Meals, One-Pot Dinners, and Fire Up the Barbecue. The author also does a good job of providing advice on how to eat well while camping, and this can be suitable for vanlifers, if you will, as well.
As the title of the book suggests, this book places an emphasis on recipes that are both healthy and fresh. Oh, and also those that are easy to achieve, and that is also very critical.
4. The Camper Van Cookbook
The tagline of this vanlife cookbook is “Life on 4 wheels, Cooking on 2 rings,” and it kind of says it all. We’re not picking a winner here, but this might be the best book on this list for the purposes of vanlife. Included are over 80 different and tasty recipes that can be cooked with the use of just two rings.
Of course, as great as the content is in this book, it needs to be mentioned that it takes place in Great Britain. The way the author writes, you can clearly tell that’s where he’s from, and many of you in America may not be too fond of a read such as this.
Again, the content is really great and there’s a lot of zest in the writing. However, it may be a bit overbearing for some. Hey, if nothing else, you at least can just read the recipes and call it a day with this book.
5. The Original VW Camper Cookbook
One thing we’ll say is you might just want to buy this book used as it’s kind of expensive brand-new. Anyway, off that topic, this features a collection of over 80 dishes and for the purposes of a vanlife cookbook, the dishes are designed to be prepared in many different rustic settings.
Meaning, basically, that many of the recipes aren’t going to require you to have a lot of utensils. Here’s what’s also kind of cool about this cookbook, the recipes are organized by different categories. The categories include main courses, light bites, soups and salads, sweets, and BBQ.
Additionally, some of the actual dishes include baked bananas, hot cinnamon apples, pancakes, flaming beef stroganoff, spicy lime grilled prawns, and avocado salad. There’s a really good variety here is basically what we’re getting at, and that can be very important for life in a van.
Final thoughts on Vanlife cookbooks
It’s not as if you can’t find recipes and resources online to figure out what you’re going to make on the road in a van. However, these dedicated van life cookbooks can be so much easier and more convenient for you to have at all times.
We know all we presented was a quick overview of each book, and you can always dig a little deeper to find the right van life cookbook for you and your needs. After all, not everyone will have the same utensils, resources, and even personal likes (when it comes to the types of food and things like that).Past cooking, van life might also present some nights where you want to have a campfire somewhere. And on that topic, have you ever wondered how hot an average campfire gets? Well, wonder no more as we’ve uncovered that mystery for you!
BONUS COOKBOOK – Camping Soul Food
Here at Vanlife Eats, we couldn’t let this pass without passing comment! What a great variety of books – we would love to add our own personal favourite. This vanlife cookbook was written by The Buggans, a family in Ireland who have combined their love for cooking and good music. Camping Soul Food has a really quirky feature, which allows the reader to scan a QR code. This provides a playlist for the length of time required to cook the meal in question. Simple, tasty recipes the whole family will enjoy!
This was a guest post by Jakob Staudal
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This campervan recipe of Summer cous cous is fabulous to make and enjoy for a tasty lunch or side dish. It is amazing eaten in the sunshine outside your campervan with friends but can be enjoyed all year round. This is a recipe enjoyed by @campervancodgers who kindly shared it with you! Be sure to rate it when you try it.
Summer Cous Cous
@campervancodgers
Vegetarian
As soon as the sun starts shining, Summer cous cous is a must! Packed full of tasty, fresh ingredients – sunshine in a mouthful. You can mix up the vegetables, and even include leftovers to use them up.
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