I want to thank you for letting me share some of my thoughts/emotions the past few days on the blog.  I know that isn’t normally what I do and I’m not looking to turn this blog into something different than what it is.  But I think it’s important to speak up when we see something wrong, especially if we have a slightly larger platform to do so.  So again, thank you for letting me do that.

But now let’s get to some food because it’s been just a little bit since I shared anything new with you guys! 

Originally today, Adam and I were going to be making our way to Missouri for a camping trip.  We actually planned this one wayyyyy back in December when we realized there would be a total solar eclipse.  Campsites book FAST when cool things like this happen, so we wanted to make sure we got in on the action.

Then Dot got sick.

In addition to spending a little (read A LOT) more money than we had anticipated for that, Dot still needs some monitoring and meds.  We figured it would be better to cancel this trip to save a little money and take care of our cat.  We’re bummed but I know we’re doing the responsible adult thing.

Adulting stinks sometimes. 

I’m still going to share this camping recipe with you though and pretend I’m cooking it over a campfire because everything tastes better over a campfire.  I came up with this dish on our last camping trip and it was really a throw everything in one pan and hope it works.  It absolutely works and turned out to be one of our favorite meals that weekend.

I tested it a few times once we came home just to make sure it wasn’t some camping fluke and luckily it wasn’t.  I love cooking everything in one pan because then I only have one pan to clean.  Beautiful.  And for those of you worried about cooking pasta in a non-traditional way, I promise you won’t ruin anything.  And for those of you who ARE going camping this weekend, make sure you get the ingredients for this dish because it’s an awesome addition to your camping menu! 

Camping Pasta- Tip:  You can prep all the vegetables BEFORE your camping trip so all you have to do is throw everything together when you’re ready to eat!  

• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
• 2 cups full-fat coconut milk (I used canned because it’s much easier to transport)
• 1 box of penne or fusilli pasta (I used red lentil pasta but feel free to use whichever type of pasta you like)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper (I used the lemon pepper grinder from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan with a lid (I used my cast iron skillet both at home and camping).  Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they have reduced by half.  Move the vegetables to a plate.
2. Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and squish them with the back of your spoon.  Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Add the entire box of pasta and stir to coat.  Add the coconut milk and stir to combine everything. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the vegetables back to the pan and stir.  Add the spinach leaves on top and cover for another 5 minutes.  Remove the lid and stir the wilted spinach into the pasta.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.  Devour!