In this Middle Eastern-style rice bowl, roasted vegetables are combined with chicken and rice and topped with a yogurt-tahini sauce spiced with cumin and garlic.

Keep it simple

All of the prep work for this recipe is done at home to keep the cooking and cleanup to a minimum at camp. I pre-cook the ingredients, then package them separately to take on a camping trip. At camp, I reheat the cooked ingredients and add the sauce at the end. This way, there’s no need for a cutting board or multiple pans to be used at camp. And  the less cleanup that is needed while camping is always nice.

Prep once for multiple meals

I like to prepare twice the amount of vegetables and rice so I can make multiple meals using the same ingredients. For example, I usually make this recipe for one dinner, then I can use some of the same ingredients to make an Asian-style rice bowl, or a green salad or pasta salad for lunch.

Makes 1 serving (double the ingredients for 2 servings)

Ingredients

RICE

• 1/2 cup uncooked Jasmine rice (can substitute with long grain white rice)
• 1/2 cup water

VEGETABLES TO ROAST

• 1/2 cup cooked Jasmine rice
• 1 cup cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small strips
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

VEGETABLES TO SAUTE

• 2 large mushrooms, chopped small
• 2 green onions, chopped small
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots (optional)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

CHICKEN

• 1/4 piece boneless skinless chicken breast, diced small
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon aleppo pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

YOGURT SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon water (optional to thin the sauce if needed)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

PACK FOR PREP AT CAMP

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

At Home Prep

Prepare the rice: I like to cook rice in an Instant Pot, but any method for preparation is fine. If using an Instant Pot, rinse the rice under cold water, drain and add to the Instant Pot. I usually cook 1 cup of rice at a time, setting aside half for use in another meal. Add 1 cup of water (using a 1:1 ration of rice to water), and set the Instant Pot to cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and stir the rice. Package in a small container for use at camp.

Roasted vegetables: Prepare the cauliflower and red pepper for roasting by cutting into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet pan and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes until lightly browned, turning the vegetables halfway through the cooking time. Allow to cool, then package in a small container for use at camp.

Chicken: I like to use a small amount of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces and sauté it with cumin, garlic, and chili flakes. Or if using in multiple recipes, leave out the cumin and garlic and just use salt and pepper. Allow to cool, then package in a small container for use at camp.

Mushrooms and green onions: lightly sauté in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Since they will be reheated at camp, you could skip the sauté at home and package these as raw ingredients for cooking at camp. Package in a small container for use at camp.

Yogurt-tahini sauce: Mix the ingredients together and place in a small plastic container for adding to the cooked meal at camp.

Package and store all ingredients in the refrigerator until ready to leave on a trip, then transfer to a cooler. I use HumanGear interlocking containers to keep everything for each meal packaged together in the cooler.

At Camp

In a small skillet or pan, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and heat pan. 

Add vegetables and chicken, stirring frequently to heat. 

Add the precooked rice and 1-2 teaspoons water. Continue to stir while heating, breaking up the rice to distribute.

Add sauce after everything is thoroughly heated. Stir to mix, allowing the sauce to heat in the process.

Enjoy!