Originally appeared in The Five Towns Jewish Times , August 11, 2006

As I lay in my bed writing this, stricken with a nasty case of Strep Throat (I am not above fishing for sympathy),  I close my eyes and dream of other places I’d rather be.   Ah, the relaxation of the Caribbean.  Oh, the crisp beauty of Maine.  Not to mention to the breathtaking vistas of the Judean Hills in Israel.   And then I open my eyes to a bedside cup of tea and box of tissues…sniff.  But in reality, now that the three weeks are over and with camp coming to a close, many of us will be off for a getaway, even if only a day trip. And since the rest of the world does not abound with kosher restaurants, the question always becomes “what should we bring?”   Here’s a little primer for easier planning and traveling for the month ahead.

The Day Trip…

Sometimes the difference between a “good” sandwich and a “great” sandwich is not so much what you put inside, but how you dress it up.   Here’s your chance to get creative!  

• Make a heartier, healthier and tastier sandwich with all the fixins’.   “Fixings” include: a piece of lettuce, a slice of tomato, some sprouts, cucumber or pickle slices…whatever you like!
• Expand your bread repertoire - use whole wheat, multigrain, rye, bagels, wraps, baguettes, club rolls, etc.  The fresher, the better.

Here are my family’s favorites (Don’t forget to store in a cooler!) :

• Avocado, cheese (muenster or mozzarella) and tomato with a thin spread of mayo on whole wheat or multigrain bread. 
• Grilled chicken wraps (a great way to use up leftover chicken cutlets!):  Spread a thin layer of Russian dressing (mayo + ketchup) or honey mustard dressing (you guessed it, honey + Dijon mustard) over the wrap.  Add lettuce or spinach, thinly sliced chicken cutlets, thinly sliced red/yellow peppers and cucumbers.  Wrap it up like an envelope and close with a toothpick.  Slice in half on the bias. Also good on a club roll.
• Roasted Vegetable Wraps. This is a little more time-consuming, but really tasty, and the vegetables can be done ahead.  But that is this week’s recipe, so you have to finish reading the article to get to it! 

A Longer Stay…

In planning the food for a longer trip, it is always helpful to know what the facilities will be where you are staying.  Will you have a refrigerator?  Will you have a kitchen, or even a microwave? The answers to these questions should significantly impact how you plan. 

If you have a cooler or access to a fridge…

• Bring your George Foreman grill and make hamburgers and hotdogs.  Use small travel packets of ketchup/mustard.  Don’t forget the buns.  All you’ll need to refrigerate is the meat.  Your family will definitely appreciate the hot meal. WARNING: The Foreman grill is completely safe to use, but does create some smoke.  Don’t use it under the smoke detector in your hotel room.

If you don’t have access to a fridge, your hotel will usually be happy to store your food in their fridge for you.  Seal it with tape and mark it clearly.

If you have an oven or microwave, then make your vacation more enjoyable by planning ahead.  Make all-in-one dishes before the trip and freeze until your traveling day. The frozen tins/containers will thaw very slowly and act as a cooler for the rest of your food until you arrive at your destination.  These are quick and easy suggestions for meals that can be made weeks in advance:

• Tuna Noodle Casserole
• Chicken and Rice
• Spinach Lasagna
• Shepherd’s Pie (layers of ground meat and mashed potatoes)

Also, for about $10, you can by a portable electric burner, suitable for making pasta or rice and reheating soup.

Some more tips…

• Keeping your perishables cold is very important, especially in the heat of the summer.  If you have a fridge in your room, bring an extra ice-pack to replace in the freezer when the other is no longer cold.  If you have no fridge, bring a few large zip lock bags that can be filled with ice (from the ice-machine) and that will serve as an ice-pack.
• Don’t forget to pack plenty of paper goods, plastic utensils, napkins and extra sandwich bags.
• A can opener is oft forgotten, but usually needed.
• Do ahead:  make a detailed packing list for food.  It will save time when packing, and spare you the headache of realizing you’ve forgotten something important mid-trip.

Traveling the “kosher way” does not have to be synonymous with peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.  And to miss out on seeing some of Hashem’s most fascinating creations due to lack of nearby kosher restaurants is quite sad.  As you see, there are plenty of great foods that do travel well.  There are major opportunities for chinuch habanim (educating our children) during vacation times, one of which is strengthening our children in our commitment to eating only kosher food.  If we supply our kids with the foods they love and bring plenty of treats to boot, then our kids will have the positive reinforcement they will need to follow suit later in life.

I wish you safe and kosher travels wherever you may go! 

Roasted Vegetable Wraps 

Serves 4.

4 wraps, any flavor

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced (1/4-inch thick)

2 zucchini, scrubbed and sliced (1/4-inch thick)

2-3 Portobello mushrooms (caps only)

2 red bell peppers

4-8 slices mozzarella cheese or strips cut from a mozzarella block (how cheesy do you like it?!)

olive oil

kosher salt

optional:  fresh basil leaves, chopped

Roast your vegetables the easy way!  Preheat oven to 500 degrees and position the top rack to be very close to the heating element (about two or three inches below). 
 

Line a cookie sheet with foil and arrange the ¼- inch thick slices of eggplant, zucchini, and mushroom caps in a single layer.  (You may have to do this in shifts).  Sprinkle with kosher salt and brush with olive oil.  Roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes. 
 

For the peppers, cut them in half and seed them.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and brush olive oil on the inner side of the pepper halves.  Lay the halves skin side up on the baking sheet.  Roast until skin is well charred (yes, I mean black!) on the outside of the pepper, about 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cover with tin foil.  Once cool, you will be able to easily peel the skin off the peppers.  The skinned roasted peppers are then ready for use or can be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for 1-2 weeks, covered in olive oil and a few sliced garlic cloves. 
 

When cool, cut all the vegetables into strips.  Place vegetables and mozzarella cheese in the center of one wrap.  Sprinkle optional chopped basil leaves.  Wrap up like an envelope and close with a toothpick.  Slice in half on the bias.  Repeat with remaining wraps.

Naomi Ross teaches Cooking Concepts, courses on the fundamentals of cooking & Jewish homemaking skills.  For more information, kitchen troubleshooting, or general feedback, she can be reached at .