Vegetarian on the water

Preparing meals on a boat has its challenges.

Tight quarters, limited storage, little in the way of fresh vegetables because there's no refrigeration, a two burner propane stove sitting on the bench in the cockpit of a rocking boat.
Still you can whip up some pretty good grub using a combination of fresh and canned goods and your imagination.
Our first night out on the St. Johns River aboard the sailing vessel River Rat, I made a stew...enough for two meals...that was very flavorful and so easy to do. A combination of fresh cauliflower, canned tomatoes, a bit of chili pepper, some onions and some canned corn and I was eating a gourmet meal while Steve ate hot dogs and beans (his choice...like I said, there was enough for two meals).
When you're cooking on the boat, you want things that cook up quickly, you don't want to use up a lot of fuel. Propane burns extremely hot as well, so you have to keep the food moving so it doesn't stick to the pan. And, because washing dishes is another challenge we won't go into here, you want to make one dish meals as often as possible.
This stew is full of fiber and flavor. The tomatoes are filled with antioxidants and Vitamin C (you don't want to risk getting scurvy) and the cauliflower is filled with a variety of vitamins.
Add some spicy peppers and you've got something great to sop up with a crusty bread.

River Rat Veggie Stew

1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon margarine
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into tiny pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 can corn, drained
1/4 teaspoon each of oregano, basil and pepper

• Saute the onion and cauliflower (in a stockpot) in the margarine until they are soft and starting to brown.
• Add all the other ingredients and heat through, stirring constantly.

Vegetarian