From my RV kitchen

While it's true that Portland, Oregon gets plenty of rain in the winter, summer and fall there can't be beat. The lush green landscape begs you to explore this "green" (as in eco-friendly) city. And if you're a microbrew beer lover, wine enthusiast or coffee aficionado Portland's a place you'll want to stay a while. Here are some of my "not to be missed" beverage spots in the Rose City:

McMenamins Pubs - Started by the  McMenamin brothers in 1983 with one simple neighborhood pub and their outstanding microbrews (Like stout? Try Terminator. You can't go wrong with Hammerhead Pale Ale or Ruby Red fruit ale either) they've become local moguls.

Today McMenamins sports movie theater brew pubs, neat old buildings like the Kennedy School or Edgefield (once the local poor farm) saved from certain destruction and reborn as hotel and entertainment destinations.

Coffee People (bring home some Black Tiger!), Stumptown Coffee Roasters, and Common Grounds are just a few of the amazing coffee houses you can choose from in Portland, Oregon. Many of these coffee houses offer free wi-fi. Call ahead to check if this is important to you.

Just outside of Portland is the Willamette (pronounced Will-am-et) Valley with beautiful, rural scenery and abundant wineries. This area of the country is known for it's Pinot Noirs. If you're interested in touring Oregon's Willamette Valley wine region take a look at this website.

Ingredients

2T canola oil
1T fresh grated ginger
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
6-7 scallions chopped - white and green parts (reserve a small handful for garnish)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 c crunchy natural peanut butter
1 c water
3 T seasoned rice vinegar
few shakes of liquid hot sauce (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce)

toasted sesame seed to garnish (if available)

sauce friendly shaped pasta

steamed veggie (if desired) such as broccoli, snap peas, etc.

cooked chicken or tofu (if desired)

How-to

Heat oil in large sauté pan. Sauté ginger, garlic and scallions for appx 1 minute until soft and fragrant.

Add soy sauce through hot sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and rich. If sauce gets too thick thin with water.

Meantime, cook pasta and steam veggies.

Add pasta to the peanut sauce and mix well. Add veggies, meat, tofu and mix well. Plate and top with reserved scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Let's Connect

Direct from my RV kitchen - part cooking class on wheels, part RV travel guide - these RV videos cook! Discover more RV destinations and camping recipes on the RV Cooking Show website.

Have a fabulous RV recipe or a special place you love to camp? Let’s connect…drop me a line at evanne(at)RVCookingShow.com, pull up a chair at our virtual campfire – the RV Cooking Show blog, follow us on Twitter.com/RVCookingShow or be a RV Cooking Show Facebook fan.

And let’s face it, everyone loves free camping tips and recipes. Send this to a friend – they’ll thank you!