Yesterday, I talked about the camping trip I took in the high desert and almost killing myself running into a ditch at high speed. Kids reading this at home, don’t do that. You probably shouldn’t do any of the rest of this either….
I had not camped in the desert before but Richard and Steve had, and they had a spot they wanted to go. It was in an area that was right up against the 29 Palms Marine Artillery range. Keep in mind that the land set aside for the range was about the same size as the entire Los Angeles basin. It was huge, and as this was well before September 11, 2001, it was mostly cordoned off with only signs.
We drove down a dirt road and came to a dirt berm that was about 5′ high. Richard, behind the wheel of one vehicle and Steve behind the other, didn’t pause as they went off the road and over the berm. They sped past the signs that told us to keep out and that we were entering military land. After about 100 yards, we passed additional signs (this time facing the other way). Because of the geography of the land, the only way to drive to the spot they wanted, we had to skirt the edge of the base.
We made camp and the day was spent exploring, target shooting (they had brought several rifles) and Steve kept disappearing down into the earth. This was an area that had a number of old, abandoned mines and Steve repelled down into quite a few of them.
At night the flashes of light and loud booms began. It wasn’t lightning and thunder, but was artillery practice on the other side of the mountain range.
We broke camp the next day and after another 100 yard dash, drove for several hours into a rocky canyon that tested the off-roading limits of the vehicles. We eventually left them and hiked further into the canyon. There we found a horizontal mine shaft that had been dug sideways into the canyon wall. It had been a test drill and only went 100 feet into the wall. We made camp in the tunnel and as darkness set, turned on the radio (it was the Super Bowl). The canyon looked like the surface of mars and as the evening went on, we did a little Martian hunting (shooting at odd-looking rocks under the lighting of flashlights).
I look back at it now and know that as a parent having sons nearing the age I was when I went on this adventure, I would really not want them to do some of the things I did. Oh, and to the Ranting Mom, sorry!
Grilled Veggie and Hummus Wraps
No mining for the flavor here, it’s right on the surface!
This was a nice vegetarian lunch.
I don’t cook with a lot of eggplant. In fact this might only be the third time I’ve used it.
Making the salad.
I had some black bean hummus and regular, so made two of each.
Grilled Veggie and Hummus Wraps
Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Servings: 4 (serving size: 1 wrap)
Ingredients:
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices red onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 (12-ounce) eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) container plain hummus
4 (1.9-ounce) whole-grain flatbreads (such as Flatout Light)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Avocado-Butter Lettuce Salad
Directions:
1. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush onion, bell pepper, and eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and bell pepper to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Remove from pan. Add eggplant to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear. Remove from pan; coarsely chop vegetables. Combine vegetables, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, parsley, and salt; toss to combine.
2. Spread 1/4 cup hummus over each flatbread, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Divide vegetables over each flatbread; top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up wraps, and cut diagonally in half.
Nutritional Info: Calories: 356
Fat: 22.7g
Saturated fat: 3.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 13.6g
Polyunsaturated fat: 4.4g
Protein: 16.8g
Carbohydrate: 35.4g
Fiber: 15.3g
Cholesterol: 13mg
Iron: 3.6mg
Sodium: 788mg
Calcium: 156mg
Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-veggie-hummus-wraps-50400000120276/
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
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