We met a lovely vanlife couple, Robin and Dennis, while on the beach at Padre Island. We shared stories of life on the road, vanlife hacks, and even some food, including this recipe Robin modified from the one found on www.spam.com/recipes/polynesian-stir-fry. We don’t usually do SPAM, but this was actually pretty darned good.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) can SPAM, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 ripe pineapple
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• ½ lb fresh asparagus
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups hot, cooked rice
• Sweet-and-sour sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Half the pineapple and hollow them out, creating two boats. Remove the tough core and chunk the remaining pineapple flesh. Grill the pineapple boats, upside down, along with the pineapple chunks and SPAM until you have nice grill marks. Set aside and cover.

In large skillet, sauté the onion and asparagus (Robin told us any vegetable would do, but she was using up what she had on hand) in oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Add SPAM and pineapple chunks, then cook for 1 minute longer.

Place 1 cup of prepared rice on the bottom of each pineapple boat. Then add the stir-fry, top with sweet-and-sour sauce, and serve.