EXCELLENT OUTDOOR MEALS ARE A KEY INGREDIENT IN EXPEDITION PLANNING
Embarking on a multi-day wilderness trip is an exciting adventure. Yet packing all of the things you need to survive (including food) in a space that’s small enough to carry comfortably on your back can be a bit daunting. Clothes and gear take up space quickly. Then you have to decide what to eat! Backpacking can burn thousands and thousands of calories, and that means you will need to eat a lot of nourishing food. So the trick to eating excellent outdoor meals is: pack enough yummy calories to fill your group up with the energy they need yet pack as light as you can! With a little creativity and some surprising ingredients, you may be able to pull off gourmet meals that sustain you, yet weigh hardly anything.
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FIND SPACE IN YOUR PACK FOR “TRUE LEMON”
Spices are the key to any kind of cooking, but you may not have thought to pack something really important in your spice kit: True Lemon! You can get natural crystallized lemon that is packaged similarly to sugar. Each packet is equivalent to 2 lemon wedges and weighs less than an ounce. Adding lemon to your meal while you are on the trail can give it that special touch to make it extra delicious! Here is an example of a recipe that you can make using True Lemon.
CHICKEN QUINOA RECIPE
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 Tbsp dried chives
- 1 packet of True Lemon
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 3-once foil packet of chicken
Prep at home before you leave: Combine everything, except chicken, in a quart size freezer zip-lock bag. Carry the chicken separately.
On the trail: Boil 1 cup of water. Add the quinoa and spices. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Add the chicken, toss and serve. Makes 1 serving
Lemon is one of the secrets to creating unique and tasty meals in the wilderness. Hint: You can even add it to your water to help tone down the iodine flavor!
by Catherine Banks
