Hiking Recipes

Food is very important; yes, even for the ultralight hiker! It has to be light, but provide all the important nutrients and vitamins. Freeze dried foods are quite common, but they are said not to be the best nutrition for a hike that lasts several weeks.

An interesting difference to our daily diet is that a lot of us try and avoid fatty foods and sugar in our 'normal' diet. If you want to hike for 1000 miles, believe me, some fat is very good! With this in mind, Whole Milk Powder is better than Non Fat Milk Powder . You get the picture.

If you are new to hiking, and don't know at all what foods to pack, just read the recipes. You will pick up what the idea is behind (ultralight) hiking foods: lightweight and high in nutrition

• Couscous with Mushrooms and Tomatoes
  1/2 Cup couscous
  4 sundried tomatoes minced
  3 dried mushrooms sliced
  1 chicken buillon cube
  1/2 T. onion flakes
  1 t. parsley flakes
  1/4 t. black pepper
  
  Pack all ingredients together in a zip-lock bag. To cook it just bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil, add ingredients, cover and let sit 4 minutes
  
• Rice suprise
  Rice
  Soy sauce
  peanut butter (about 2 spoonfuls)
  Tobasco (any hot sauce will work)
  dried veggies
  1 can of chicken (optional)
  spices (cayanne, paprika, chili powder, You get the idea)
  
  Cook the rice with about 1 1/2 cups water. Add the rest of the ingredients. let simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy
  
• Enchiladas
  (note: for this recipe you need a fry pan or a lid that will work as one)
  4 tortillas
  Block of cheese
  dried onion
  Chicken(optional)
  tobasco
  
  Cut cheese into thin slices then lay them in tortilla folded over. (fold them in half) throw in onion, chicken  and spices. Fry until cheese is melted. top with tobasco.
  
• Burrito
  1 tortilla
  peanut butter (about 2-3 spoonfulls)
  1 handfull cheese
  
  Very simple recipe. Great for lunch or snack. Spread peanut butter on tortilla. sprinkle liberally with cheese. Roll and eat.
  

• Nutty Rice
  5 Cups uncooked instant brown rice
  1 1/2 Cups sunflower seeds
  1 1/2 Cups slivered almonds
  1/4 Cup parsley flakes
  1/4 Cup chicken bouillon granules
  6 Cups water
  Serves: 8
  
  This is also a bulk recipe that can be divided into four equal parts for meals that serve two campers (add to 1 1/2 cups water).
  
  Combine all dry ingredients in a zipper-lock bag. to prepare just pour the bagged ingredients and water into a pot. Bring to a boil. Stir once or twice. Lower heat to simmer; cover, and cook 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
  

• Wild Beans & Rice
  There is nothing more important than energy while hiking or taking long trips. Wild beans and rice is without a doubt an essential while hiking. All that is needed is already prepared packets of rice that needs boiling.
  

• Mushroom/Noodles in Brown Sauce
  Bag of Noodles (I prefer large flat ones)
  Pint of fresh mushrooms
  Knorr's Brown Sauce
  Beef Jerky sliced very thin
  Margarine
  
  oil water and cook noodles. Set aside.
  Sauté halfed mushrooms in Margarine about 10 mins.
  Add sauce packet and sliced Jerky and follow cooking directions for sauce. Cheese/Tomato sauces work as well and the mushrooms weigh next to nothing and are a treat and very filling.
  

• Morning After Beans
  3 Cans of VanCamp's Pork and Beans
  1 small onion
  5 slices of Kraft cheese
  1/4 cup of jalapenos slices
  2 links of sausage
  
  First make sure you use VanCamp's Pork & Beans and KRAFT cheese or it won't turn out! Put cans of beans in a pot, simmer. Chop up onion and jalapeno slices and put in the beans. I like to brown the sausage first then cut it up and put in the pot. Take the cheese slices and cover the top of the beans and then let all cook. Stir when the cheese starts to melt. I usually eat with corn bread I have cooked at home and hauled with me. This stuff is great. You can always leave out the jalapenos and it still tastes good! It makes enough for two adult men and one adult female.
  

• Chipped Beef and Gravy
  1 cup instant potatoes
  1 pkg sausage/beef gravy mix
  2 T powdered milk
  dried beef/jerky
  
  Place all ingredients in your bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water. Mix, cover, and let sit for 5 min. Fluff and enjoy!
  

• Trail Chili
  1/2 cup dehydrated hamburger
  3 tablespoons of my favorite seasoning (Adams, from
  Austin and Chili Bowel, from Tulsa, combined)
  1 tablespoons dehydrated chopped onions
  1 package Top Ramon noodles (throw the flavor pack away)
  1 tablespoon canola oil
  
  Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Toss all of it in at any point. Simmer for about 3 minutes or until it reaches the density you like. The canola oil returns the fat taste, adds no flavor of its own, and makes all the difference in the world
  

• Soft Bean Tacos
  4-6 Soft tortillas
  1 bx Taco Hamburger Substitute
  Cheese
  1 pkt. Taco Sauce
  
  Add water to taco hamburger substitute (can be found in health food stores as a vegetarian meat substitute; it already has the seasonings in it - or you can bring seasonings along and use regular hamburg substitute) and simmer/boil for 15 minutes. Put on tortillas. Cut some chunks of the leftover cheese from lunch and put on top. Dress with taco sauce (compliments of Taco Bell condiments cabinet; we found "Hot" not to be a good idea).
  

• Dried Tortellini/Ravioli
  Dried tortellini
  Dried Ravioli
  olive oil
  tomato leather
  dried tomato powder (Alpine Aire)
  couscous
  Jaipur veggies
  
  You can find dry mini ravioli and tortellini at Trader Joes and even Costco. They are so yummy and much easier to cook than other pastas, like spaghetti which turns to mush at higher elevations. They take from 10-15 minutes to cook. They can be eaten with just olive oil, or with a tomato sauce made from homemade tomato leather or a couple Tablespoons dried tomato powder (+herbs spices, garlic) from Alpine Aire.
  Trader Joes also sells something called Jaipur Vegetables which comes in this foil pouch which you submerge in boiling water for like 5 minutes and you have this yummy Indian curry potatoe veggie goulash which we discovered is really tasty mixed with the above pastas. Yum! Couscous is also yummy mixed with ravioli &
  tortellini. As you can tell these are quite versatile. You won't regret them. Don't eat corn pasta, yuck! Eat gourmet!
  

• Sorta Shepherds Pie
  Knorr Cream of Vegetable Soup (envelope)
  1 envelope chicken gravy mix
  1/2 cup milk powder
  3/4 cup mixed dried veggies (I add potatoes, carrots, peas, onions)
  1/2 cup or more instant mashed potatoes
  optional ingredients: small can chicken, Textured Vegetable Protein or freeze dried chicken.
  
  Package everything but mashed potatoes together. To prepare: Bring four cups of water to boil. Add everything but instant mashed potatoes. Simmer 7-8 minutes. Add instant mashed potatoes, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, let sit for minute. Feeds 2 VERY hungry hikers.
  
  

• Easy Pasta Dinner
  Lipton Pasta Dinners (from grocer's shelf)
  Dehydrated vegies and/or TVP as desired
  can also use canned chicken or tuna if weight is not a problem
  
  Not fancy, but it requires min. cooking time, is
  cheap, packs easy, and readily available at most
  any grocery store.
  Recipe: Boil water, add dry ingredients to re-hydrate add canned meats to warm up
  

• Onlance Pasta
  1 qt Heavy Dty Freezer Bag
  1 1/4 cup Mueller's microwaveable pasta
  1/2 tsp salt
  1 tsp Spice Island Italian seasoning
  1 heaping Tbs Kraft grated parmesean cheese
  1 x 35 mm film canister full of olive oil
  3-6 cloves garlic
  dash of crushed red pepper
  dash black pepper
  5 pkts ketchup - Burger King or McDonalds (free)
  Get a free spoon too.
  Get a free napkin too.
  1/3 cup Planters brand trail mix(nuts, Seeds, Raisns)
  
  Place all ingredients in frezer bag. It will store in the refrigerator for an extremely long time. It will keep in your pack for months.To prepare remove spoon, napkin, film canister, garlic & ketchup from freezer bag.
  Peel and finely chop garlic and place in bag.
  Empty contents of ketsup and film canister in bag.Close bag and mix ingredients by shaking and needing the bag.Bring one cup water to boil and pour into bag.
  QUICKLY squeeze most air out of bag, reseal the bag, mix slightly and wrap it up in your sleeping bag or jacket, etc. and leave for 10 minutes. Do not peak, heat must be retained!
  Open bag, roll down top of bag and eat out of bag using free spoon. Use napkin as necessary.
  When done, place remnants of items previously removed from bag during preparation, seal bag and place in pack for proper disposal at an appropriate place.
  The heart healthy meal is tasty, filling, chewy and crunchy.
  

• Tasty Jumble
  One can corn
  One can tomatoes
  One Spanish rice mix
  8 oz chicken
  Two garlic cloves (Optional)
  10 oz chicken breast
  Salsa
  Olive oil
  Seasonings
  
  Open cans of corn and tomatoes.
  Using the water squeezed from the cans, plus any additional water needed, boil the rice.
  Be sure to have excess water in the pot.
  Add remaining contents of corn and tomatoe cans.
  Chop and add garlic. (bug repellant)
  Let the mix come up to temperature and boil off any additional water.
  Add seasonings from Spanish rice mix last! (important for flavor considerations, never follow instructions)
  (Optional)
  Have strips of chicken soaking in a mix of olive oil and seasonings in a plastic containier.
  Cook chicken and set aside.
  Add to cooked mix.
  Bring up to temparture and enjoy.