Easy Backpacking Recipes – Boundary Waters, August 2014

As promised on the post containing our Boundary Waters 2014 Menu and Food Prep List, the trip recipes are presented here.

Only one recipe from the menu (fajitas) is missing from this post. The fajita recipe bombed. I decided not to pass on the pain. It involved marinade containing balsamic vinegar, resulting in an overwhelming balsamic flavor. I plan to dehydrate some fajitas from the recipe I typically follow for home use next time I cook fajitas. Assuming it comes out well, I'll be sure to share it.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas with salsa.

Ingredients:       

    

     Flour tortillas

               Block of cheese and hand shredder

               Pouch of chicken (optional)

               Salsa (optional)

               A dash of oil

In camp – Shred cheese. Rub a smidge of cooking oil on the outer surfaces of 2 tortillas. Fill the inner surfaces with cheese and chicken (if desired). Cook briefly on both sides in a skillet over a low flame until the cheese melts. Please note, once the chicken has been opened it requires immediate use or refrigeration. Optional – Serve with a packet or small plastic cup of salsa. 

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately. 

Tortilla “calzones”

Ingredients:       

              

Flour tortilla

Block of cheese and hand shredder

Pizza sauce (ours was Boboli, the box contains three small plastic pouches)

Pepperoni that does not require refrigeration

In camp – Shred cheese. Rub a smidge of cooking oil on the outer surface of 1 tortilla. Spread sauce across all but the outer ½ inch (1 cm) of the inner surface of the tortilla. Fill and fold over. Cook briefly on both sides over a low flame until the cheese melts. Please note, once we open a package of presliced pepperoni it requires immediate use or refrigeration. Optional – Bring a small baggie of crushed red peppers on the side.

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately.

spaghetti & Meat sauce

   

Ingredients:       

1 lb. ground beef

Spaghetti sauce – 1 jar or 1 batch homemade sauce

Angel hair pasta

At home – Brown ground beef, rinse with water in a strainer to remove fat. Return to skillet, and add your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce recipe. Simmer. Dehydrate. Break uncooked pasta into pieces that are long enough to enjoy, but small enough to fit your camp cooking pot. Pack pasta into a baggie.

Angel hair pasta, ready for the cozy.

In camp – Boil angel hair pasta in water for 2 minutes and put into a pot cozy to finish cooking so as to conserve fuel. If you prefer, cook to completion rather than use a cozy, angel hair cooks relatively fast. 

If possible, completely cover with water and soak the dehydrated meat sauce in advance of cooking. Then, simmer the meat sauce in water with constant stirring for at least 2 minutes (if pre-soaked). Put the pan in an insulated pot cozy for at least 10 minutes. Serve meat sauce over angel hair pasta.

The meat sauce re-hydrates best if you add water in advance and let it soak. However, extra time cooking can make up for this step. You can also buy or easily make a good pot cozy. Check out Winter Campers for pot cozy instructions if you'd like to make a cozy similar to ours rather than buying one. Ours is shown in the angel hair pasta photo above. If you do not wish to bring a cozy, please plan on a longer cook time.

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately.

This recipe makes approximately 6 individual servings.

Tacos & burritos

Ingredients:

               1 lb. ground beef

               1 taco seasoning packet

               Water

              

At home – Brown some ground beef, rinse with water in a strainer to remove fat, and return to skillet. Season and simmer according to the instructions on your favorite taco seasoning packet. Dehydrate. 

In camp – Hydrate and cook the meat in water as described above in the spaghetti recipe. Serve on flour tortillas for tacos. For burritos, follow the same recipe, but include dehydrated beans (I used dehydrated black beans on our Boundary Waters trip). Optional – Bring along cheese and a hand shredder, fast food taco sauce packets, or a small cup of salsa for additional enjoyment. 

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately.

This recipe makes approximately 6 servings. 

Mama’s Chili

Ingredients:

              

               1lb. ground beef

               1 small to medium onion diced

               1 can (appox. 15 oz.) or a one quart Mason jar tomatoes (diced)

               1 can tomato sauce (appox.15 oz)

               1 can dark red kidney beans (approx. 15oz.)

               Water

               Chili powder to taste (Mama uses a lot)

               1 clove minced garlic or equivalent

               Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

               Black pepper to taste

               Salt to taste

At home – Brown ground beef with onions. Rinse with running water to remove fat. Put back onto stove and add tomatoes (including juice), tomato sauce, beans, chili powder, garlic, cayenne (optional), and enough water to thin the chili and ensure all solids are covered. Simmer for at least an hour. Add additional water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually add a good bit of black pepper, but sometimes find that salt is unnecessary due to the high salt content of the canned beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. On the other hand, when I’ve used home canned tomatoes, I’ve definitely needed salt. Dehydrate, package, and store the chili per dehydrator manufacturer’s instructions. 

In camp – Hydrate and cook in water as described in the spaghetti recipe above. This chili is especially delicious on a crisp autumn day. Optional – If you happen to have a little cheese and crushed red pepper left from making tortilla calzones, these go great with chili. 

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately. 

This recipe makes approximately 6 individual servings.

 

Spam & HashBrowns

Spam and Spuds.

Ingredients:

1 Spam Single in a pouch cut into small squares
1 Carton Hungry Jack Cheesy Hashbrowns
Water
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Ketchup packets (optional)


In camp – Boil water and fill carton of dry hashbrowns to fill line, waiting them to soak as instructed on the carton. While waiting, brown Spam on both sides in the skillet. Set Spam aside. Put oil into skillet, add hashbrowns. Cook until browned, stirring or flipping occasionally. In the final minutes of cooking, add the browned Spam to reheat. Serve. Optional – Bring along ketchup packets to serve on the side to enhance enjoyment of this meal.

Only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately. 

This recipe makes 2 servings.

ripple's beef stroganoff (our family's favorite for the trip)

 

My husband found this recipe on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) forum. It requires slightly more ingredients, expense, and involvement than the other recipes I’ve included. However, this won votes as my family’s favorite dehydrated camp meal this trip. Hats off to Ripple. Check out the BWCA Book forum if you'd like to try it! Out of respect for their copyright, and with confidence you'll love their forum as much as I do, here's where to get the recipe:

BWCA BWCA.com Cook Book - MAIN COURSE

Note, where Ripple and I differ is that I do not dehydrate my egg noodles. They cook up so quickly I choose to cook them in camp. This recipe makes approximately 6 individual servings, but my family struggles to stretch it that far as it’s so delicious. It disappears like magic!

In camp, only prepare the amount you plan to consume immediately.

This recipe makes approximately 6 servings.

Bannock

This is the other recipe scavenged from the BWCA forum. I doctor this bannock recipe just a tad. Check it out if you'd like to make Bannock. Again, out of respect for their copyright, and with confidence you'll love their forum as much as I do, here's where to go:

BWCA Bannock vs Cache Lake fry bread

I follow the recipe at the link with the following exceptions:

I use garlic salt in place of salt in equal measure. I bring along a small  baggie of parmesan cheese and add a several tablespoons to the mix. When cooked, I serve it with squeeze-bottle Parkay (sigh, if only real butter were soft enough for a squeeze bottle). This bannock is delicious served with the spaghetti and chili recipes included here.

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Veggies

At home – Corn, beans, peas, and black beans were separately cooked in boiling water at home until tender. They were dehydrated in our food dehydrator according to the manufacturer's instructions, then vacuum seal packaged.

In camp – Veggies were pre-soaked in water (enough to cover them) before cooking. They were brought to a boil and simmered over a low flame for several minutes. The pot was then placed in the cozy to allow the veggies finish becoming tender. If you do not wish to use a cozy, you may simmer veggies until tender. Veggies were seasoned with salt and pepper as desired in camp.

disclaimer

 

I do not receive compensation for products mentioned or reviewed in this post. All products mentioned or reviewed were purchased by me. All comments made are based on personal use and experience with products.