Backcountry Comfort Food - Macaroni and Cheese

       

I really like the comfort food quality that macaroni and cheese can provide on a tough trip. There are a few ways you can make mac and chesse in the backcountry and some tips that I have found useful Here is my Compilation of Mac n' Cheese Options for your upcoming trips...

Freeze Dried - You can find freeze dried options from all of these companies

RichMoor

Mountain House

Backpackers Pantry

Alpine Aire

Boxed Store Bought 


Classic Kraft - By just using water this box has a liquidy consistency, adding powdered milk helps out here alot, and if you have powdered butter too that's even better.


Kraft Deluxe - No Butter or milk needed, but the ready cheese pouch brings this in as the heavy weight for packing purposes

Kraft Deluxe Bistro - These are just like Kraft Deluxe with the ready cheese pouch, but have several cool flavors like sundried tomato parmesan, and creamy mushroom

Pasta Roni - Try shells and white cheddar - it is one of my favorite tasting boxes (needs powdered milk and oil/butter for best results)

DIY Options

Prepare a store bought pasta of your liking then add enough powdered cheese to make the pasta cheesy enough for your tastes

Make your own cheese sauce in this Great Recipe from Backpacker - Alpine Mac & Cheese

When I want to Spice up plain Mac n' Cheese here's what I like to do:

Ingredients

Your favorite type of Mac

Chicken Pouch

Teaspoon Dried Onion Flakes

Pinch Garlic Powder


Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 cup of some type of Dehydrated Veggie - Peas, Carrots, sundried tomatoes....

Method

Combine spices, Veggies and Pasta at home in a Ziplock bag. At Camp Prepare the mac n cheese with the spices and veggies. A few minutes before the mac is done add the chicken pouch to the pot. 

Other Recipes to check out

Backpacking Chef's Mac Recipes

Trail Cooking - Lazy Hiker Mac N' Cheese

One Pan Wonders - GoBlue Fredo (scroll down on page)

Campfire Pizza

Pizza is something that most people wouldn't think of for a backpacking trip but i've done some experimentation with it and have found that it can be done a few ways and is not a major hassle, and can taste great. Pizza is one of those things that I can really begin to crave when I'm away trips, and i think you can impress some friends with this backcountry rendition.

For my Version i picked up already made personal sized pizza crusts, a marinara spice packet that uses tomato paste and water to make a sauce, and went with mozzerella, mushrooms, and spinach as my toppings. (Note that this recipe needs a campfire to cook it so plan accordingly, and don't disregard campfire bans please!)

Ingredients (for three pizzas)
One package of Crusts (3)
1 packet of pasta sauce spices (I found near tomato sauces in jars at the store)
1 small can of Tomato Paste (spoon out into a quart ziplock bag at home)
1 cup of water
1 small can of mushrooms (drained and put in a small ziplock at home)
Two handfuls of spinach (placed in a ziplock)
Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 two foot rectangles of Aluminum Foil


To begin this I make a normal campfire at my site for the night and make sure its a decent size so I can get some hot coals going. After I do that I make the sauce; first open the quart ziplock that already contains the tomato paste, then add the spice packet. Now you will need to add the water (I went ahead and added less water then directions on the spice packet called for because i didn't want the sauce to be runny), so just add water slowly till you achieve the desired consistency, seal it, then shake and squish the bag up to mix everything really good.

Next Pull out your two Aluminum Foil Pieces, and put your Crusts on top (shiny side facing down). Top the pizza with the sauce, then cheese and toppings. Now wrap the aluminum up around the pizzas but don't press down on top of the foil, try to leave some gap between the top of the cheese and the foil.

Now spread out hot coals from your fire with a stick into a flat layer that can fit all of the pizzas. Place two sticks flat below each pizza so air can flow underneath and keep the coals alive and hot. Additionally I also try to circle the pizzas with logs or sticks that are still burning to achieve more heat. The Pizza is going to take about 5-10 minutes to cook this way, just keep peeking into the Aluminum foil until you see that the cheese is gooey, then remove carefully with some sticks, and dig in!

Backpacker Magazine's Trail Chef made pizza with her own dough and in a pan, this could be an alternative recipe if you can't have a fire. Check it out here.

Quinoa

Quinoa pronounced "kin-wah" is a an amazing grain that should be on your menu the next time you head out on a trip. Let's face it, oatmeal can be good at times with some fresh fruit or nuts, but it gets boring. Quinoa can replace your oatmeal once in a while and make your breakfasts a little more interesting again, or even become a savory dish for dinner. Some benefits of quinoa are that it is a "complete grain" and has a protein content that is very high, around 12%–18%! It is becoming very popular for vegetarians and vegans recently and it is easy to see why. Quinoa contains essential amino acids for humans, it is a good source of fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is also gluten-free to add to the perks. Quinoa originated in South America where it was a sacred crop for the Incan civilization.

Quinoa is typically cooked like rice with a 2 to 1 water to grain ratio and simmered quite a while till soft. When we are in the backcountry simmering can use up valuable fuel and time. To adapt to this, we need to soak the quinoa to reduce the cooking time. If you are going to be eating your quinoa for breakfast and you're already at camp, put your 2 to 1 mixture of water and quinoa in a pot and cover and soak all night while you are sleeping. However, if you are not at camp yet or want to have quinoa for dinner, I recommend using a water bottle with the mixture so it can be soaked in advance and transported with you neatly. This technique also will work if you are in freezing conditions because you can keep your quinoa water bottle soaker in your bag to thwart freezing.

Quinoa Recipe
One cup dried quinoa Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked quinoa

1.While your at home rinse your quinoa off before you pack it into a ziplock or your water bottle soaker.
2. After soaking overnight or all day, strain out the soaking water at camp. Place the drained quinoa in a saucepan, add 1 cup fresh water, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of oil, bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Allow to steam, covered, for about 5 minutes or until it can be fluffed with a fork. Then serve.

Breakfast Variation
Add 1/4 cup of dried or fresh fruit of your choice while cooking
Use a small amount of maple syrup, brown sugar, or honey to sweeten (your call)
Dash of cinnamon
Couple tablespoons of nuts
Blackberries, pecans and honey is a great combo!

Dinner Variation- Curry Chicken Quinoa

Add one package of Chicken in a pouch (found near tuna in the grocery store)
teaspoon of curry powder
pinch of garlic powder
chopped onion and pepper are great if possible to pack in and use, if not try adding some dried chopped onions and some dried pepper flakes
any veggie you can find dried would work well in this too just add in the beginning so it reconstitutes
dried cranberries can be good in this as well!

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradlauster/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0