Missing Expedition? Us too.

Even with the limitations that come with backcountry cooking, camp food always seems to taste good. One of the greatest feelings on expedition is having a big, filling dinner after a long day. It’s been a long winter, so if you are missing one of those POBS classic meals, this post is for you! No whisperlite stove needed.

Gado Gado

Vegan, gluten-free (4 servings)

Gado Gado is a backcountry take on an Indonesian veggie dish with peanut sauce. Feel free to use whichever vegetables or starch of your choosing! Instructors love this recipe because it is relatively special-diet friendly (sub sunflower butter for PB if needed!) and filling. The peanut butter sauce adds a lot of added fat and protein necessary for the physical demand of an expedition.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dry rice (1/4 dry rice per person)
• Mixed vegetables
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 chopped potatoes
  • 3-4 chopped carrots
  • ¼ chopped green cabbage
  • 1 large handful of green beans
  • 1 can of chickpeas
• Sauce:
  • 1 cup of chunky peanut butter
  • Sriracha to taste
  • 2 tbs of brown sugar
  • Splash of lime juice
  • Splash of water to thin
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cook rice as directed on the package. To make it extra tasty, use vegetable broth!
• While your rice is cooking, prepare your vegetables. Make sure to chop them in small pieces of equal size.
• Start your vegetables in a frypan, beginning with the ones that will take the longest to cook (ex. Onions, carrots and potatoes). Adding a small amount of water to your pan will help cook the root veggies faster. Feel free to add any type of vegetable you have! Onions, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage are staples on course, as they are durable and don’t need to be refridgerated. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.
• Sauce will not take long to cook. In a saucepan, add your peanut butter with a small amount of oil and water. Heat slowly. As the peanut butter begins to soften, add your other ingredients to taste: brown sugar, lime juice, sriracha, and salt and pepper. If you would like to use soy sauce, coconut aminos, or fish sauce, please do!
• Once your vegetables and sauce are done, mix them together and serve with rice. To increase the protein content of the meal, feel free to add hardboiled egg or fried tofu!

 

Cous Cous salad

Vegetarian, nut free (4 servings)

Not going to lie, we eat a lot of tortilla lunches on POBS courses. Couscous is an awesome lunch staple though that breaks the mold! It’s super easy to make and satisfying. No stoves needed! Cous cous by itself is also a blank canvas: add any combination of vegetables, proteins, and sauces your taste buds want it’s sure to be delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dry Cous cous (1/4 cup per person)
• ½ bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
• Mix ins (diced, if needed):
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 ball of mozzarella cheese
  • 1 can of olives

Directions:

• Prepare the cous cous as directed on the package. Using seasoning or vegetable broth during the cooking process will add extra flavor.
• While the cous cous rehydrates, chop up your other ingredients into small pieces. When the cous cous cools off, add them in along with the Italian dressing.

 

Vegan Lentil Chili

Vegan, gluten free, nut-free (4 servings)

This is another easy special-diet friendly recipe that is super satisfying on a cold night. Wouldn’t be lying if I said instructors eat this at home after course, too! `

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 sweet potatoes, diced
• ½ can of tomato paste
• 1 can of fire roasted diced tomato
• 1 cup of dried lentils
• 2 cups of water
• 1 can of red kidney beans
• Salt and pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne to taste
• Fritos and cheddar cheese shreds for toppings!

Instructions:

• First start by sautéing your chopped onions and bell pepper in a small amount of oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper as you go. Next, add in your root veggies (these will take a little longer to cook!).
• Once they are lightly cooked on the outside, add in your dried lentils, water, tomato paste, and seasonings of choice. I suggest garlic powder, cumin, lots of chili powder and paprika along with salt and pepper. Feel free to flavor as you please!
• The lentils will take about 20 min to cook and will absorb most of the liquid. Once they are almost done, add in the rest of your tomatoes and beans. Add more seasoning as needed. Simmer for ten more minutes so all those flavors and melt together!
• Serve with your favorite toppings! Some course favorites are Fritos and cheddar cheese shreds.

 

Backcountry Crepes

Vegetarian (4 servings)

As I mentioned before, tortillas are a HUGE staple on expeditions. Their density and shape makes them easy to pack in a backpack, compared to other forms of bread. Tortilla-based lunches are pretty common on course, so here’s a personal favorite: the superior of tortilla lunches.

Ingredients:

• 4 tortillas
• Peanut butter (2 tbs per person)
• Nutella (1 tbs per person)
• Banana chips (<1/4 cup per person)
• Trail mix of choice (<1/4 cup per person)

Instructions:

• The beauty of the tortilla lunch is that they’re super easy to make and are infinitely customizable. Cream cheese and jelly? Pepperoni and Cheese? Peanut butter and sriracha? The options are endless. I love adding crunchy stuff like banana chips into mine, which also add those much needed calories. And who doesn’t love anything with chocolate?
• Fold into half twice like a crepe or roll it up burrito style! This combo would also be an amazing dessert toasted in a buttered pan.

At POBS, every instructor has their own preferences and flare for cooking on course. Much like on expedition, feel free to get creative and resourceful with these recipes!