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Trail Recipes
Below are some of the favorite backpacking meals and treats enjoyed on the Anasazi trail.
Have a favorite you’d like to share? Send it to [email protected] for possible inclusion in the Trail Cookbook.
WEEKLY FOOD PACK – approx. 3,000 calories/day | Rice: 3 cups | Macaroni: 2 cups | Walnuts: 1.25 cups | Garlic: 1 whole | Chicken Bouillon: .25 cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Refried Beans: 3 cups | Apples: 2 medium | Potato: 1 large | Sun-dried Tomatoes: .75 cup | Salt: .25 cup |
Lentils: 3 cups | Milk: 2 cups | Brown Sugar: 1 cup | Butter: .75 cup | Dried Apricots: 9 pieces |
Flour: 3 cups | Carrots: 2 large | Raisins: 1 cup | Chia Seeds: .5 cup | Dried Mangoes: 9 pieces |
Oats: 3 cups | Almonds: 1.5 cups | Cornmeal: 1 cup | Flax Meal: .5 cup | Baking Soda: 2 tbs |
Sunflower Seeds: 2.5 cups | Tang: 1.5 cups | Onions: 1 large | Bacon Bits (imitation): .5 cup | Pepper: 1 tbs |
Cheese: 2 cups | ||||
Fettuccine Alfredo
2-3 handfuls MACS
3-4 spoonful MILK
1-2 spoonful BUTTER
1-2 pinch PEPPER
1-2 pinch SALT
1-2 cloves GARLIC
Fill cup with ¾ of water. Add a pinch of SALT and 1-2 chopped up GARLIC cloves. Bring to a boil and add a few handfuls of MACS. Cook until macs are tender and then carefully drain MOST of the water (keep the garlic in there!) add MILK, BUTTER, PEPPER and stir.
Spaghetti Sauce
4-5 piecs of SUNDRIED TOMATO
1 clove GARLIC
1-2 pinch SALT
1-2 pinch PEPPER
1 slice chopped ONION
Put SUNDRIED TOMATO, ONION, GARLIC, SALT, PEPPER and a small amount of water in your cup. Cook over heat, stirring constantly. The more fine the ingredients are chopped, the less chunky the sauce.
Ash Cakes
1⁄2 cup FLOUR
1 pinch BAKING SODA
1 pinch SALT
In a CLEAN DRY cup, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Make a small little divot in the middle of your powder mixture in your cup. Add drops of clean water in the divot and mix into the powder. Continue drops at a time until it becomes dough. When it is dough – squish it in your hands until it is playdoh consistency.
*If it is sticky, add some flour. If it is crumbly it needs a drop or two more water. If this is done right (with practice) your cup will still be clean when you are done making your dough! Make small flat circles of dough. Thin is good so that it will cook thoroughly, but too thin will make it hard to flip – the more you make, the better you’ll get. Prepare a bed of coals (best on a 2nd day campfire) and make sure there is plenty of white ash on top of the coals. Place your little “cake” on the ash. Flip once.
If on stoves, you can still make these on the bottom of an upside down cooking cup! Once you know how to make a good ASH CAKE you can make a ton of other things! Some of these ideas are in this guide, however, use your imagination and come up with more ways to use it!! Examples: Sugar Cookies, Dumplings, Doughnuts, “Cinnamon” Rolls, Cheesy Pockets, Pop-Tarts, Garlic Knots, Pizza Crust, Tostada Crust….etc! That leads to MUFFINS! Savory muffins, sweet sugary muffins, fruity muffins!!
Deluxe Mac & Cheese
2-3 handfuls of MACS
3-5 big scoops of CHEESE
1-3 scoops MILK
1-3 scoops BUTTER
1-2 cloves of GARLIC
1-2 pinch of SALT
1-2 pinch of PEPPER
2-3 scoops of BACO-BITS
Fill cup with ¾ of water. Add pinch of SALT and GARLIC. Bring to a Boil. Add MACS. Cook until tender. Drain most of the water. Add PEPPER, BACO-BITS, MILK, BUTTER TO TASTE.
Creamy Cheesy Tomato Rice Soup
2-3 handfuls of RICE
4-5 pieces of SUNDRIED TOMATO
3-5 spoonfuls CHEESE
1-2 pinch of SALT
1-2 pinch of PEPPER
Fill cup with ¾ water. Add SALT. Bring water to a boil. Add RICE. When rice is about ½ done, add TOMATO. Keep adding water. When rice is done, DO NOT DRAIN. Add CHEESE, PEPPER TO TASTE.
Cornmeal Grits
½ a cook cup CORNMEAL
1-2 pinch SALT
2-4 BUTTER
Fill cup about ½-¾ full of water. Add SALT. Bring to a boil. Carefully remove from heat and ADD CORNMEAL. Stir constantly and put back onto heat – if needed. It will thicken up very fast…. If too soupy you need to add a little more cornmeal, but be careful not to add too much too quickly because it won’t cook properly – it needs water.
Traditionally – you would then add butter. But don’t stop there. Want more of a sweet “malt-o-meal” like cereal? Add BROWN SUGAR & MILK. Or try adding Tang? Want a more savory cup? Add CHEESE (LOTS) and more butter and salt.
Calzone Pockets & More
Make a variation of the Cheese Pocket by adding other ingredients: BACO-BITS, ONION & SPAGHETTI SAUCE. POPTART by adding BROWN SUGAR & BUTTER. FRUIT POCKET: BROWN SUGAR, APRICOTS, WALNUTS…The possibilities are endless!!
Cheese Pocket
ASH CAKE DOUGH
2-3 spoonfuls CHEESE
1-2 pinch SALT
1-2 pinch PEPPER
Make the dough. Put CHEESE, SALT & PEPPER on the center of your dough and pinch it closed like a calzone. Cook like an ash cake.
Pizza
ASH CAKE DOUGH
3-5 pieces SUNDRIED TOMATO
1 clove GARLIC (chopped)
1-2 pinch SALT
1-2 pinch PEPPER
1-2 scoops CHEESE
1 slice chopped ONION
1 scoop BACO-BITS
Make a large ASH CAKE, flat or “deep dish” by cooking on the bottom of upside down cup and folding over the edge (add a little butter onto the bottom of the cup before putting the raw dough on it to help release it once it is done cooking. Set shell aside.
Make Sauce: Put SUNDRIED TOMATO, ONION, GARLIC, SALT, PEPPER and a small amount of water in your cup. Cook over heat, stirring constantly. The more fine the ingredients are chopped, the less chunky the sauce.
Savory Trail Mix
1 handful SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1 handful BACO-BITS
1 big scoop CHEESE
1 pinch SALT
1 handful ALMONDS
Mix all the ingredients in a ziploc and enjoy on your hike. Don’t have any cheese?? Use Chicken Boo instead!
Wet Dog
MILK
BUTTER
BAKING SODA
TANG
Mix together and add a small amount of cold clean water – stir until frosting consistency.
*Great for dipping a muffin into!
Dry Trail Cereal
1 handful OATS
1 handful RAISINS
1 handful ALMONDS
1 handful WALNUTS
1-2 pinch SALT
2-3 scoops TANG
Mix all ingredients in a ziploc bag. Shake and enjoy.
“Chicken” Noodle Soup & Dumplings
1 handful MACS
½ CARROT (chopped into small pieces)
1 slice ONION (chopped into small pieces)
1 spoonful CHICKEN BOUILLON
ASH CAKE DOUGH – 2 -5 SMALL DOUGH BALLS
1-2 pinch SALT
1-2 pinch PEPPER
1-2 cloves GARLIC
Fill cup with ½ water and boil. Add MACS, ONION, CARROTS, GARLIC, SALT. While cooking this make your ASH CAKE DOUGH. *add a little SALT AND PEPPER to the ASH CAKE powder mixture to give more flavor. Make sure there is plenty of water in your cup to give enough room for the “dumplings” to cook.
Garlic Knots
ASH CAKE DOUGH
2 scoops BUTTER
2 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)
1-2 pinch SALT
Make dough in knots or however you’d like. Mix BUTTER, SALT & GARLIC with a small amount of water over heat to make a yummy dipping sauce!
Skittles
1 handful RAISINS
1-2 scoops TANG
Put it into a ziploc bag and shake! Enjoy!
Sticky Rice
2-3 handfuls RICE
2-3 scoops BROWN SUGAR
Make RICE as normal, add BROWN SUGAR after it is done cooking for a sweet treat!
Roasted Sunflower Seeds
1 small handful SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1 small spoonful SALT OR CHICKEN BOUILLON
Put all ingredients in a clean dry cup. Carefully sift/shake/stir the ingredients over heat until roasted. They will be SUPER HOT! Dump them on a clean bandana, repeat.
Donuts
FLOUR
BAKING SODA
BROWN SUGAR
SALT
Make ASH CAKE DOUGH. Fill your clean cup ½ full of clean water. When the water boils, add small dough balls into the boiling water. Let cook in hot water (gentle boil) for a few minutes. Carefully, remove the dough balls from the water and roll them in BROWN SUGAR.
Carmel
BUTTER
BROWN SUGAR
SALT
Equal parts of BROWN SUGAR & BUTTER with a pinch of salt. Mix it together with a very small amount of water. Over heat – stirring constantly – let it cook until it is a caramel consistency
Trail Soda
TANG
BAKING SODA
Fill your clean cup with clean water. Add as much TANG as you like, and then add just a small pinch of BAKING SODA to your beverage for a “SODA” fizz!
Potato Chips
¼ POTATO – cut into slices
1 pinch SALT
Find a good stick – like for cooking a hot dog. Sharpen the end & let it soak in your canteen while you cut up your potato. Carefully put the slices on the stick like a shish kabob and roast over the fire. Sprinkle SALT on them.
Sour Patch Kids
1 handful SUNDRIED TOMATO
1-2 scoops TANG
Put in a ziploc bag and shake! Enjoy!
Cold Gold
½ cooking cup OATS
1 handful RAISINS
1 handful WALNUTS
1 handful BROWN SUGAR
3-6 spoonfuls MILK
In a clean dry cup, add ALL ingredients. Add enough COLD water to make MILK hydrate and it should be like eating cereal and milk!
Trail Mix
1 handful SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1 handful RAISINS
1 handful ALMONDS
1 handful WALNUTS
1 small scoop BROWN SUGAR
1-2 pinch of SALT
2-3 APRICOTS (cut up into small pieces)
2-3 MANGOS (cut up into small pieces)
Put all ingredients into an extra ziploc bag, shake it up and enjoy it throughout your hike!
*Make it into a TRAIL BAR by adding some oats and a little bit of clean cold water to help the ingredients stick together. Form into a bar.
