Outdoor Cooking

By Suki Reed, OCHC President, as Published in the Orange County Register 

If you think of trail food as merely fuel, think again. There's no reason to abandon taste on the trail.

Here are a few tips and recipes for trail treats to delight the most discriminating palate.

Trail tips for the aspiring outdoor chef

To make cooking on the trail easy, before the hike throw away unnecessary boxes and packaging and place all the ingredients in Ziploc baggies. Be sure to label them with a Sharpie (especially since mashed potatoes look identical to pancake powder) along with any instructions cut from the side of the boxes, so you don't forget how to make it.

Another tip is to get familiar with your equipment before hitting the trail. Practice cooking trail meals at home using your backpacking camp stove, cookware and utensils. Also remember that water takes longer to boil at higher altitudes.

For an easy breakfast, do not underestimate the pleasures of a humble bagel at higher altitudes. This is my personal favorite at elevations above 10,000 feet. This is a no fuss, easy-to-prepare breakfast that is warm and allows you to get out on the trail early.

Early bird breakfast

Bagels Cream cheese Instant coffee or tea

Warm and brown the bagels over the camp stove flame, slather with cream cheese and enjoy.

An easy main meal

The main meal can serve as lunch or dinner. It is always safest to eat 1⁄2 mile away from your sleep spot so animals are not attracted to your area.

Salmon Surprise

1 package Mary Janes Farm Organic Mac 'n Cheese (Prepackaged trail meal) 1 package Raging River Ready-To-Eat Smoked Wild Salmon 4 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Directions: Purchase the prepackaged trail meal at any outdoor outfitter and add boiling water, plus all ingredients to the package, stir, seal and let sit 10 minutes. Neil Fricke, of Norwalk and Orange County Hiking Club vice president says, this is, "a meal you would be proud to share, but won't want to."

Couscous delight

1 cup of couscous (Near East---toasted pine nuts or whatever flavor you like) 1 --- 7oz pack of white chicken cuts (precooked) 1/2 cup of bacon bits (soy bacon)

1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes 2 tsp of dried onions 2 tsp of olive oil

Directions: Boil 1 1/4 cup of water (add 2 tsp of olive oil & spice sack from couscous box). Stir in couscous, chicken, bacon bits, sun-dried tomatoes, and onion. Cover; remove from stove. Let stand for 5 minutes

Serves: 2 hungry hikers

Smashed garlic potatoes & beef sausage

1 􏰁 9 oz. or 12 oz. of Hickory Farms Beef Summer Sausage 1 pack of instant mashed potatoes (just add hot water) 1 to 2 tsp. of garlic powder (add to your liking) 1/4 of bacon bits (soy bacon)

Directions: Bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Cut up Hickory Farms Summer Sausage to bite size pieces. Stir in mashed potatoes, Summer Sausage, bacon bits, and garlic powder. Let stand for 5 minutes

Serves: 2 hungry hikers

Using a dehydrator is easy.

Laura Romero from Irvine enjoys fine dining in the backcountry with these two easy recipes.

Easiest main meal of the day Use a dehydrator before hitting the trail. This meal requires prehike prep time, but using a dehydrator is easy. Simply pour the ingredients in and wait the allotted time. This meal is quick to make once you get to camp. From Mark Edwards of Huntington Beach comes an easy Italian meal for the trail.

Backcountry Italian dinner

One jar of your favorite marinara sauce (add spices to taste) Two servings angel hair pasta 2 tsp. olive oil Veggies (optional)

Parmesan cheese Bread, red wine (optional) Serves: 2 hungry hikers

Directions: Before leaving on your trip, dehydrate the jar of marinara sauce with spices added in a dehydrator. Using a Gardenmaster Digital Dehydrator and Jerky Maker makes this easy. This unit dehydrates sauces, veggies, fruit, beef, and chicken.

To dehydrate marinara sauce, pour the sauce on to the dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 140° for about 8.5 hours. Next, break the solid sheet of marinara sauce into two-inch pieces and put into a plastic Ziploc bag, make sure you label the bag. Dehydrate the veggies in the same manner.

Once at camp, cook the angel hair pasta for three minutes, rinse and drain. Gently stir in olive oil to keep pasta from sticking, set aside and keep warm. Next rehydrate the marinara by slowly adding the dehydrated marinara to warm or boiling water, stirring constantly. Mix with the pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and enjoy. It'll taste like it just came out of your mom's Italian kitchen. Bring some bread, parmesan cheese, red wine, and you're ready for a delicious backcountry Italian dinner.