Inspired by these 2 books I decided to make as much of my own backpacking food as possible on our last backpacking trip to the coast. I broke out the dehydrator and tried some new recipes.
Peanut Butter Fudge (these delicious!)
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 (14 oz can) of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 bag of chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients ad press into a 8 inch square greased pan. Bake 30 minutes (I let them go longer). Cool, cut and pack into snack sized re-sealable plastic bag.
Parmesan Cheese Crackers (definitely will make again)
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat floor
1/2 cup white flour
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cut in:
1/3 cup chilled butter
1/2 cup finely graded Parmesan cheese
Stir in: 1/2 cup cold water
Kneed briefly then turn dough onto a floured board. Preheat oven to 350. Oil 2 large baking sheets. Roll dough as thin as possible on floured board. Cut into rectangles. Bake 5 minutes or until bottoms are brown (I flipped once).
BLACK PEPPER PECANS (this is my mom's recipie- usually an h'orderve , but great for backpacking)
1 T black pepper
2 t salt
1/4 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
4 t water
2 2/3 c pecans (or almonds)
Preheat oven to 350. Line large cookie sheet with foil. Lightly butter foil. Mix pepper and salt in small bowl. Melt butter in large non-stick skillet over med-low heat. Add sugar and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add nuts; toss to coat. Cook over med heat until syrup thickens and nuts are well coated, stirring occasionally, about 5 mins. Sprinkle half of pepper mixture over them. Transfer nuts to baking sheet and separate with fork. Sprinkle with remaining pepper. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Can be made 4 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
Thai Noodles
Cook, then drain in a colander: 18 oz. vermicelli pasta. In a skillet heat up onion, garlic and broccoli. Add 3/4 cup crushed peanuts, 2 teaspoons minced ginger, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 3/4 crushed red pepper flakes (I used sriracha sauce and added 1/2 can of coconut milk). Stir with noodles and spread on dehydrator trays until dry. To rehydrate cover with water just above food in pot, boil and serve.
Chorizo/Sweet Potato Burritos
I just cooked up chorizo and bake sweet potatoes then dehydrated each separately. Boiled over coals (has to cook for a long time) until everything was soft. It was really good!
(I also played around with dehydrating eggs- both with things in them and plain- and both turned out weird when re-hydrated, so I am not going to write about them)
