Any interesting recipes for Bike Camping

[rhbell]

Have done a bit of bike camping over the years and have upcoming trip to BC in August -Sept. Always on the lookout for interesting, 1 or 2 pot meals .....(wait for it)....that are relatively nutritious and can be cooked on a single burner stove or an outback oven. Interested if anyone has anything to share as want to stay away from fried variety foods if possible. I've done the freeze dried meals and will pass on those as well .

I'll start the ball rolling - package ready to use biscuit mix in ziplocks, add water as required, mix in the bag and spoon into the Outback Oven for hot biscuits . Great in the a.m and only takes about 15 minutes - start to finish. Take the same recipe, roll out 1/2 in bottom of Outback Oven, toss in a few berries, apples, rasins or whatever and 1 or 2 tsp of sugar, cover with other half of dough and you have an 8" pie in about 20 minutes.

If you're not familar with the Outback Ovens, an internet search will turn up this amazing device no camper should be without, Also doubles as a larger frypan as well and works with any single or even double burner stove. Great also for simple stir fires and stores barely larger than a one person camp kit.

Safe riding

Bob

[JayR]

I use a one burner 1950's vintage army squad stove, which is like a small blow torch. Therefore only real simple meals work. I have only gone on a couple of 5 day trips. I put a soft sided cooler in one of my paniers to haul the frozen food. I like to cook and then freeze all the meat before I go. I then use the warmest/least frozen meat to cook with. (Less chance of me getting a bad stomach ache)

The following are some of the simple meals I have taken with. Two people that are hungry pretty much eat all the meals listed.

Breakfast:

Before trip buy Chorizo sausage in link form (6 per #) and grill then freeze and take with in frozen form.
Slice up three sausage and start warming up, add six slightly beaten eggs and scramble.
Eat with salsa and tortila.
Make the same next morning, keep eggs in new fangled screw on lid disposable packages. (Trail Cook Time, under 25 minutes.)

Substitute regular breakfast sausage for the Chorizo, can keep frozen with out cooking is used early in trip. My stove can cook the sausage if you cut them into small sections that can be stirred, otherwise it becomes a burnt mess.

Lunch/Dinner

Before trip brown hamburger (Venison if you want to get rid of the big rabbits) with garlic, onion, chilli powder, oregano, cummin seasoned to taste. Drain and Freeze. Take frozen cooked meat on trip.
Use with any mexican flavored hamburger helper, I get the kind that only need water, so no milk is required. (Trail Cook Time, under 25 minutes.)

Before trip brown hamburger with garlic, onion, fennel seed, oregano, crushed red pepper seasoned to taste. Drain and Freeze, take frozen cooked meat on trip.
Use with any Italian flavored hamburger helper, again water only variety. (Trail Cook Time, under 25 minutes.)

Before Trip grill Cajun sausage and then freeze, or buy pre-cooked frozen chicken strips. Bring frozen cooked meat with on trip.
Make Zataran's boxed Jambalaya which only requires water. (Trail Cook Time, under 25 minutes.)

Desert:
If you are in an area that allows a fire, a simple cored apple with butter, sugar and cinamon in the cored area wrapped in tinfoil set near the fire until it is soft is great. When camping if the kids need a lesson in patients I will have them cook the apple with the skin on it on a stick over the fire until it is soft, then help them take the burnt skin off of it so they can eat it.

[K6OST]

I've had cooked food (just about anything) that I vacuum sealed and froze. Carry it in a cooler using it to cool down any drinks. The best part is that all you have to do is put it in boiling water to finish thawing it and heat it up. Works for BBQ chicken, pasta dishes, soups, anything at all.

The best part is that since the food doesn't touch the pot there's no clean-up to deal with and you can have chicken for example in a third of the time to cook it on the fire and it tastes as good as the day you sealed it.

just my 2cents

[cabnawd]

In my cooking experience, I have found that even with the best freeze-dried food, there can be some loss of moisture. The taste is still excellent, but a little dry. My fix: Always have a well marked water bottle of both chicken broth and apple juice with you. A couple of tablespoons of chicken broth in any savory dish as well as apple juice in a dessert will do the trick. Hope it helps!

[JONNYREB]

Well, between ya'lls idea of precooking meat and freezing it in ziplocs, and big B's smoked ribs over in the grub forum. I could sure see doing up some ribs on the brinkman with sweet baby rays honey barbeque sauce and hickory chips, eating all you want and smoking up enough to debone a pound or so of the meat. Then freezing it with a bit more sauce on top for the trip. That would be a 1st night meal to look forward to. J.R.

[stevewz]

Here's an article I wrote for GORP.com back in the day covering how to save money on backpacking food. The same principles apply whether you're on two feet or on two wheels. Some recipes are included:

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/food/swfood.htm

[rhbell]

Steve:
Thanks - good suggestions and I just borrowed my neighbours dehydrator to start and try a few things.
Great article .

Safe Riding
Bob

[henerythe8th]

In a former life, when I was a lot younger, I was a Survival Instructor in the USAF. Prior to going to the field, leftovers became scarce because they went into seal-a-meal bags!
I used to do bacon and eggs in them, too! Cut raw bacon into squares, brown in skillet til nearly done. Place enough for a meal in a bag, add scrambled egg mixture (uncooked) complete with salt & pepper, etc. and seal it shut.
Freeze flat, they pack great that way!

Throw a bag into a pot of hot water give it four or five minutes, squish the raw egg to the outside of the cooked egg inside the bag and throw back into pot until cooked to the desired consistency. Cut it open, eat out of bag, lick fork clean. what to do with all of that hot water?--wash & shave with it! Well shave with a razor, but the hot water helps the process . . .

BTW--the vacuum packer works great for keeping gear dry, medical kit together and dry, etc.

Henry

[JONNYREB]

Yeah thats the way to do it, Beats an mre hand down. You can figure about anything you bag and freeze can be done that way. Sure makes for a better meal at a lower price than anything this side of of gorp. Good tip, J.R.

[Ashveegas]

Pocketbook Stew:

Prior to departure:

Ingredients:
Hamburger
carrots
potatos
Campbell's Veggie soup
salt n peppa

Prior to departure, boil cut up carrots and potatos 'till almost soft.

On a square of heavy duty aluminum foil, place 1 HB patty. Add 1/4 cup of cut up carrots & potatos on top of patty. Spoon 2Tbsp of the veggie soup on top and add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring 2 edges of foil together and fold down a couple of times. Roll each end of foil up to make "pocketbook." Freeze packets.

I usually throw the whole packets directly on hot coals at camp, cooking 5 min. on each side, turning once. The camp oven should do, too. Enjoy!