Falafel & Couscous
It’s been a while since our last Camp Chef, and with backpacking season winding down, we’re squeezing in one last recipe to add to your arsenal: falafel and couscous. This vegetarian recipe is tasty, lightweight, and easy to prepare. It’s perfect for overnight or weekend trips when you don’t want to go the superlight-freeze-dried route, but don’t want to carry a bunch of foodstuffs either.
This recipe feeds two hungry backpackers.
The most important point to take away from on-trail nutrition is this: eat! Calories fuel everything your body does, including heat production. Packing an energy bar on a day hike could make the difference between being cold and developing hypothermia if you’re caught in the dark. Here are some basic guidelines to staying energized on the trail. Read More …
Bubbly rich goodness
If the thought of another PB&J or more than two dehydrated meals on a single trip makes you cringe, then maybe it’s time to think about a fresh, hearty meal as something that you can have anywhere, anytime … as long as you’re willing to put a little effort into preparation. One of my all-time favorite meals is Hungarian Goulash, and regardless of the season, the craving for this rich stew hits me with force and eventually leads to submission. Read More …
Light and refreshing
Summer is officially here, and what better place is there to be than standing in front of a hot grill or over open coals? Well, actually, we can think of several places: climbing multiple pitches up a new route, bombing down in full armor on fat tires, or paddling in chilly runoff, for example.
How about a compromise? We’ll all step up to the fiery grill if it involves creating a delicious dinner of grilled meat, fruit, and vegetables. Yeah, compromise is pretty easy when it involves refreshing food that doesn’t steal precious stomach space reserved for a few cold brews, deliciously crisp vino, or your favorite stiff-one at the end of a hot day. Read More …
Although cooking outside shouldn’t mean you have to sacrifice a feast of multiple courses and gourmet concoctions, there are those times when simplicity is king. Car camping, backyard cookouts, and tailgating parties can offer some of the best gastronomical experiences under the sun or stars, but what about those isolated trips into the wilderness? What if your normal meals come from the college mess hall, and you just need a break from bad lasagna but don’t have the funds for a filet mignon? You can eat well (and cheaply) in the wilderness with dehydrated meals and put a sufficient pre-party, alcohol-absorbing layer in your stomach with a 50-cent noodle packet, but there is one meal that is synonymous with terms like hearty, piping hot, and damn cheap—Hobo Potatoes. Read More …
Our latest recipe comes from Backcountry.com Gear Guru, Cory Heintz. In addition to providing customers with answers to gear-specific questions and adding comments to BC.com’s site on his personal choices for climbing gear and travel accessories, Cory throws together some stellar dishes with his compact Jetboil cooking system. One such concoction (which just happens to be a BC.com Jetboil Cookoff winner) is a gourmet seafood appetizer that is sure to impress the ramen-slurping crowds in camp. Read More …
As much as a solid breakfast is key to kick-starting your metabolism, a substantial, wholesome midday or evening meal is crucial to repairing and building muscle as well as providing the necessary nutrients to stay alert during heart-pounding activity. Read More …
the gels
My roommate Keith is an avid trail runner and occasionally pushes his limits competitively on the local half-marathon circuit as well as on distance runs through the desert (32 miles in Bryce, Utah, being his latest challenge). He seemed like the perfect candidate to participate in a simple energy gel/goo test and happily obliged.
Keith tested each gel for flavor, reaction time, and result.
While this isn’t a nutritionist-guided or very scientifically controlled test, we hope the results might help you make a choice more easily and save a few bucks.
Maybe you can do the same: what’s your experience with energy gels? Read More …
There are few things better than coming out of your tent on a cold morning, firing up the camp stove, and making yourself a fresh cup of coffee. We’ve come a long way since cowboy coffee. No longer do you have to struggle through a cup of sludge or submit yourself to the coffee sacrilege of instant. Read More …
Spring is here, and your taste buds are aching for charred flavors—so here’s a simple recipe for tacos that only requires one pot and a pile of burning wood. Read More …
With the mountains beginning to shed their cold, icy layers and wild flowers bursting through their green fuses, it’s time for urban-dwellers to start thinking about returning to their primitive roots. We’ve compiled a list of essentials to keep at the ready for a backcountry cookery, campground culinary regale, or local park feast. Read More …