Gourmet Gluten-Free Wilderness Camping

The following is a guest post from Laurie Ann March, founder of Outdoor Adventure Canada and author of Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry(most recipes are gluten-free and are labeled accordingly).

Canoe on McGarvey Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park

Another Fork in the Trail

Being on a gluten-free nutrition plan is tough enough at home with so many products having hidden sources of gluten and it can be even more difficult when on a wilderness camping trip. The last thing you want is to feel ill when you have to hike or paddle into camp.

Many of the commercially available freeze-dried and dehydrated backpacking foods have gluten so it is important to read the labels carefully. The best way to avoid gluten in your diet is to make your own dried meals using a food dehydrator.

Food dehydrators for home use can run between fifty and one-hundred dollars and they use minimal hydro. Dehydrating your own backcountry food often works out less expensive than buying pre-packaged foods from your local outdoors store.

When you purchase a dehydrator, be sure to look for one with a top or side fan and a temperature control. I recommend a model that is 500 watts or more from Nesco or, if you don’t mind spending a little more, the Excalibur models are very good.

If you aren’t the one planning the menu make sure you are very clear that your food needs to be gluten-free or consider handling your own food in case a mistake is inadvertently made.

Here is a recipe from Another Fork in the Trail, to get you started.

Unstuffed Peppers with Quinoa

Dehydration Time: 6-10 hours

Makes 4–6 servings

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup celery, finely diced

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed (measure after squeezing out the excess liquid)

1/2 cup canned tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved

1/4 reserved tomato liquid

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red chilies

1 cup black beans

1 cup carrots, coarsely grated

1 3/4–2 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

2 medium sweet peppers, coarsely chopped

2–3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or a small block of vegetarian or regular mozzarella

At Home

Place the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse for at least 3 minutes to remove the bitter coating. Drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions and celery until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and reserved tomato liquid. Simmer for 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the basil, oregano, dried crushed red chilies, quinoa, black beans, carrots, and 1 3/4 cups vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes on medium-low heat. Check partway through cooking and if necessary add a bit more stock.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the peppers in a single layer in a baking dish. Top with the quinoa and vegetable mixture, cover with foil, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Let cool.

Measure the unstuffed pepper mixture and write this measurement on a sticky note. Dry the mixture on lined dehydrator trays for 6 to 10 hours. Put the pepper mixture and the sticky note in a ziplock freezer bag. If you are using nutritional yeast, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the bag with the pepper mixture. If you are using cheese, wrap the cheese before you leave for your trip.

At Camp

Add enough boiling water to the dried mixture to equal the measurement on your sticky note. Be sure to account for and add your dried ingredients to the rehydration container prior to adding the water. You can always add more water if you need to. Once the unstuffed peppers have rehydrated, you might have to reheat the mixture. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and serve.

If you are using cheese, put the hot pepper mixture into your backpacking pot, stir in 1/2 cup grated cheese, and then top it with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover it and let sit until the cheese melts.

Tip

If you want to make these for dinner at home merely cut the peppers in half vertically and stuff as shown in the picture. Bake as the instructions state but skip the dehydration instructions. Leftover filling can also be frozen to be used at a later date if you end up making too much filling.

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Now you don’t always need a food dehydrator to make great trail food, although many of the recipes in my book rely on its use. Here is a no-cook, gluten-free recipe for energy bars that are great for day hikes and wilderness trips.

Date, Pecan, Blueberry and Ginger Bars

Makes 8 to 10 bars

The first time I made date bars was when I was a young girl taking a 4-H outdoor living course. As an adult, I wanted to add a little something to the recipe and I've always loved candied ginger. It gives these a nice bite, which livens the tastebuds.

1 cup dates such as medjool or honey dates

3/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup dried blueberries

1/8 cup candied ginger, chopped

Pulse the dates in a food processor until you have a thick paste. Toast the pecans, if desired, in a dry non-stick frying pan over medium heat just until they start to become fragrant. Be careful that you do not burn them. Add to the dates and pulse to chop the nuts. Remove the container from the food processor and take out the blade. Stir in the dried blueberries and candied ginger. Line a square baking pan with plastic wrap and press the mixture firmly into the pan. Refrigerate for an hour and then turn out onto a cutting board. Remove the wrap and cut into 8 to 10 bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and reshape by pressing each side on a flat surface if desired.

Tip: Wipe your knife with a hot water soaked paper towel between cuts to prevent it from sticking. You can reuse the piece of wrap you lined the pan with to wrap your bars.

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It is also possible to bake on a wilderness trip using a single burner backpacking stove and a gadget called an Outback Oven. Everything from gluten-free biscuits and muffins to decadent black bean flour based brownies is possible.

Speaking of black bean flour, a food dehydrator is a very economical way to make things like white and black bean flour to use in baking. You can even make flours from nuts, seeds, squash or pumpkin meat. You will need a mill or really good coffee bean grinder to process the squash and pumpkin flours.

Dehydrated Hummus

It takes a little planning and effort to have gluten-free gourmet food in the backcountry but the extra time is well worth it when you are sitting on the shore of your favorite lake enjoying a yummy meal at the end of a long day.

Indian Carrot Salad

Contest!!
What is your favourite outdoor adventure 
and why?  
(Hiking, camping, kayaking, backpacking, etc)

• Post your entry in a comment below before 11:59 EST on Sunday, January 29, 2012 and you will be entered to win a copy of Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry!
• Please include your name (as it appears on Facebook) or your Twitter handle in your comment so I am able to contact you when/if you win!  If you do not have Facebook or Twitter, please ensure I have a way to contact you.
• If you enter more than once (please don't) only your first comment will be considered.

This contest is open to Ontario residents only! (This is Gluten-Free Ontario, after all) The winner will be chosen by Laurie Ann March and I will post the winner's name by Wednesday, February 1, 2012 on Facebook, Twitter and on this page.

Comments on this blog require approval - please only post once and I will approve them at a later time.