Spring is in the air

Sonya Muhlsimmer

Now the weather is warming up it is time to pack the skis away and dust off the hiking boots. It is the perfect weather to get back into hiking. Oh, and it is a great time to get back into those wet canyons that are too cold to do in winter. The days are longer and the nights are warmer. This is the time to start thinking about where the next multi-day hike will be, then thinking about completing the next part of the Great North Walk – I am half way through as I am completing the walk in sections. There is so much to plan and look forward to in spring from day hikes, multi-day hikes and canyons galore, bring it on. So in planning for quick getaways, I have been trying out a few recipes lately in the dehydrator and starting to build a collection up, so when I get the opportunity to go walkabout for a few days, the food is ready to go. Enough reading already, I will see you out there!

The rock climb exit out of Butterbox Canyon, Mount Hay, Blue Mountains, NSW

70 | BWA October 2019

One way to spice up the night is with a big bowl of chilli con carne. This dish is pretty versatile as you can serve it with some mountain bread, rice, cous cous or even some corn chips if you want to carry them, and it is really healthy for you. Kidney beans are packed full of carbs, protein, fibre, magnesium, iron, potassium, folate and lots of other really good stuff. Black beans, or otherwise known as turtle beans are also packed full of carbs, protein, fibre as well and calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc just to name a few minerals. So if you have chilli con carne with mince, make sure you add the beans. Oh, by the way, if you are going to dehydrate this dish make sure you buy the beans already cooked in a tin. The tinned beans rehydrate much better than if you were to prepare dried beans yourself. When I first did this recipe I soaked the dried beans then cooked them and used them in the recipe, then dehydrated the meal. But when it came to rehydrating the meal I found the beans were quite crunchy. The next time I cooked this recipe I used the tinned beans and they worked a treat. This quantity will serve around three to four meals, depending how hungry you are.

At home preparationSoak the lentils in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes, drain and soak again for 10 minutes, then drain again. Drain and rinse the cans of beans. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil. Add the spices to the fry pan and fry for 2 minutes. Add the water, vegetable stock, lentils and beans and cook for about 5 minutes. Now add the tin tomato, tomato paste and coconut sugar and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Dehydrate according to your dehydrator's specification. Place the dehydrated meal in a container to condition for a few days then pack in a bag.

Method at campBring a pot of water to the boil. The amount of water depends on how big the serving size is. Add the dehydrated mix to the water, cover and let sit for around 10 minutes till the meal is rehydrated.

Bag 1 (chilli mix)

Water 3 cups for cooking2 cups for soaking lentils

BWA October 2019 | 71

This is a similar, but different dish than the chilli con carne. They both contain lots of spices and are based on legumes. Chick peas are a legume which are high in fibre, protein and lots of minerals and vitamins, very similar to the kidney beans and black beans. This curry is an aromatic dish that will have your neighbours popping over and wanting to try out your cooking, it smells delicious, and tastes good too. Just make sure you cook enough for everyone and you have ready some naan, mango chutney, cucumber raita and some pappadams as they would really compliment this dish. Again with the chick peas, or otherwise known as garbanzo beans, make sure you buy the tinned variety. A very hearty and healthy dish, enjoy! Again, this quantity will serve around 3 to 4 meals, depending how hungry you are.

At home preparationDrain and rinse the tin of chick peas. Peel and dice the potato. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil. Add the spices to the fry pan and fry for 2 minutes. Add the water, vegetable stock, potato and chick peas and cook for about 5 minutes. Now add the tin of tomato, sugar and coconut milk and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. Dehydrate according to your dehydrator's specification. Place the dehydrated meal in a container to condition for a few days then pack in a bag.

Method at campBring a pot of water to the boil. The amount of water depends on how big the serving size is. Add the dehydrated mix to the water, cover and let sit for around 10 minutes till the meal is rehydrated.

Bag 1 (Chick Pea and Potato Curry mix)

Water - 2 cups for cooking