Taco Surprise

This was named by Max's cousin when I described it to her as "beef taco stuff." She then dubbed it "Taco Surprise" because...surprise! There's no tacos! No grains means no tortillas, but that doesn't mean we can't have taco filling! It was a hit at Max's annual family Cape Alava backpacking trip. Also, I have a lead on some cassava flour tortillas that I think would do well in backpacks...coming soon!



Makes 4 servings

1 TB cooking fat
2 red or green bell peppers, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 large crimini mushrooms, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1.5 lb ground beef
1/2 TB salt
pepper to taste
1 TB chili powder of choice (chipotle, ancho, etc)
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste (about half a small can)

Cook vegetables in a large pot over medium heat until soft.
Stir in the ground beef, spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Cook until meat is cooked through.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Spread on parchment paper on dehydrator trays and dehydrate 8-12 hours at 150F.

Sprouted Buckwheat Cereals

No. It's not Paleo. BUT...sometimes Paleo granola is just too many nuts at once for me. Buckwheat is gluten free which is a strict rule I follow in my diet life, and sprouting makes them more digestible. I've used Living Intentions' Superfood Cereals before on trips which use buckwheat sprouts as the main base, and I really like those. It's just one of those compromises I make sometimes for the backcountry. Living Intentions is somewhat expensive, though, so I decided to try making my own. I found a couple recipes, and they worked out nicely! They did turn out super crunchy, though, which tired my mouth out after a while, so I started soaking my bowl of cereal in coconut milk and water (I always water down my coconut milk in my cereal, otherwise it makes me feel sick) before adding about a tablespoon of collagen to it, and that worked well. Here are the two recipes I used. I followed them pretty exactly, with the exception of the cooking method for the Maple Cinnamon which says to cook in the oven at 400F. It started to get pretty burned around the edges, so part way through I took it out and finished it in the dehydrator. It would probably do fine to do it in the dehydrator entirely, and probably better to preserve the "liveness" of the sprouts...I don't know if that's true, but it sounds like it could be. Eventually I would like to make one more along the lines of Living Intentions' that uses things like reishi and maca and stuff like that just for more nutritional benefits.

Banana Nut Buckwheat Granola

Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Granola

Chile Verde

I adapted this recipe from one I found using beef chuck roast. I changed it to ground beef for better dehydrating, and added some plantains and green bell pepper for more substance. I knew it was going to be good, but it actually turned out way better than I thought. And more filling. I looked at the quantity after dehydrating it and it didn't seem like enough for 4 people, so we brought cheese and sweet potato chips to go with it, but I think it would have been fine on its own.

Makes 4 servings

2 large anaheim peppers
2 large poblano peppers
1 jalapeño
1.5 lb ground beef or pork
1 onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 large green plantains, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tomatillos, diced
2 cups beef or chicken broth
1/2 TB ground cumin
1/2 TB dried oregano
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup cilantro
1 TB freshly squeezed lime juice

Place all the peppers on a large baking sheet. Roast under the broiler until skin is black and charred, about 5 minutes per side. Remove peppers from oven and put in a paper bag. Let them sweat for about 20 minutes, then remove from the bag, peel and discard skins, cut out seeds, and dice peppers. Put peppers in a crock pot or dutch oven.
Sprinkle beef or pork with salt and pepper. Brown meat in a frying pan over medium heat.
Once meat is browned, use a wooden spoon to break large chunks into smaller pieces (this will help it rehydrate faster later), then transfer it to slow cooker or dutch oven.
Adding more fat to the meat pan (only if needed), sauté the onion, green bell peppers, and plantain until onion is translucent and plantain is starting to change color to a brighter yellow. Plantain may start to stick to pan, if this happens, you can add water or broth to the pan.
Add garlic to the pan and continue cooking another 30 seconds to release the garlic's flavor.
Transfer onion, green bell peppers, plantain, and garlic to the slow cooker.
Add diced tomatillos, broth, cumin, oregano, allspice, salt, and half of the cilantro.
If using a crockpot, cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 6 hours. Add remaining cilantro, and the lime juice. Taste and adjust spices.
If using a dutch oven, or other large pot, bring contents to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3 hours. Add remaining cilantro, and the lime juice. Taste and adjust spices.
Spread on dehydrator trays and dehydrate 8-12 hours at 150 F.

Almond Flour Dill Crackers

These crackers are delightfully salty, and the dill goes really well with smoked salmon. They're a little more on the cakey side of texture rather than crunchy, but don't let that put you off! They make a great addition to any lunch.

2 cups almond flour
1 egg
1 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried dill

Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it has taken on a doughy texture.
Use your hands to form crackers into a long log, about 1-2 inches in diameter. You can make it a circular log or square.
Using a knife, cut the log into thin slices (about 1/8 inch) and lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. If crackers are thick, they may take longer.
Remove and let cool before packing in a Ziplock bag.