Today I give you a simple recipe and some awesome Alaskan backcountry pictures!
When Todd and I decided to go backpacking up by where we got married last year, we knew we had a rather large stash of 1000 year old Mountain Houses and Backpacker's Pantry freeze dried meals. We dug them out only to discover that, as vegans, we couldn't eat a single one. Poo.
So, I decided to make some oatmeal for us. When I was a child, we always brought along those little, sweetened packets of oatmeal backpacking. My favorite was the Fruit and Cream type. Don't you dare give me any of those Apples and Cinnamon ones, blech! Did you know those little packets have whey in them, though? Why, Quaker!? Why???
Oh well. So if you don't want whey in your oatmeal either, here's how to make your own! I used erythritol but you can use sugar if you like.
Be sure to add freshly picked berries if you have access! This is my favorite breakfast. Bonus points if you eat it in sleeping bag, outside on top of a mountain!
1/8-1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (optional, or cinnamon, etc.)
boiling water (amount to preference)
add-ins (berries, fruit, seeds, nuts, etc.)
In a small baggie/canister/bowl add all the ingredients and mix or shake well to combine. When ready to use, place in an appropriate bowl and fill with desired amount of boiling water.Voila. Done.
Awesome Alaska Backpacking Pictures
And now on to some amazing Alaskan photos. Below you'll see some of the berries I put in my oatmeal!
Yes, it was a little late in the season, however, the blueberry situation was OBSCENE! I went bananas...obviously.
Blueberrymania, no? It was pure joy. The Fall colors were very lovely. We don't have these colors quite yet, outside of the mountains.
Still a little ways to go! It was extraordinarily muddy. And here we are, finally at camp! We made it!
This is the Official "My Backpack's Off"' pose, in case you were wondering. There's no quite feeling like it. Don't laugh.
Todd and Bob may have the whole "relaxing" thing down a bit better than I do.
We saw a massive bear print along with scat. So that was special.
This is what vegans bring camping when they don't plan ahead and dehydrate a meal. There is also some chocolate with candied ginger, and lemon drops too!
Todd got a JetBoil for his birthday. What a spoiled boy!
Our furry child hauls his own goodies, of course.
He loves us.
Family picture! We were photobombed by a blueberry...
We were happy to squeeze the last backpacking trip in before the snow flies. It was 32 F when I left for work this morning, so literally, we could have snow any day now! Bring it on.
Last night I had a hankerin'. Sweets. Always with the sweets. Some people crave french fries or potato chips, those crispy, salty, fatty flavors. Not me. Give me the sweets. Give them to me right now. It may be a bit of a problem...either way, problem solved thanks to these Roasted Pumpkin Pie Chickpeas.
You can't escape the pumpkin, no matter how hard you try. Why would you want to anyway?
But first a story. When Todd I and were moving last year, I found with my little hand exploring, blindly, the dusty remains deep within the bowels of the forsaken baking cupboards of my childhood home...a little, abandoned, dusty jar of pumpkin butter. Jackpot. Obviously, I couldn't leave that little guy behind.
So, naturally, it's been sitting in my spice cupboard for about a year now. I know, you're thinking I should probably use it fairly soon. But, pumpkin butter is special though. In my opinion it has to have a great purpose to be opened. The unfortunate part of this uplifting story...is that the jar is at least, oh...I talking at minimum 10 years old. Yes. I know this because it was came in a gift box my family got for Christmas many, many years ago. I also found a tiny pack of coffee, which...we drank.
Yep. So if I die soon, you'll know what did it. It was the pumpkin butter (see above)...or the coffee (culprit not pictured). To my defense, the lid of the jar popped when I opened it. It tasted fine. Well, except for a distinct, slightly metallic aftertaste. Oh lord I am going to die, aren't I? Anyways, I suggest getting a fresh jar of pumpkin butter, for your own safety, and making these chickpeas. They are delicious. Like little bits of pumpkin pie!
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 Tbsp. erythritol (or sugar)
1 Tbsp. pumpkin butter
Preheat oven to 375 F.
First, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Dry them off verywell with a few paper towels. Do not skip this step. I'm watching you. Then place them in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl mix together the oil and the pumpkin pie spice. Drizzle over the dried chickpeas, and toss to coat evenly.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the chickpeas and bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.
Once the time is up, place the chickpeas back into the medium bowl and coat with the sugar and pumpkin butter. Scatter them back onto the baking sheet and continue to bake for 15 minutes.
Allow them to cool before eating.
Is there a better Fall snack food? No, I should think not.
I bet you're wondering why I gathered you all here today. It's for the Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodle recipe, obvs. Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish. Oh yes. But first, a little business. If you haven't noticed (and seriously why would you?), the widget plugin for my subscribers lost about 25+ of my near and dear subscribers! I am not sure if this means that the number is just off or if these poor fellows aren't getting the new post emails. It's all very distressing.
I've contacted the plugin company and apparently many other users are having the same issue as me. Sad. So, if you happen to think you are one of these forsaken followers, let me first tell you that I truly treasure you. The plugin company is sorting it out and hopefully it should be fixed. Please let me know if you are not getting the posts in your email! I can work around this (I've been watching a lot of the BCCs Sherlock Holmes...Benedict Cumberbatch...am I right? Yes. Omg.), and get you my daily ramblings. Never fear my dear people.
Okay, back to the good stuff. Peanut noodles aren't exactly on the lower end of the calorie scheme. I mean look at this dish. It certainly looks like it's loaded with carbs. Yes, well...it's a little deceptive. Nothing's ever what it seems, Dr. Watson.
Have you tried those refrigerated low calorie noodles? There are many brands, but I think the majority are made from tofu. They were all the rage a few years ago when they were generally discovered by the dieting mass public. I like them. Enough. I mean, I'm certainly not going to replace them with real pasta. Heaven forbid. Actually, I'm not all that big on pasta to begin with. Have you noticed? Maybe not.
Anyways, this is the perfect dish to use those noodles. They have almost an udon noodle type of feel to them. I do, however, love me some udon noodles. This peanut noodle dish has full-fat coconut milk along with peanut butter, so using the tofu noodles is a good way to cut back on some calories, plus they just plain work in this dish! Tofu noodles and spaghetti sauce? Not so much.
This recipe probably isn't low-calorie...it's just...lower-than-it-could-be-calorie...
Before we get started, however, allow me to rant about lite coconut milk. The cans of coconut milk up here in The Last Frontier are over $3.50 a can. That shit's expensive! Yes, I have tried to make my own, a story for another day. Anyways, if you're buying the lite version of canned coconut milk as opposed to the full-fat one...or regular as I call it, then you're just buying at most, really expensive water.
So, what to do if a recipe calls for lite or you simply don't want all that full-fat coconutty goodness (gasp!)? No, problem. I just use 1/4 the amount called for, but use the regular. Then, add the remainder of what's called for in water. Freeze the leftover regular coconut milk. It's really that simple. That's what I do and it saves me some bucks. You can continue to do whatever you want, but I thought it was necessary to expose the coconut milk catastrophe for what it is. Katie Holmes has closed the coconut case! Wait...Katie Holmes, no, that's already taken. Nevermind.
A final word about the tofu noodles. They smell...err...very fishy before you boil them. No! Don't smell them! Gahh. Anyways, be sure to rinse them very well before you boil them. I'm not making this stuff up. Once they are parboiled, they are fine.
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (nut free - sunflower seed butter or mashed avocado)
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
This dish was super easy and quick to make, but of course I had the always eager and cutest kitchen helpers ever. Todd's doing the whole mustache thing right now. Bailey...well...yea, I don't know.
Creamy Coconut Curry Peanut + Noodles
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Katie - Produce On Parade
Serves: 2
Drenched in a creamy coconut curry peanut sauce, sauteed veggies pair with low-calorie noodles to make a perfect Thai inspired noodle dish.
Ingredients
--Noodles + Veggies--
2 packages Tofu Shirataki Noodles (or any noodles), drained and rinsed well
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
1 medium carrot, matchsticked
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
--For the Sauce--
2 Tbsp. canned full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp. fresh curry paste
1/2 tsp. ground curry powder
1/2 tsp. fresh chili paste
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drain and rinse the tofu noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the noodles and boil for about 3 minutes. Drain and pat the noodles dry. Set aside until ready to use. If using different noodles, then cook according to package.
While the water comes to a boil, heat the sesame oil in a large frying pan and add all the prepared veggies. Saute for a good 10 minutes, or until the carrots just being to soften over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then turn to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles and veggies are done cooking.
Add the sauce and the noodles to the the sauteed vegetables and cook over low heat for a minute or two, just enough to heat thoroughly.
Serve hot and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onion, if you like!
3.2.1255
For fun, what am I listening to? Kimbra – Good Intent It's very Sherlocky to me, and I'm in that type of mood. Shifty eyes.
Be sure to add freshly picked berries if you have access! This is my favorite breakfast. Bonus points if you eat it in sleeping bag, outside on top of a mountain!
Yes, it was a little late in the season, however, the blueberry situation was OBSCENE! I went bananas...obviously. 
Blueberrymania, no? It was pure joy. The Fall colors were very lovely. We don't have these colors quite yet, outside of the mountains. 
We were happy to squeeze the last backpacking trip in before the snow flies. It was 32 F when I left for work this morning, so literally, we could have snow any day now! Bring it on.
