Booklet/Cooking + Recipes (Collection)

• Basic information about (vegan) nutrition

From 2009 Booklet:

How to make food for a large group

During the Biketour you will be responsible for preparing food for the group. Not many people have experience in dealing with food for such a large group so no-one is going to expect you to be an expert, but you will be expected to have a go. Whatever you make, not everyone will like it ­ it will be too spicy for someone, too salty for someone else, too garlicky for someone else etc, but the point of taking turns to make dinner is that you get to eat what you like for one day and people who like something different can cook the next day. When preparing food for the Biketour, there are some things to think about:

Quantity

There is no firm rule for quantities of food per person, so it's better to ask someone more experienced.

In the evenings it is better to have too much than too little, as the leftovers can be eaten for breakfast, but on at least one occasion this has become a little extreme.

If we have food left over from breakfast or lunch it can be difficult or impossible to carry, so don't buy too many foods which can't be carried or which might spill in the trailer.

Economics

There is a limited budget for food. There are a few guidelines to help stick with this:

• Don't buy tinned food if a dry version is available. Beans can be soaked in plastic bottles whilst they are being carried in the trailer, which saves on money and packaging.
• Avoid exotic and out-­of-­season fruit and vegetables.
• Less processed food is generally cheaper
• Try to buy more filling food rather than treats which people can buy themselves.

Waste

• Don't buy anything packaged if an unpackaged version is available
• Buy glass bottles (preferably returnable) rather than plastic and try to avoid tetra ­paks altogether as they can only be recycled to a small percentage.
• You can empty the contents of returnable bottles into your own water container and return the bottle straight away.
• Paper packaging is better than plastic because it biodegrades.
• Try to avoid getting plastic bags with your shopping.

Vegans

Anything that is bought by communal Biketour money should be vegan. Also other dietary requests should be taken into account as far as possible. Vegans don’t eat meat, fish, eggs, ham, milk, cream, cheese, or yogurt, and many of them eat no honey. In certain products it is necessary to look out for less obvious ingredients such as whey powder eg. in vegetable margarine.

Avoid spoiling

Often, there is packed lunch on the Biketour, so people pack food which has been prepared in the morning or the night before and eat it on the way. Particularly on hot days, food can easily spoil, so here are some tips to avoid that:

• Keep cooked and uncooked food separate. Cooked food is sterile and provides a delicious diet for the bacteria that live in the raw food. They will eat it really fast and it will ferment.

Nutrition

Some basic information about nutrition, what vitamins and minerals we need and in what vegan food they can be found.

Recipes

These are a lot of recipes collected from old booklets. Only some of them should be picket and put in the booklet.

pippa's vegan curry type stuff

you need

• loads of onions
• loads of garlic
• loads of spinach or other green leafy vegetable, cut as small as you can be bothered to make it
• loads of potatoes, diced
• loads of rice or something to serve the curry with
• loads of tomatoes, cut up quite small
• salt
• chilli pepper
• ginger (plenty)
• coriander and cumin (maybe not so easy to get in eastern european villages, but in bigger places it shouldn't be so hard) (you need Indian cumin not european cumin)
• other curry type spices you can find such as garam masala, cardamom, mustard seeds

Instructions:

1. boil the potatoes separately otherwise they will never cook.
2. cook the rice if you are going to have some
3. fry the onions and garlic then when they are done, add the spices and stir it around so that the spices are also a bit fried (but be careful not to obliterate them completely).
4. add the tomatoes, spinach and cooked potatoes and cook together for a few minutes until the tomatoes have turned into a sauce and the spinach is cooked. et voila!

Coffee­Can Oatmeal

There’s no need to use pots to cook this delicious, healthy campfire breakfast—just use a coffee can, and recycle it after you finish cooking. 3 1/2 cups soy milk or water 1/4 tsp. Salt 2 cups oats 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/3 cup maple syrup

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1/4 cup toasted wheat germ In a Dutch oven or clean coffee can, bring the soy milk or water and salt to a boil. Stir in the oats, cranberries, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Stir in the wheat germ

Morning Hash

1 tablespoon margarine 1 white onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 package of vegetarian sausage 1 tsp. Paprika 1 tsp. soy sauce Salt and pepper, to taste Hot sauce, to taste In a cast­iron skillet or Dutch oven, melt the margarine and add the onion and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve hot with toast.

A lazy vegan Shepard's pie

Fill a foil packet with crumbles or TVP (textured soy protein) if it's all you've got, chop up a tomato, add frozen or canned veggies and spice, frozen fries or mashed potato flakes (reconstituted) on the bottom and there you go! Mix in nutritional yeast and oil/Earth Balance for a rich flavor after opening.

4 vegetarian Quesadillas Ingredients: 2 pounds zucchini, grated 1½ tsp. Salt 2 cans black beans, drained 2 green onions, chopped

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1 jalapeno, minced (optional) 8 flour tortillas ½ cup sliced black olive 12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese Toss zucchini with salt and squeeze out excess water.  Combine zucchini, onion, beans, jalapeno, olives and cheese.  Paint one side of each tortilla with olive oil. Spread ¼ of mixture onto UNpainted side of 4 tortillas.  Top with second tortilla, oil side up.   To cook:  Place each tortilla on grill above white hot coals and broil for about 1­2 minutes.  Carefully, turn tortillas over and broil for another 1­2 minutes or until brown.   Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and a fresh fruit salad.

Campfire Veggies 4 medium unpeeled potatoes, sliced  1 small onion, chopped 1 (10 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt to taste (optional) 5 tablespoons butter, divided cooking directions: 1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. 2. Prepare two foil packets by layering together 4 squares of heavy duty aluminium foil for each packet. If using regular duty foil, use twice the number of layers. Spray the top sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a bowl or resealable bag, toss together the potato slices, onion, and frozen vegetables; season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic salt if using. 3. Evenly divide the potatoes between the two foil packets, and top with the divided butter. Fold each packet, starting length wise, rolling edges together, repeat for each end, making sure to seal edges tightly. 4. Cook the foil packets over the preheated grill until the potatoes are tender, approximately 15 minutes per side.

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Broccoli­Tofu Stir Fry for 4 1 (3 1/2­ounce) bag cooked rice;  2 tablespoons low­sodium soy sauce 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch,  2 teaspoons rice vinegar 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil;  2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 pound firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2­inch cubes 1/4 teaspoon salt;  2 cups broccoli florets 1 cup raw carrots, thin sliced diagonally 3/4 cup water 1 1/2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar and sesame oil. Set the bowl aside. Heat skillet over fire.  When hot, add 1tbs. cooking oil.  Stir fry tofu and salt for about 8 minutes or until brown.  Remove from skillet. Add broccoli, carrots, garlic and then water to the skillet.  Cover and cook 4 minutes.  Add soy sauce and tofu.  Stir gently for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Serve over rice. How do you cook baked beans in the can on a campfire? You have to remove the paper label so it won't burn but that is not as important as first puncturing the top of the can. If you don't at least poke a hole in the top of the can, it will build up pressure and explode, sending hot beans all over the place and anyone standing nearby. Anything in a can that is not vented and placed on a heat source will explode and send the contents flying. I have found that it is best to use a can opener and open the lid leaving a little unopened. You will need to stir the beans or they will burn to the bottom of the can. With the lid still attached you can close the lid to keep ashes out of your beans and when you take it off the fire, lift the lid up and use it as a handle. The can and the lid will be HOT so be careful. I've eaten many a can of beans that were cooked over a fire. For some reason they just taste better over a fire.

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Pocket (w)One­ders Here's a wonderful method for campfire cooking which is simple, versatile and doesn't even require cookware or a grill. All you need is some heavy­duty tin foil. Tear off a 12 inch sheet of foil and fold it back over your fist, making a "pocket". Roll the sides in a few turns so the pocket is only open at the top, and roll a turn or two up from the bottom for extra strength. The pocket needs to be leak­proof, and formed well enough to withstand cooking directly in the coals. If your foil is thin, you may need two layers. Start by lining the bottom of the pocket with thin slices of lemon. This helps keep the food contents from burning, and imparts flavour to the meal. Chop potatoes and carrots (cut small enough to cook all the way without overcooking everything else), tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, green beans, etc. and stuff the pockets. Add garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil, and a dash of cayenne. Add 1/4 cup of beer or water, fold the top edges of the pocket closed and set directly into the hot coals....it takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how everything's cut. All the veggies slow roast in their own juices! Roasted New Potatoes ­ 2 lbs small new potatoes (washed) ­ Olive Oil ­ 2 tablespoons dried rosemary (you can also used thyme and oregano) ­ 2 tablespoons garlic powder ­ 2 tablespoons paprika ­ 1 teaspoon black pepper, salt In plenty of salted water, par­boil the potatoes until the tip of a knife can be inserted easily (roughly 10 minutes depending on size). Drain,

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then toss the potatoes in enough oil to just coat them, then toss with the rosemary, garlic powder, paprika and about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt as well as the pepper. On a campfire grill, grill over direct heat, turning often, until browned and grill marked, 10­15 minutes. Serves 6 ­ 8. Tom Simple Campfire Desserts Choco­nana: Cut a banana in 2 (so you have 2 half moons), sprinkle chocolate over the flesh of the banana. Wrap the banana in tinfoil, put the banana in the fire/coals. Leave it there for about 10 minutes or so: result: nice soft banana with delicious chocolate sauce!!! Apple­sweet: Make a hole in an apple, so the seeds are gone. Put apple on top of a piece of tinfoil. Then mix some sugar with cinnamon. Pour the cinnamon mixture into the hole in the apple. The tinfoil prevents it from running away. Then wrap the tinfoil around the apple. Put it for 10­15 minutes in the fire: Result: a nice soft apple­sauce in an appleskin!! Smores: Put a marshmallow on a stick and hold it over the fire until it is just right, then get two graham crackers and two pieces of chocolate; put the chocolate in between the crackers and slide the marshmallow on and you have a smore. Fried Pies: You'll need 1 can biscuit mix and 1 can of your favorite pie filling (apples, peaches, cherry). Roll the biscuits out to about six inches or so.  Put a tablespoon or two of pie filling into biscuit and fold over pressing edges close with a fork.  Brown in a skillet in some butter and when golden brown sprinkle with powered sugar. Homemade pie right at the campsite. How to build a campfire for cooking The object is to have all the wood turn into coals at the same time. This gives an even fire with no flames reaching up to burn your food

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or blacken your cookware. It also yields the longest cooking time from the coals. Prepare the site  ● Select a fire site at least 8' from bushes or any combustibles. Be sure no tree branches overhang the site. Take extreme care to avoid forrest fires. ● Make a U­shaped perimeter using large rocks or green logs. If using logs, they'll need to be wet down from time to time. If breezy, have back of firepit face the wind.  ● Put a large flat rock at the rear of the firepit to act as a chimney. The "chimney rock" will help direct the smoke up and away.  Lay the kindling ● Fill the fire area with crumpled paper or tinder. ● Lay kindling over paper in layers, alternating direction with each layer. Use thin splits of wood or small dead branches. Do not put kindling down "teepee style". The whole fire area should be covered with the kindling stack. ● Set a bucket of water near the fire area. Light the paper to start your fire. Build the fire, grade the coals ● When kindling is ablaze, add firewood. The wood should be all the same size, as much as possible. Use hardwood or hardwood branches if available. Distribute wood evenly over fire bed. ● As soon as the last flames die down leaving mostly white coals, use a stick to push the coals into a higher level at the back end

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and lower level at the front. This will give you the equivalent of 'Hi', 'Med' and 'Lo' cook settings. Or, level the coals to your preference.  To cook, set the grill on rocks or wetted green logs. Put food directly on grill or in cookware and prepare your meal. If cooking directly on the grill, a small spray bottle or squirt gun is handy for shooting down any rogue flames, usually caused by food drippings. As the fire diminishes, bank the coals to get the most heat from them. After cooking, add wood for your evening campfire. Before retiring, extinguish thoroughly and soak with water. Turn rocks in on fire bed. It will be easy to reassemble the next day if required.