Thanksgiving Dinner On The Trail

Hiking is a great way to spend Thanksgiving holidays with your family and friends. If you decided to celebrate Turkey Day in the great outdoors, here are a few meal ideas for your fine dining in the backcountry.

Turkey With Cranberry Gravy and Sweet Mashed Potatoes

Serves 1

You’ll need:
1 tablespoon dry gravy mix
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
Pinch of dried rosemary
1 pouch/can (about 140 g/5 oz) turkey breast
1 serving (about 1/2 cup) instant sweet mashed potatoes (1 portion)

At home:
Combine the gravy mix, dried cranberries, and rosemary in a small zip lock bag.
Pack the remaining ingredients separately.

On the trail:
For mashed potatoes:
Pour hot, boiling water into mashed potato mixture. Stir until well combined and set aside.

For gravy:
In the mug, combine the gravy mix with 1/3 cup of cold water.
Pour gravy into a pan and bring to a boil, stirring.
Add turkey and simmer together for another 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the gravy has thickened.
Serve turkey with gravy over mashed potatoes.

Pumpkin Latte

Serves 1

You’ll need:
2 tablespoons pumpkin powder
1 tablespoon full cream milk powder (Nestle Nido)
¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mixture
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste
Shelf-stable whipped cream (aerosol can)
Ground cinnamon for decoration

At home:
Combine pumpkin powder, milk powder, spices and instant coffee in a small zip-lock bag.
Pack other ingredients separately.

On the trail:
Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
Pour pumpkin latte mixture into a mug. Mix to a smooth paste with 2 tablespoons of hot water.
Add the rest of the water, maple syrup and give it a good stir for 20 seconds.
Decorate with whipped cream, dust with cinnamon and serve.

No Thanksgiving meal is complete without

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Serves 2-3

You’ll need:
1 cup dry muffin mix
2 tablespoons pumpkin powder or  1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 silicone or paper muffin cups

At home:
Mix all dry ingredients in a zip-lock bag.
Put oil into a leak-proof bottle.

On the trail:
Pour olive oil and 1/4 cup water into the bag with dry baking mixture.
Close the bag and knead until smooth.
Cut off a corner of the bag and squeeze batter into the muffin cups.
Bake in the Outback Oven for 12 minutes.