Quesadillas

[Justin Baker]

Anyone else make quesadillas on the trail?
Super easy to make, doesn't require a lot of fuel.

[jimmer ultralight]

Tell us how you make then on the trail with minimal fuel.

And weight? ;)

[Justin Baker]

All you need to do is heat up the pan and the tortilla toasts and the cheese melts pretty fast.

Yes you need a frying pan.

[jimmer ultralight]

Ok. Basically the same way you'd make them at home.

I thought you might be doing some sort of U.L. dried Chicken or beef cheese Quesadilla thing.

Thanks for putting the quesadilla idea in my head, though..I 'm goi.g over a 24 daymenu for a CT thru hike this summer and the only other Mexican dinners I have on my home dehydrated meal list are Chille bean and rice burritos and Tomale pie..I'll have to figure out a recipe for Chicken Quesadillas, too.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

You can also make them with heavy duty foil, folded over a few times, or use a fire safe lid to do it :)

Not much better than toasty tortillas and melty cheese!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Yeah….it hit the spot for lunch ;-)

[jimmer ultralight]

You guys have put the bug in my ear on.this one..

Forumulating a plan for backpacker Quesadillas that can be made on the CT this summer in my 5" diameter Ti pot..

It will take me a month two to work out the details and test it, but I will get it done..

Mine will have.Chicken, cheese ,Tomatoes, Onions and Peppers ..With a bit of Valentina sauce on the side..:)

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

And the best is you can find tiny tortillas – the ones I used were maybe 5" at most (closer to 4") :)

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

http://www.trailcooking.com/one-pot-meals/spicy-chicken-quesadillas/

:-)

[Justin Baker]

Jimmer, chicken or beef quesadillas would be nice but if the meat was dehydrated you would need to rehydrate it which means more fuel and work. I've done salami and it was good. I've also done pre-cooked sausage which can be fried up on the same pan that you are going to cook the quesedillas on, but sausages won't stay good that long on the trail.

[Greg Pehrson]

I use a titanium pot lid as a comal for cooking fresh tortillas and pupusas on trail–could easily be used for making quesadillas too. A comal (metal hot plate) on the stove is how I make quesadillas at home. Less weight than a frypan. Here's a description:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=83720&skip_to_post=716073#716073

Edit–I should have read Sarah's comments more closely–she already suggested the lid. Well, let me just make this a +1 for the lid technique. :) Sarah, those look delicious.

[jimmer ultralight]

Sarah, thanks for the tip on the tortillas.

Justin, yep I know that about the dehyrated meat.:) I am most likley going to use chicken packets and any vegis I will "cold dehyrate them" during the afternoon with a bit if warm water in my pack . I'll also buy some fresh shredded cheese packets at resupply and have my Quesadillas the first night out.

As to the fuel, pan ,comal situation..as part of my "Quesadilla meal kit" ,I will pack a large square of heavy duty Aluminim foil and make a campfire and toast my Quesos on the hot coals in the foil. Or, just pack an extra Esbit cube for the occasion and toast the over my stove..

There are sections of the CT where campfires are permited,.and I'll just have to plan it out. I'll have to pack six groups of four dinners per resupply, so I should be able to squeeze those Quesadillas in somewhere during that 450 miles..;)

Thanks for all the advice, folks.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Dried meat can be cold soaked. If it is freeze dried, even faster. So don't worry about that using more fuel!

[jimmer ultralight]

Yeah, I figured that as well, its just that I dont have my home meat dehyrdation skills down pat.

I think a number 10 can of freeze dried hamburger is in my future..I hear that along with certin vegetables(corn ,peas etc) rehydrate best if freeze dried?

Anyone have any thoughts on home dehyrating lean ,thinly sliced ham? I think I would prefer that in recipes that called for ham over SPAM that has so much fat(and god knows what else) in it.

Having my butcher slice up a Cure81 ham and home dehydrating that sounds yummy.
I also had an idea for making a honey mustard marniated "ham jerky"…. to compliment the 50 lbs or so of Beef jerky I will scarf down that month..:)

[Sumi Wada]

I combine freeze-dried chicken, dried black bean soup base and a little dried salsa mix. You can also add other vegetables like freeze-dried corn. You could also use a tortilla soup base. Hydrate the mixture in cold water but not too liquidy. The cheese (grated) sort of holds everything together.

I find it easier to assemble the quesadilla in aluminum foil to toast. The cheese melts faster and I hate cleaning melted cheese off of the pan. It will still "toast" if you handle the foil neatly.

If you have any leftover rice that you need to use up, you can mix it in and wrap it burrito-style. Again, wrap in foil to toast/bake.

I purchase commercially freeze-dried chicken and some of the vegetables. You can find dried black bean soup, tortilla soup, salsa mixes in a lot of grocery stores.

[Alex Wallace]

Yeah, I love me some trail quesadillas. I don't always bring my frying pan, but when I do you can be sure 'dillas are on the menu.

What type/form of cheese is everyone using for their quesadillas?

Also, if the frying pan is along, blueberry pancakes (the easy just add water Krusteaz kind) are guaranteed.

[jimmer ultralight]

I was thinking of real shredded cheddar or asiago etc..Since fresh totillas were pretty much going to blow my weight budget for a dinner(about 6 oz dry weight), I figured I'd just treat the Quesadillas like fresh meat or eggs and consume them first..They should make me eager to get back on the trail after getting my resupply box..;)

I've though about using powdered cheeses, but I'm afraid the result would be more like
"Natchodillas" than actual Quesadillas..might turn out pretty weird.

Gonna have to work on a lightweight dried version, though..just in the interest of science, of course.

[Valerie E]

There is such a thing as freeze-dried grated cheese (I think you can even get through Packit Gourmet), but I have no experience using it for quesadillas. I suspect it would work very well if previously re-hydrated.

[Sumi Wada]

>> What type/form of cheese is everyone using for their quesadillas?

Except for really hot hikes, I always take a block of a hard cheddar cheese. It's one of my heavy food items but I haven't liked jerky lately and it's just nice to have something with real fat on the trail, just by itself or to add to other dishes. I think a good quality block is much better (and worth taking) than any shredded, grated, powdered, or whatever cheese.

[Matthew / BPL]

One of my favorite backpacking meals is a corn tortilla toasted quickly on a butane stove or campfire and then I hit it with peanut butter and a squeeze of chile paste (sriracha) packet from Panda Express. Super tasty and lots of protein.

[Matthew / BPL]

whoops. Sorry!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I usually carry the single packets (the ones that look like string cheese). This way the cheese doesn't get all grubby with dirty hands and what not – and is portioned at 1 ounce.

[Michael Haubert]

The great thing about quesadillas is you can make them as basic or complicated as you like.

The August 2014 Backpacker Magazine had a recipe for “Crispy Avocado Melts” which was a fancy quesadilla.

http://www.backpacker.com/skills/cooking/recipes/dinner-recipes/crispy-avocado-melt/

These include avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, and kettle-cooked potato chips on the outside of the tortilla. This is not an UL recipe by any stretch of the imagination, but it may provide some ideas that can be adapted in an UL set up. I made a variation of these on my last trip because I committed to making the trip more about great meals than shaving ounces off my base weight. They were fantastic as a first night meal.

Michael

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