Thanks to the monthly issues of an unnamed magazine I often re-do recipes featured in it. I can’t help it :D
This month I took on a one pot pasta dish and a no-cook couscous salad.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/spicy-tuna-linguine
Spicy Tuna Linguine
Ingredients
* 8 oz linguine pasta
* 1⁄2 t granulated garlic
* 1⁄4 t red pepper flakes
* 1⁄4 t ground black pepper
* 1⁄4 t dried oregano
* 2 T extra virgin olive oil (2 packets)
* 3 oz albacore tuna pouch
* 2 T dry bread crumbs
* 2 T shelf stable Parmesan cheese
At home:
Break the pasta in half and pack in a sandwich bag. In a snack size bag pack the seasoning blend. In a second snack bag combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Tuck in the oil packets and tuna pouch.
In camp:
Add the oil to the snack bag with the seasoning, seal the bag and gently massage the bag to combine. Let sit while you prepare the pasta.
Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add in the pasta and cook for time on package, around 9 minutes. Reserve a little of the pasta water, drain off the rest.
Toss the pasta with the tuna and flavored oil, toss again with the breadcrumb mixture. Add reserved water as needed to coat the pasta.
Notes:
This recipe is one of our “Recipe Re-Do’s”. The original recipe called for a pouch of tuna in oil. While I often use small cans of tuna packed in olive oil I have never come across it in pouches. If any of our readers have found this please let us know. Albacore pouches though are easy to find, nearly all stores carry them.
Instead of heating up the oil and spices at the end in the pot we let them infuse while the pasta cooked. To save a dirty pot by all means after cooking the pasta you can toss everything together in a new gallon size freezer bag.
We added in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese at the end give the pasta a great coating and ‘finish’ the meal. We used plain, Italian flavor would also be great: http://www.progressofoods.com/?View=OurProducts_Foods
Nutritional stats per serving, recipe makes two servings (based on products we used):
637 calories, 19.5 grams fat, 26 grams protein, 4.5 grams fiber.
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/no-cook-chicken-cranberry-couscous-salad
No-Cook Chicken Cranberry Couscous Salad
Ingredients:
* 1 c couscous
* 1⁄2 c dried cranberries
* 1⁄4 c roasted sunflower seeds
* 7 oz pouch chicken breast
* 1 pkt shelf stable salad dressing
* 1 1⁄4 c cold water
At home:
Pack the couscous and cranberries in a quart freezer bag. Put the sunflower seeds in a small bag and tuck with the chicken and dressing packets.
In camp:
Add 1 1/4 cups cool water to the bag, sealing tightly. Let sit for about 30 minutes or until fully rehydrated. Fluff up, stir in the chicken, dressing and sunflower seeds.
Notes:
This is one of our “recipe re-do’s” gleaned. The original recipe called for:
A ‘box of couscous’, which isn’t overly helpful as couscous comes in boxes ranging from 7 to 16 ounces! We dialed in what would serve 2. The 1 cup equals a shy 7 ounces weighed.
Olive oil – the recipe doesn’t need it with the dressing and we figured how much dressing as well works.
An extended sit time of nearly 24 hours – couscous rehydrates in 30 minutes or less, no reason to risk food poisoning! If in very cold temperatures you will want to consider using warm water (if in winter, in the snow for example). You can also make this a warm meal by all means, using warm water and letting sit for 15 minutes, then proceeding.
We used a Sesame Asian dressing but you can use anything that sounds good – you will want a shelf stable packet of about 1 1/2 ounces or 3 Tbsp worth. See here for a good selection:
http://www.packitgourmet.com/Salad-Dressings-c53.html
Nutritional Stats per serving, makes 2 servings total (Based on what we used): 700 calories, 13 grams fat, 5 grams fiber, 54.5 grams protein, 725 mg sodium
Enjoy!
