We all need to eat well on camping trips, and the one-pot meal is the most efficient way to get there. Face it: Likely you’ll be cooking in the dark, in the rain or while combating mosquitoes. With these hazards in mind, we’ve aimed to scale it back to simple preparations of whole foods. Nutritionist Michelle Gelok shares her vegan one-pot meal recipes tailored to deliver dense nutrition with less room for error and less cleanup. These meals travel well, prepare easily and deliver plenty of energy and flavour. And you can also make them at home, of course.
recipes :: Michelle Gelok.
Banana Oat Pancakes with Hemp Hearts
Oats are versatile, require no refrigeration and offer a valuable source of slow-releasing energy as well as a decent amount of fibre. Here we pair oats with hemp hearts and ground flaxseed for a decadent vegan pancake packed with 14 grams of protein and 11 grams of fibre per serving.
The banana is the only perishable item in this recipe, making it a good option for multi-day trips. Consider measuring the dried ingredients into serving-size packets ahead of time, leaving just the banana and water to add at camp.
Ingredients (Serves 1)
1 small banana
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch fine sea salt
3 tbsp water
1 tsp olive oil (or other plant-based oil)
Equipment
1 medium bowl
1 fork (for mashing the banana)
1 skillet
1 spatula
Cooking Instructions
Place banana in a medium-size bowl and mash with the back of a fork until smooth. Add oats, hemp hearts, ground flaxseed, flour, coconut, cinnamon, salt and water; mix until combined.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
When oil is hot, add pancake batter to form three pancakes. Cook for two to three minutes per side, or until golden brown.
Serve warm with maple syrup, and fresh berries if you’ve packed them.
Per serving (3 pancakes): 458 calories, 23 g fat, 6 g sat fat, 14 g protein, 50 g carbohydrate, 11 g fibre, 163 mg sodium.
One-Pot Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach
Beans and lentils are an excellent source of protein, but are not always the most convenient for cooking outdoors. Dried beans and lentils require a long cooking time, while their canned counterparts are heavy and not practical to carry in a pack. Pasta made from bean or lentil flour offers a quick and lightweight protein source that’s ready in just 10 minutes. This recipe calls for pasta made from chickpea and lentil flour (from Chickapea, a Canadian company), which contains 23 grams of protein per 85-gram serving—more than double the protein of typical wheat pasta.
This one-pot meal is well-suited for a camp kitchen—it involves minimal clean-up and doesn’t require you to drain any excess liquid after cooking the pasta.
Ingredients (Serves 3)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 pack (283 g) cherry tomatoes
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 227-gram box Chickapea penne pasta
2 to 3 large handfuls spinach
Equipment
1 saucepan with lid
1 chopping board and knife, or garlic press (for mincing garlic)
1 spoon or set of tongs for mixing
Cooking Instructions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat on a camp stove or open fire.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté for one minute.
Add cherry tomatoes and continue to sauté for about two minutes, or until cherry tomatoes begin to soften and burst.
Add water, salt and basil; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling, add pasta. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in spinach, and serve.
Per serving (approx. 1.5 cups cooked pasta with sauce): 369 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g sat fat, 23 g protein, 55 g carbohydrate, 12 g fibre, 438 mg sodium.
