So here is the first of what I hope will be many backpacker recipes and food ideas.
Being a backpacker is hard, food is expensive, you have limited food storage space, the possibility of it getting stolen or used and contaminated by other backpackers and there may very well be limited cooking appliances and utensils.
So far it’s been fairly warm so we have had the ease of eating salads and thanks to my flexible friend…my own little travel chopping board that my amazing mother-in-law bought me, I can chop anywhere safely! Win!
GF Tip: buy your own flexible lightweight chopping board!
So along with salads what else can we have that is cheap, easy and packed with protein …Lentils?? But not just any lentils, how about Mediterranean lentil burgers? They are simple, gluten free and vegan to boot!
Anita made them while I directed and chopped salads so it really was a team effort as it usually is these days, so heres how we did it.
You’ll need (these ingredients are cheap in Australia’s supermarkets; Woolworths, IGA, Coles):
2 cups of your favoured lentils (we used red split);
2 cups water;
1 chopped onion;
1 table spoon of mediteranian herbs (or whatever takes your fancy, I love Cajun Spices too);
1/3 cup of polenta (ground corn meal).
Here’s how they’re done:
Add all ingedients except the polenta to a pan and bring to the boil until the lentils have completely absorbed the water and reached a”mushy” consistency.
Place them on a cold plate to cool and then spread the polenta on a clean chopping board or plate.
When the lentils are cooled, spoon off palm sized portions and shape the burgers (yes you will get messy at this point). Once you have the shape coat them in the ground polenta to make a crispy skin.
Once you have made all the burgers simply fry in a bit of low fat spray oil or olive oil until golden, the burgers can then be served hot or stored and served cold within a couple of days of being refridgerated. I tried both ways and must say I preferred them cold as the cooling down helps them to set.
We had limited kitchen space and storage but if you are makimg them at home try making them the day before, but do not fry, just store in a container with grease proof paper to set and then fry when you want to eat them….and of course leave comments and let me know how they work for you.