Occasionally, I appreciate a blueberry pancake or a bowl of Cap鈥檔 Crunch. But my standard breakfast is eggs, cheese, and hot sauce or salsa, with toast or a tortilla. This year听I delegated the meal preparation for my guided backpacking trips听to听a听Boulder, Colorado,听ultrarunner who has worked at some of the city鈥檚 best restaurants, and I asked him to develop a recipe along these lines.
He came back with the Southwest egg burrito. It鈥檚 fussier than other meals on our menu听but听my personal favorite.
Meal Stats
- 4.6 ounces (130 grams)
- 474 calories
- 103 calories per ounce
Ingredients
- 1.1 ounces dried scrambled eggs
- 2听ounces tortillas
- 0.5 ounce听powdered cheese
- 0.4 ounce听instant beans
- 0.1 ounce听nutritional yeast
- 0.1听ounce听dried onion
- 0.1 ounce听taco seasoning
- 0.3 ounce听green chilies
- Salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes to taste
This breakfast could be made with as few as two ingredients: dehydrated eggs and a tortilla. But it鈥檇 be tasteless, so听I听encourage you to at least add cheese and salt. The other ingredients are optional, but they take the听meal to another level.
The 4.6-ounce serving size has been field tested and deemed appropriate for most backpacker appetites. If you鈥檇 like to add calories (and flavor), you might consider .
For those with a milk or lactose sensitivity, Augason Farms and other vendors offer (sans milk).
Conveniently, the dried beans are the cornerstone of another recipe, my world-famous beans and rice with Fritos and cheese.
The powdered cheese is more user-friendly than fresh cheese, since it can be prepared beforehand and isn鈥檛听temperature sensitive. However, fresh cheese is an acceptable substitute; I recommend sharp cheddar.
Our ten- and 12-person groups will easily consume听a four-ounce can of green chilies. But for smaller groups and soloists, dried green chilies or hot sauce may be a better option.
At-Home Preparation
Combine all of the dry ingredients for a single serving, and pack them in a plastic snack bag. Do not combine ingredients for multiple days and听multiple individuals with the expectation of dividing it in the field鈥攜ou will probably not divide it equally, and the recipe needs an exact amount of water.
On group trips, we keep the green chilies and tortillas together听and distribute them in the field at mealtime.
Field Preparation
For most of my meals, the instructions are simple: boil water and add the ingredients. This meal is an exception. Follow these instructions closely:
- Combine all dry ingredients and spices with exactly four听ounces (a half cup, or 120 milliliters) of cold water.
- Bring this to a simmer, scraping the eggs regularly to keep them from burning and sticking to听the bottom of your pot.
- Once fully scrambled, remove your pot from the heat. Add chilies听and transfer into a听tortilla.
I need to emphasize three points, because this meal can be easily ruined by user error:
- Only add four ounces of water. If you use too much, you鈥檒l get egg soup.
- Use cold water. If you add the dry ingredients to hot water, the eggs will harden into nuggets, leaving you with egg-nugget soup.
- Scrape regularly. Act as if you鈥檙e cooking scrambled eggs at home without a nonstick pan or cooking spray. But don鈥檛 stir them so vigorously that they become whipped either.
