Pancakes sound complicated but they’re actually very easy to make.
They make a great rest-day breakfast when you have plenty of time in the morning, or try them for supper.
On a shorter tour, you can, mix the dry ingredients at home before you leave. On the road, you can use water instead of milk and leave out the vanilla. Otherwise, buy a boxed mix – still good but more expensive and with preservatives. The same batter without sugar makes great savoury pancakes or crepes to go with ham and cheese.
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder *
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda *
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups milk (we usually carry powdered milk) or water
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional – only if you’re really lucky!)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (optional)
*If you aren’t able to pre-mix these ingredients into the flour at home, you can just add a little extra of one or the other. Or, buy self-raising flour where available, and then you don’t need any extra raising agents.
Mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk or water. Keep a bit of milk aside until you mix everything together and then see if you’d like a thinner batter or not. Add the eggs, vanilla and oil. Mix well.
Heat your frying pan and put a bit of oil or butter in it. When hot, pour in some pancake mix. We do about 1/4 cup a time for small, easy-to-flip pancakes. When the pancake starts to bubble on top and is golden brown on the cooked side, turn it and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown.
The first pancake is always a bit of a test so adjust the batter by adding more flour if you need to make it thicker or more milk if you want a thinner pancake. In either case, just add a few spoonfuls at a time until you get it right.
Keep going until all your batter is cooked. For extra cycling value, smear peanut butter on the pancakes and slice up some apples to go with them.
BREAD SALAD
Also known as Panzanella, this bread salad is the perfect solution if you have a stale baguette.
It’s a great chance to take advantage of day old bread on sale at the supermarket or use leftovers from lunch the day before.
You can use any type of tinned fish including sardines or tuna, or go vegetarian. Fresh basil is best but dried will do fine. Take the basic idea and play around with what you have. Try adding chopped bell peppers or any other vegetable you like from the market.
Let this all soak while you chop the cucumber, onion and any other vegetables you plan to add. When everything is chopped, throw it all together along with the fish, basil, salt and pepper.
It’s a great chance to take advantage of day old bread on sale at the supermarket or use leftovers from lunch the day before.
You can use any type of tinned fish including sardines or tuna, or go vegetarian. Fresh basil is best but dried will do fine. Take the basic idea and play around with what you have. Try adding chopped bell peppers or any other vegetable you like from the market.
- 2 cups day-old crusty bread (ciabatta or baguette)
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 small cucumber
- 1 large onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can of fish (tuna or sardines)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- basil, freshly chopped or dried
Let this all soak while you chop the cucumber, onion and any other vegetables you plan to add. When everything is chopped, throw it all together along with the fish, basil, salt and pepper.
Italian Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
This is one for when you’re cycling in Italy, on a warm summer’s day.
Buffalo mozzarella is so cheap there, it’s a shame not to take advantage and here’s a very simple way to enjoy it, with a traditional Caprese Salad.
You can buy small bottles of olive oil in Italy, perfect for dishes like this.
Buffalo mozzarella is so cheap there, it’s a shame not to take advantage and here’s a very simple way to enjoy it, with a traditional Caprese Salad.
You can buy small bottles of olive oil in Italy, perfect for dishes like this.
- 1-2 package buffalo mozzarella
- 3-4 tomatoes, washed and sliced
- 2-3 tbsp high quality olive oil
- Fresh basil leaves or dried if you don’t have fresh
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Loaf of fresh, crusty bread
Piklets are a sort of savoury pancake.
As long as you have a small non-stick frying pan, there’s no reason you can’t make them on the road for a tasty and cheap vegetarian supper. This recipe is for a mediterranean version of piklets but you could try endless variations.
Whisk the egg, milk and oil together and stir into the flour mixture until smooth. You can add a little more milk or oil if you think it’s too thick.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter on a hot, non-stick frying pan. Turn when bubbles appear on the surface and the underside is slightly browned.
Serve with a salad.
As long as you have a small non-stick frying pan, there’s no reason you can’t make them on the road for a tasty and cheap vegetarian supper. This recipe is for a mediterranean version of piklets but you could try endless variations.
- 5 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- freshly chopped herbs (basil, parsley, coriander – your choice)
- salt and pepper
Whisk the egg, milk and oil together and stir into the flour mixture until smooth. You can add a little more milk or oil if you think it’s too thick.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter on a hot, non-stick frying pan. Turn when bubbles appear on the surface and the underside is slightly browned.
Serve with a salad.
Speedy Chilli
We came up with this one when we were almost out of fuel for our stove so whatever we made had to be simple and quick.
This dish is not fancy, but it is very fast to make and filling! If you aren’t running out of fuel, you might cut the amount of beef down and make some pasta or rice to serve with the chilli.
This dish is not fancy, but it is very fast to make and filling! If you aren’t running out of fuel, you might cut the amount of beef down and make some pasta or rice to serve with the chilli.
- 300g ground beef
- 400g tin mushrooms, drained and quartered
- 400g tin kidney beans, drained
- 500ml canned tomatoes or passata
- Packet of chilli seasoning or
- Dried cumin, chilli flakes, pepper and coriander to taste
To make this dish more interesting, fry an onion and some garlic with the meat. Add in some chopped carrots or grate some cheddar cheese on top.
Toasted Museli
This mix of oats, seeds and raisins is easy to make before you head out on a tour (or at a hostel with kitchen facilities) and makes a very hearty breakfast or an energy-packed snack as you’re cycling.
The ingredients here are just a suggestion. Mix and match with whatever you like to eat best. Part of the fun of this recipe is finding the combination of oats, seeds and fruits that you love.
Mix up all the other ingredients, except the raisins and dried fruit, in a bowl.
Pour a few spoonfuls of the oil and honey over the ingredients and stir with a spoon to mix. Continue adding the oil and honey bit by bit until everything is combined.
Spread on a baking tray and bake at 125°C for 30 minutes or until light brown, stirring occasionally.
Cool and mix in the raisins and fruit.
The ingredients here are just a suggestion. Mix and match with whatever you like to eat best. Part of the fun of this recipe is finding the combination of oats, seeds and fruits that you love.
- 4 cups oats (we like wholegrain oats)
- 3 tsp honey
- 1/2 cup oil (not olive oil as it has a strong flavour)
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup wheatgerm
- 1/2 cup crushed nuts
- 1/2 cup sultana raisins
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup other dried fruit (apricots, apples, pears… you pick!)
Mix up all the other ingredients, except the raisins and dried fruit, in a bowl.
Pour a few spoonfuls of the oil and honey over the ingredients and stir with a spoon to mix. Continue adding the oil and honey bit by bit until everything is combined.
Spread on a baking tray and bake at 125°C for 30 minutes or until light brown, stirring occasionally.
Cool and mix in the raisins and fruit.
Store in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag. It’s great with yogurt!
Stewed Apples
If you’re looking for comfort food on the road, this is it.
Apples stewed with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and then served up over cookies. Yum! It’s so easy yet so good at the end of a long day and all your cycling companions will be very impressed.
Pour the water over the apples and put the pot on the stove. As the water is heating up, throw the sugar and cinnamon into the pot.
Let the whole mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar should help form a kind of syrup and the apples should soften but not be mushy.
Meanwhile, crush the biscuits and put a layer of biscuits onto the base of each serving dish. Your ‘serving dish’ on the road could be your coffee mug or dinner plate.
Spoon the apples and syrup onto the biscuits and sprinkle more cinnamon on top, if desired. Tuck in and enjoy!
Apples stewed with a bit of sugar and cinnamon and then served up over cookies. Yum! It’s so easy yet so good at the end of a long day and all your cycling companions will be very impressed.
- 4 apples (peeled and cored)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) or
- 2 large dollops of honey
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 package of cookies (gingersnaps or shortbread are our picks)
Pour the water over the apples and put the pot on the stove. As the water is heating up, throw the sugar and cinnamon into the pot.
Let the whole mixture cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sugar should help form a kind of syrup and the apples should soften but not be mushy.
Meanwhile, crush the biscuits and put a layer of biscuits onto the base of each serving dish. Your ‘serving dish’ on the road could be your coffee mug or dinner plate.
Spoon the apples and syrup onto the biscuits and sprinkle more cinnamon on top, if desired. Tuck in and enjoy!
For bonus points (and calories), if you have a small carton of long-life cream in your bags you can drizzle some of that on top.
Making The Perfect Camp Coffee
A great cup of coffee is something we really look forward to in the morning, whether we’re at home or bike touring.
Sadly, most of our attempts at making great coffee while camping haven’t been that successful.
We’ve had a lot of watery coffee, and we’ve had great coffee, but from coffee makers that were either too heavy and bulky (like the stove-top version in the photo) or too expensive to consider taking on tour.
Our best results up until now were with the coffee sock we picked up in Thailand. This cloth filter held around a metal ring made reasonable coffee, although it took quite a bit of water to clean the filter properly, and then we had to find a place to put the wet sock to dry.
So, when we recently read about Stephen Lord’s coffee-making technique without any gadgets – just a pot – we had to try it. The technique is really simple, and is a variation on the classic “cowboy coffee” that has been popular with campers and outdoor people for decades.
Sadly, most of our attempts at making great coffee while camping haven’t been that successful.
We’ve had a lot of watery coffee, and we’ve had great coffee, but from coffee makers that were either too heavy and bulky (like the stove-top version in the photo) or too expensive to consider taking on tour.
Our best results up until now were with the coffee sock we picked up in Thailand. This cloth filter held around a metal ring made reasonable coffee, although it took quite a bit of water to clean the filter properly, and then we had to find a place to put the wet sock to dry.
So, when we recently read about Stephen Lord’s coffee-making technique without any gadgets – just a pot – we had to try it. The technique is really simple, and is a variation on the classic “cowboy coffee” that has been popular with campers and outdoor people for decades.
Start by putting the ground coffee in a pot (we use one heaping spoonful for each cup of coffee, plus 1 extra).
Next you pour the cold water in the pot.
And stir…
Put the coffee on the stove and bring it almost to a boil. At this stage, the coffee is at the top and forms a sort of skin over the water. It looks more like chocolate cake batter than coffee. Just as the coffee is coming to a boil (you see the bubbles coming through the coffee), take the pot off the stove.
Stir it and watch the coffee clarify
Now, put the coffee back on the stove and bring it almost to a boil. Stir again.
Once you’ve stirred the coffee 3 times, it’s ready! There’s nothing more to it than that. You can see in this picture, how clear the coffee is
And that’s it: perfect camp coffee, without any fuss or muss. At the very bottom of the pot, there are some grounds. This means you can’t drink the last few spoonfuls of the coffee, but you can drink very nearly to the bottom.
Enjoy!
Campsite Sausages & Mash
A big bowl of mashed potatoes, topped with sausages and gravy goes right at the top of our ‘comfort foods’ list.
We have this meal at home a lot, but had never considered making it on a bicycle tour, until Liz from the BikeAbout website shared her camping version of this tasty meal.
It’s a little more complicated than making a pot full of pasta but we think the extra effort is worth it. To make this recipe, you’ll need 2 pots, or 1 pot and a frying pan. It will go faster if you also have two stoves (although you can make it on one stove with a little pot juggling), so this is the perfect recipe to scale up and make for a group. The ingredients given here make enough for 2 hungry cyclists.
Ingredients:
4 sausages (the best quality you can find)
4-8 potatoes (depends on the size of the potatoes)
1 leek, sliced and well washed
1 red pepper, sliced
8-10 button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 stock cube
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 stem rosemary (optional)
1 slosh red wine (optional)
1 spoonful butter (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
*The optional ingredients add a lot of flavour, but aren’t strictly necessary. Also, you can vary the vegetables here (leek, red pepper, mushrooms) according to what you have on hand. Liz suggests adding an apple for sweetness.
Directions:
1. Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces. Wash them, and then put them in a pot with water. Put on the stove and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Ingredients:
4 sausages (the best quality you can find)
4-8 potatoes (depends on the size of the potatoes)
1 leek, sliced and well washed
1 red pepper, sliced
8-10 button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 stock cube
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf (optional)
1 stem rosemary (optional)
1 slosh red wine (optional)
1 spoonful butter (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste
*The optional ingredients add a lot of flavour, but aren’t strictly necessary. Also, you can vary the vegetables here (leek, red pepper, mushrooms) according to what you have on hand. Liz suggests adding an apple for sweetness.
Directions:
1. Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces. Wash them, and then put them in a pot with water. Put on the stove and cook until the potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile, chop the leek, red pepper, mushrooms and onion.
3. When the potatoes are cooked, take the pot off the stove but don’t drain it. The water will keep the potatoes warm, until the rest of the meal is ready.
4. Put the chopped vegetables in your second pot or frying pan, along with any herbs you are using. Saute in a bit of oil until they are cooked. Set aside in a bowl.
5. Put the sausages in the same pot and brown them on all sides. You may need to turn the stove down, or hold it above the heat if you have a stove that doesn’t simmer well.
6. Return the vegetables to the pot with about 1/2 cup of water. Add the stock cube, and any additional seasonings you have, such as rosemary, a bay leaf or red wine. Cook until the sausages are done. Take off the stove and set aside.
7. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a fork. Add butter, salt and pepper if you have it.
8. Put the potatoes in a bowl. Pile the sausages, vegetables and cooking juices on top. Enjoy!
“This takes a little time and uses more fuel than some dishes but it is really filling and tasty after a long bike ride,” says Liz. We’d have to agree. Delicious!
4. Put the chopped vegetables in your second pot or frying pan, along with any herbs you are using. Saute in a bit of oil until they are cooked. Set aside in a bowl.
5. Put the sausages in the same pot and brown them on all sides. You may need to turn the stove down, or hold it above the heat if you have a stove that doesn’t simmer well.
6. Return the vegetables to the pot with about 1/2 cup of water. Add the stock cube, and any additional seasonings you have, such as rosemary, a bay leaf or red wine. Cook until the sausages are done. Take off the stove and set aside.
7. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a fork. Add butter, salt and pepper if you have it.
8. Put the potatoes in a bowl. Pile the sausages, vegetables and cooking juices on top. Enjoy!
“This takes a little time and uses more fuel than some dishes but it is really filling and tasty after a long bike ride,” says Liz. We’d have to agree. Delicious!
P.S. Don’t forget to check out Liz & Chris’ great website, all about their long bike tour from New Zealand to England.
Fresh Mango & Avocado Salsa
If you can get mangos and avocados in the markets or supermarkets where you’re touring, then you can definitely make this easy salsa.
The sweet and sour combination from the mango and lime juice works really well together with the avocados to make a refreshing salsa. Serve it with nacho chips, pita chips or on the side along with pan-fried chicken or fish.
Ingredients:
2 avocados, diced
1 mango, diced
2 spring onions, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs (we used parsley and mint; cilantro would be nice too)
1 lime
salt, to taste
1 mango, diced
2 spring onions, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs (we used parsley and mint; cilantro would be nice too)
1 lime
salt, to taste
Directions:
1. Have a bowl or pot ready before you start chopping. Put the diced avocado and mango in the pot as you prepare them.
2. Stir in the chopped spring onions (you could use a bit of finely minced white onion, if you can’t find spring onions), garlic and herbs.
3. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the mixture. Season to taste with the salt.
4. To make this spicy, you could also add a finely chopped hot pepper or some dried pepper flakes.
5. Serve and enjoy!
Chorizo & Spinach Pasta
Ah, pasta. Where would a bike tourist be without it? And yet, we can eat it so often after a long day of cycling that pasta quickly gets boring.
The good news is that it’s easy to dress pasta up with many different ingredients. Chorizo & Spinach Pasta is one of our favourite recipes for on-the-road mealtimes.
Here’s our ingredient list. Serves 2 hungry cyclists.
Ingredients:
250g pasta
125g chorizo, sliced (or any other meat you fancy: bacon, ground beef…)
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
250g kale, spinach or cavolo nero cabbage
3 tsp spices (we use a mix of paprika, dried hot chiles and basil)
oil or butter for frying
250ml chopped tomatoes
200ml cream (optional)
Ingredients:
250g pasta
125g chorizo, sliced (or any other meat you fancy: bacon, ground beef…)
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
250g kale, spinach or cavolo nero cabbage
3 tsp spices (we use a mix of paprika, dried hot chiles and basil)
oil or butter for frying
250ml chopped tomatoes
200ml cream (optional)
This is a very versatile recipe, so amend it according to what you can find. Also, for short trips (such as an S240) you can chop and wash everything at home so it’s ready to go in the evening.
All the ingredients, chopped up at home and ready to go for a quick overnight bike camping trip.
Directions:
1. Fry the onion, garlic, green peppers and chorizo in a little oil. Cook until the vegetables are softened and the sausage is brown. Set aside in a bowl.
2. In the same pan, saute the greens until they’re wilted and tender. Add the tomato sauce and spices and let it bubble away for 2-3 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta as you normally do. Drain and mix with the vegetables and sauce.
4. Add the cream, if desired. It’s not necessary but a nice treat if you’ve had hard day on the road, or are just craving something luxurious. You may need to reheat the pot of food slightly, if you use the cream.
Eat and enjoy! For a vegetarian version, check out Tomato & Kale pasta.
Directions:
1. Fry the onion, garlic, green peppers and chorizo in a little oil. Cook until the vegetables are softened and the sausage is brown. Set aside in a bowl.
2. In the same pan, saute the greens until they’re wilted and tender. Add the tomato sauce and spices and let it bubble away for 2-3 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta as you normally do. Drain and mix with the vegetables and sauce.
4. Add the cream, if desired. It’s not necessary but a nice treat if you’ve had hard day on the road, or are just craving something luxurious. You may need to reheat the pot of food slightly, if you use the cream.
Eat and enjoy! For a vegetarian version, check out Tomato & Kale pasta.
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