Yosemite :: Ostrander Lake

Hello Internets,

Another trip report, this time investigating cross country options for a snowshoe trip this winter. Thanks for reading my blog, enjoy the photos.

Cheers,
Cayenne


I start off with some seaweed, sesame, and bean paste wraps


I do start my trips fairly clean.


The first view I come across


further along the route


ostrander lake


the ostrander lake cabin


view of the skyline heading towards heart lake


heart lake


on the shore of heart lake


glow of light at sunset


Killer sunscreen in my eye


sunset near campsite


View from campsite at sunset, cooking some lentils, looking northish


View from campsite at sunset, looking eastish


A third view from the campsite


You get the idea, 360 degrees of awesomeness.


finished cooking up the lentils


Taste is great, and eating in the dark hides the appearance :-)


The actual campsite is a small plot of sand in a field of granite


El-Cap and Half Dome on my way out.

Mango Chipotle Beef with Caribbean spiced beans

I don't send untested meals into the wilderness. I like to eat too much for that type of adventure, so I tried the dried dish for dinner last night. Honestly, it was much lighter on flavor after being dried, and if I made it again, I would make some fresh spice mix to toss onto the mixture right before it goes into the dryer. It was flavorful and tasty, but not as bold as I thought it should be. I would increase the cumin amount in the spice mix too.

I'm off to Yosemite, I'll let you know how the trip was when I get back, Cheers !

Enjoy some pictures while you are here :

Fresh out of the oven, the beans and two types of rice are visible. Nice bright green spots of cilantro.

A stick of mango jerky for the dish

chopped into little pieces,

added to the dried food in bowl

Which was tossed into this boiling water, (mix:Water 1:2)

removed from heat, and allowed to stand 10 minutes

here it is after the 10 minutes are up

I simmered it for two minutes, but really it needs to go 10 minutes. The beans were a little bit tough.

Put into the dish after simmering

and topped with some crushed nuts and parsley.

Caribbean Sauced Beans

I made this seasoning sauce to use with beans, lentils, or pasta. I have paired the sauce with black beans I made yesterday. I'll use the seasoned beans with the mango chipotle jerky and some smoked nuts on the trail. This sauce has a spice blend similar to what I would use in my dahl, but there are some notable differences. I avoided cardamon, fenugreek, and mustard seed to avoid tasting indian, and added Allspice, and lots of it, for more Caribbean flavor. Onion and garlic were left in big chunks to keep texture after rehydrating.
The tomatoes were sauteed to remove moisture and increase flavor before being put into the blender. Doing this step will improve the drying time of the sauce quite a bit. I probably cooked them for around ten minutes. I deglazed the dutch over with broth in which I had the black beans resting overnight.

The sauce was mixed with organic black beans I prepared from dry in beef broth. I soaked them in water for five hours, and simmered them in broth until almost done. They were chilled under running cold water, and then left to sit in cold beef broth until I prepared this seasoning sauce. The beans were drained and added to the sauce and simmered for ten minutes. A layer of organic brown basmati was spread on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. The beans were then layered on, and covered with white basmati rice. The food was dried in the oven, with repeated flipping and breaking up of chunks to ensure complete dehydration.

I ate this for dinner last night before assembling the drying apparatus. I really liked the way it explodes in the mouth with sweet, hot, and savory flavors. The cilantro and nuts finished off the dish with hints of citrus and smoke.

Here is the recipe, gratuitous pictures at bottom post.

Caribbean Beans Seasoning Sauce

• 1/4c brown sugar
• 4 tomatoes
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1tsp coriander seeds
  
• 1tsp cumin seeds
  
• 1tsp ginger
• 2Tbls whole allspice
  
• 1tsp whole cloves
• fresh nutmeg
• ground cinnamon (prefer whole, but was out)
  
• 1Tbls paprika
  
• 1 red habanero
• some thick soy sauce / paste
  
• 1 red fresno chili
• onion
• celery
• salt
• pepper
• cilantro
• smoked almonds

Prepare Spice Mixture

• Toast coriander, cumin, allspice, and cloves over med-high heat till aromatic
• grind to powder in mortar with pestle
• set aside
  

Prepare Tomato Chili Blend

• Core and Seed six tomatoes
• dice two tomatoes and set aside for later
  
• brown in dutch over over med-high heat, no oil
• seed and rib habanero and red fresno chilies
• puree tomatoes and chilies till no chunks remain

Build Seasoning Sauce

• sautee chiopped onion and celery till well sweat (3-6 min)
  
• add 3 cloves chopped garlic, cook 30 sec
  
• add spice mixture, parika, and pinch of salt. Cook 30 sec
• add tomato puree and diced tomatoes
• adjust salt
• add big palm full of brown sugar
• add tamari, or thick soy sauce + worcestershire, to taste (~1/4 cup)
• cook over med-low / low heat for ten minutes
• grate fresh nutmeg, and add four-five cloves of chopped garlic
• chill the sauce in the refridgerator until ready to mix with beans.