These snacks are perfect for backcountry ski trips

Expedition chef Kieran Creevy has devised three fabulous recipes especially for Fall-Line’s famished adventure-seekers. Rustle them up at home, stick ’em in your pocket and hey presto, instant energy

Too often when we need an energy boost in the backcountry we reach for jelly babies, chocolate or relatively expensive gels. Most of us pay scant attention to refuelling in a healthy andsatisfying way up the mountain. So why not expand the potential for on-the-move nibbles by making one or more of these easy-to-prepare snacks and sticking it in your pack? Not only will doing so reduce the number of preservatives in your food, it will dramatically increase the taste factor. All the recipes can be tweaked infinitely by adding your favourite ingredients.

Chocolate beetroot brownies

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 250g dark chocolate (70%+)
  • 150g cooked beetroot
  • 100g walnuts
  • 50g muscovado sugar
  • 5g sea salt

Method

Melt the chocolate and purée the beetroot in a jug blender or food processor. Add the walnuts and blitz again. Add the chocolate, sugar and salt and mix well. Pour the mix into a Tupperware container and chill. Cut into squares and store.

Fruit leather

Ingredients (makes 150g)

  • 600g apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 5g ginger powder
  • Water

Method

Place the chopped apples, sugar and ginger in a pot. Add enough water to cover a quarter of the apples. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook. When the apples are reduced to mush turn off the heat. Blend until smooth with a stick or jug blender. Cut greaseproof paper to fit an oven tray. Set the oven low (40-60ºC) and dry the apple purée – keep the oven door open for best airflow. Dry until slightly tacky but not wet. Leave to cool then cut into strips.

Expedition chef Kieran rustles up an energy-packed meal |Liz Seabrook Photography

Date, nut and seed balls

Ingredients (makes about 25 balls)

  • 100g medjool dates, stoned
  • 100g apricots
  • 50g milled linseed and pumpkin seeds
  • 100g almonds or walnuts
  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 50g date syrup
  • 50g tahini paste
  • 5g spices, e.g. cardamom, ginger
  • 5g sea salt
  • 5g citric acid
  • Optional: cacao powder, sesame seeds, dried lime powder, freeze-dried raspberry powder

Method

In a food processor chop the dates and apricots roughly. Add the linseed, almonds and cashews and blend. Mix in the date syrup, tahini paste, spices and salt. Add the citric acid and blend. Turn onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Chill in the fridge for 1hr. Roll into small balls and coat them in one or more of the powders.

…AND cook this one on the move

Car-heated quesadillas

This was inspired by a video clip from snowboarder Mike Basich, where he cooked a simple quesadilla on his monster 4×4 truck on his way to a secret powder stash.

Chicken, mango and mint quesadillas, cooked on the move | Claire Burge

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 4 large corn tortillas
  • 1 cup of hard cheese, grated (preferably one with a bit of character)
  • 5 sheets of tinfoil

Chicken, mango and mint
(for 2 of the quesadillas)

  • 1 cooked chicken breast, no skin
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 medium fresh mango
  • Handful fresh mint leaves

Black bean and pico de gallo
(for the other 2 quesadillas)

  • 200g cooked black beans
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • Large handful fresh coriander leaves

Hot salsa (makes about 200ml)

  • 1/2 cup water
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tomatoes (cut a cross into the skin at the bottom)
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 whole habanero chilli (deseed or halve for a less punchy salsa)

Prep:

Store the ingredients for the two fillings in separate Tupperware boxes or reusable Ziploc bags.

To make the hot salsa:

Bring the water to the boil and season. Boil the tomatoes in the water for 1min. Remove using a slotted spoon, cool slightly and peel. Return to the water, simmer and add the onion and chilli. Cook for 5min, purée with a stick blender and pass through a fine sieve. Bottle and refrigerate. Will keep for 3-4 days in a fridge.

30 mins before your destination:

Pull over to the side of the road, preferably somewhere you’re not going to have a ton of exhaust fumes messing with your flavours! Slice the chicken, tomatoes, mango, and onion. Finely shred the coriander and mint. Place 4 sheets of tinfoil onto the car bonnet. Lay a tortilla on each piece of tinfoil and add the toppings, including the grated cheese. Fold the tortilla in half, taking care not to lose any filling. Wrap tightly with the tinfoil. Wrap all 4 tinfoil parcels together with the 5th sheet of tinfoil. Place securely on top of the hottest part of your engine.

At the road head:

Dig out the warm quesadillas, top with salsa and you’re set.