Anne's Backpacker's Chili (feeds 4)
Why it’s healthier: This chili features black beans, which are fiber-rich. In addition, by choosing low-fat meats such as grass-fed beef you are reducing saturated fat (and, sometimes, supporting local agriculture). 

This recipe comes from Anne Gwynne, whom we met when she led a winter backcountry travel group at a workshop put on by AMC’s New Hampshire Chapter. Unprompted, several of the other workshop leaders mentioned Anne’s prowess in a camp kitchen, so I asked her for a recipe. She gave me this one for her chili, which is healthy, lightweight, easy to prepare on the trail, and tasty. 

Enjoy! 

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet red onion, chopped
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef, grass-fed buffalo, or ground turkey breast—NOT ground turkey. (If it just says ground turkey, it contains skin, dark meat, and turkey fat—all heavy in saturated fat.)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
12 oz. can tomato paste
7 oz. box Fantastic Foods black beans
Shredded low-fat cheese such as part-skim mozzarella, or a little bit of a grated, flavorful hard cheese such as parmesan or romano (grate it yourself before you leave home)
Bacon bits (optional—a little can add a lot of flavor; pre-cook at home to remove as much saturated fat as possible) 

At Home:

Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper in olive oil for 5 minutes.
Add ground meat, chili powder, and cumin and sauté until meat is thoroughly cooked.
Defat by pressing between layers of paper towel.
Crumble up meat into very small pieces.
Return to pan, add tomato paste, mix well and heat over low heat until well blended, about 4 minutes.
Spread on a solid tray and dehydrate until dry (may take several hours in a low oven or dehydrator).
Cool completely before bagging in a zippered freezer bag.
Can be frozen for long-term. 

At Camp:

Rehydrate beans according to directions.
Rehydrate meat by just covering with water. Add more water as needed.
Combine beans and meat in pot and heat thoroughly.
Top with cheese and bacon bits.

- Tim Jones has been traveling the backcountry regularly for more than 40 years and writing about it almost as long. He likes to eat well. His fiance, Marilyn Donnelly, is a registered and licensed dietician and a nutrition counselor in Concord, NH.

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