Latest Episode of the NOLS Cooking Show Debuts

The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has released a new episode of The NOLS Cooking show. This installation of the show focuses on lightweight camping, providing viewers not just with a recipe, but also some useful insights to packing light.

NOLS Word of Mouth Coordinator Casey Pikla offers one means of lightening the load in the form of grits. His original lightweight jalapeño grits recipe is meant to be prepared in a large batch at home. Portions (typically about four ounces per person per meal) can then be packed into the field, where the final step in preparation is conducted.

Pikla and NOLS Environmental Stewardship Coordinator Amy Rathke join forces to walk viewers through each step of the recipe, then gather reviews in this installation of the NOLS Cooking Show.

Find more NOLS Cooking Show episodes at NOLS.TV.

Lightweight Jalapeño Grits

Ingredients:
1 cup instant grits
½ cup nut mix
½ cup crushed Fritos
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup dried jalapeños
¼ cup bacon bits or imitation bacon bits
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of salt

At home:
1) Prepare the nut mix by combining equal parts almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is granulated, but not powdered and set aside.

2) Prepare the crushed Fritos in the same fashion and set aside. Both the nut mix and Fritos are a great way to add calories without adding much weight.

3) Combine instant grits, nut mix, crushed Fritos, Parmesan cheese, dried jalapeños, bacon bits, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a large container.

4) Using a scale, measure the desired amount of grits mixture to take into the backcountry and place in a bag.

In the backcountry:
1) Boil ½ cup of water for each serving.

2) Remove the pot from the stove, and pour a serving of the grits mix into the water.

3) Place the pot in an insulating cozy for about five minutes.

4) Enjoy!

This recipe should create about four backcountry meals, depending on your appetite.

Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt, NOLS is the leader in wilderness education, providing awe-inspiring, transformative experiences to more than 15,000 students each year. These students, ages 14 to 70, learn in the wildest and most remote classrooms worldwide—from the Amazon rain forest, to rugged peaks in the Himalaya, to Alaskan glaciers and Arctic tundra. Graduates are active leaders with lifelong environmental ethics and outdoor skills. NOLS also offers customized courses through NOLS Professional Training, and the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS is the leading teacher of wilderness medicine worldwide. For more information, call (800) 710-NOLS (6657) or visit www.nols.edu.