Pad Thai at Big Sur

G and I went on a camping trip last weekend to the beautiful Big Sur Mountain in Los Padres National Forest. It was about a 6.5 hour drive north of Los Angeles and we left extra early Friday morning to be sure and secure a good site (no reservations allowed). We stayed at Andrew Molera State Park. The site was pretty good, apart from us picking one full of gopher holes and poison oak, of course. We saw so much wildlife! Two families of deer, gophers, squirrels, bunnies, pelicans, lizards and lots of birds. The beach was an easy 1 mile walk from the site, although the water was too frigid for swimming. There was also a beautiful river running through the park stocked with rainbow trout.

We went on a moderately difficult 8-mile hike along the coast with gorgeous views of the ocean. It took about 6 hours to complete, and at the end the river was calling our names. We dipped in, and our swollen feet were grateful for the cold water.

After the hike we were ravenous. My idea of 'camp food' differs from most. I think most people would want burgers and hot dogs right? Well, the best camp food for us is Pad Thai. It is so simple to make and nothing hits the spot quite like it after a long hike. Sorry I have no pictures of it!! It's easy to forget about food blogging when you're in the middle of nature and your tummy is growling!

Camp Pad Thai

What you need:
Camp Stove
A pot to boil water
A pan to mix it all together

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked at home and diced.
1 packet Pad Thai sauce (check the "Asian" section of the grocery store)
1/2 packet rice noodles
1 tablespoon (or single-serve packet) of peanut butter
1 large carrot, julienned at home
1 green onion, sliced at home
2 cloves garlic, sliced at home
2 tb oil

Before leaving home: To minimize the amount of work to do at the campsite, slice up all the veggies and garlic and place in a sandwich bag. Cook and dice the chicken, place in another bag. Use a small jar or tupperware container for the oil.

Method
1. Bring the pot of water to the boil. Place rice noodles in the pot and remove from heat. Set aside.
2. Place the frying pan on medium heat and saute the veggies in the oil. Add a couple tablespoons of water.
3. Stir in the sauce, peanut butter, and chicken. Heat throughout.
4. By now the noodles should be soft. Strain in an appropriate location and add the noodles into the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir until the sauce is distributed.

Feeds 2 hungry campers.