Tortilla Appreciation Post

During my 2019 thru-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail I resupplied around 27 times in town. Almost all of those resupplies included a pack of tortillas. That makes an estimated total of 200 tortillas in 152 days on trail. Why? You might ask. Because they’re that good. Well, that’s only half-true. But they do have a lot of potential.

They make the perfect backpacking snack – they’re a plate, a wrap and a piece of bread to dip in some delicious instant hummus at the same time. Today I’m going to share some of my favorite recipies for your next hike. All of them are plant-based🌱

The lazy one

Nut butter on tortilla is a classic. And hey, there’s not only peanut butter out there, but all kind of yummy nut spreads, which make it easy to change things up. I found some wild combinations like roasted sunflower seed chocolate spread at my favorite store of all time, Grocery Outlet. This tort is quick and satisfying as it is or easily upgraded with a handful of nuts or salted pretzels.

Avocado Crunch!

Avocado sure isn’t the most leightweight food to carry, but damn, it’s so worth it. Whenever my food bag would allow it, I’d pack out 1-2 avocados for lunch and top them with either crushed potato chips or roasted sunflower seeds, a package of salt and pepper each and of course hot sauce. Every once in a while I would get spinach or dried tomato tortillas to add a little more colour and fun into my meals.

Roasted delicousness

Whenever possible, I would roast my tortilla over a campfire. Just find yourself a branch and throw your tort on it. Filled with pb and dark chocolate or nuts it makes a yummy desert. For the savory option, I would sprinkle the tortilla with olive oil and salt, which is probably one of my favorite trail snacks ever. Simple, but oh so good.

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Mmm roasted tortilla with a hint of smoked socks

The gourmet

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I would always make sure I got a full ziplock bag of instant hummus, dehydrated refried beans and/or veggie chili in town. The magic powders were mostly spotted at the bulk section of organic grocery stores.

For lunch I would mix the powder with water and oil until I got a spreadable paste. For my proudest creation I would fill my tortilla with hummus or beans, add half an avocado, crushed potato or tortilla chip and top it with a handful of mung bean crunchies, which were a lucky find at Grocery Outlet. Sometimes I would even pack out a package of spinach to add some greens. Add a package of hot sauce and it’s pure perfection.

Dinner tort

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The good thing about tortillas is that you can literally fill them with anything. This works just as well with fancy dehydrated outdoor meals (such as those from Mountain House or Outdoor Herbivore) as it does with the Knorr Rice Sides. When I was lucky and got a fancy dehydrated meal out of a hiker box, I’d put it in a tortilla. When I had Spanish rice for dinner and felt extra hungry, I’d put it in a tortilla.

For me, tortillas are absolutely essential hiker food on long-distance trails (even though I’d swap them for a bagel anytime) and there’s hardly anything better than enjoying a quick pb tort on top of a mountain. I’m keen to hear about your go-to creations below this post!