This is a demonstration entry for my Prepper Cook-Off Challenge #4. There is still time to enter and win your slice of 75+ Hive in prizes. See the original post and make sure to read all the rules.
Merchant Resident Evil 4
"Is that all Stranger? Heh, Heh, Heh, Thank You!" Cackled the strangely dressed merchant as I paid for the three food items.
Bringing them back to the group for inspection, what we ended up with wasn't the most palatable combination. We had canned peas, oatmeal, and dates. Definitely not a top notch combination but it would have to do.
I looked around for a temporary camp and noticed that the strange merchant had disappeared when we were inspecting our items. His spot was as good as any and strangely enough had a nice table set up already. Additionally this location would provide some shelter from the elements and obscure our camp fire.
What did I cook up? When life gives you peas you can make Pea Power Cookies!
Ingredients:
- 1 can peas (including the juice)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup dates
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Himalayan salt
Instructions
Start by chopping the dates. Dates are a decent natural sweetener if you don't have access to sugar. When chopped they will more readily mix with other ingredients and absorb moisture. I probably could have left a few of the dates a bit chunkier so there would be bigger pieces in the cookies.
Next, set your oven or camp fire to 350°F so it is ready when you are. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and mash with a rock or potato masher if you just happen to have one in your pack.
Once you have a nice slurry it's time to form the cookies. I made them into balls (its a Schweddy family recipe) thinking that they would settle while in the oven. This did not happen and when I checked they were also too moist to make a good cookie so I had to squish them down a bit and leave them in the oven a little longer to dry out. They were in the oven for about 15 minutes before flattening and another 5 minutes after.
If I make these again I would use less of the pea juice from the can so they aren't so moist.
Alright they're done! They sort of look like oatmeal cookies with a little barf colorant.
But will the group eat them or would they rather go hungry?
It turns out they were a hit! Must have been because they were starving. They even asked for more!
Conclusion
If you are wondering what they taste like I would say moderately sweet with a noticeable pea flavor and slightly bitter aftertaste. While not excellent, I don't think too many people would turn their noses up at them after a hard days work or long hike. They are more like an energy bar, packed with slow burning carbs and fiber.
Would I recommend you make them? Probably not, but with more experimentation and additional ingredients I think it could be possible to make something with canned peas and oats that would be tasty. My kids are actually asking to have more of these "cookies" for breakfast.
Now that our bellies are full, we need to figure out a way to get across the river so we can get to our backup location. If no one has discovered it yet there should be plenty food.
