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The
Greens Along the Road
We pulled into a truck stop near the
Utah-Idaho border. It was a late spring evening,
a perfect temperature. With an unusually wet spring,
the hills were unbelievably green. We expected to see
deer feeding alongside the mountain roads this evening.
Three college-aged guys in a nondescript
car pulled in next to us. They climbed out and popped
the trunk. Inside was a big blue cooler. They dug out
a loaf of bread, one of those airy, doughy types without
any substance. Then came out a plastic-packaged stack
of bologna. The bologna went on the bread; I didn't
see any condiments. The three leaned back against the
car, took in the cooling air, and enjoyed their dinner
on the road.
There was a time, I thought, when I
would eat like that -- but not any more. Even on
the road, I'm going to eat better than that!
If I were going to eat out of the trunk
instead of at the drive-through, what would I eat?
The answer that evening was easy -- salads. Maybe I
would have a chicken salad with Italian dressing or
maybe a Waldorf salad. The choices are myriad and most
of them can be adapted to the road. I won't feel like
I have to let my belt out a notch, and I won't get drowsy
from the metabolic yoyo brought on by junk food or sweets.
Here are two recipes for salads I've
adapted for the road. Consider these prototypes
-- principles of what you can build for the road --
more than recipes. Use these principles to build salads
that fit your palate. And maybe the best part -- you
can get these salads ready to go on the road in about
fifteen minutes!
Turkey,
Spinach, and Feta Cheese Salad>
Chicken,
Bacon, and Tomato Salad>
 Dennis
Weaver -- having burnt food from Miami, Florida
to Point Barrow, Alaska -- is RTA's road food expert.
He has logged thousands of hours on the roads, trails,
and waterways of America including many of Alaska's
wilderness rivers and has consistently been elected
the trips' "chief cook and bottle washer."
Dennis is currently general manager at The
Prepared Pantry, a company in Rigby, Idaho,
that produces ready-to-eat meals and baking mixes
packaged in Mylar. Weatherproof, bug-proof, and
critter resistant, they're ideal for both roadtrips
and back woods camping. Dennis may be reached at
dweaver@preparedpantry.com. |
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