Vegetarian Backpacking Recipes
Ready to hit the trails but without the beef jerky? Here are a few vegetarian backpacking recipes you can try, along with some simple snack foods.
Olive Oil Noodles
This is a simple recipe that you don’t need to write down. Bring a small bag of spices (whatever kinds you like), some dried vegetables, pasta and olive oil. Soak the dried vegetables while you are setting up camp. Then cook them along with the pasta. Drain and add the spices, salt and olive oil for a delicious dinner.
If you bring the thinnest pasta you can find – something like angel hair spaghetti – it will save some time, fuel and trouble cooking. If you want to dress up the meal a bit more and you are backpacking in the southwest, you can collect some pinon pine nuts to add. Parmesan cheese is another nice addition, and can be carried for days if kept out of the hot sun.
The Simplest Soups
Most grocery stores carry dry soups that just require you to pour boiling water on them. The ones in the cups take more space, but are still light and very convenient. No dishes to wash except for your spoon.
Vegetarian options are limited with these, but the good news is that there are a few. Even better news: some of the tastiest soups-in-a-cup you can get are the black bean varieties or lentil soups. Most of these have no animal products in them.
Uncooked Vegetarian Backpacking Recipes
I personally don’t like to cook. In fact, I rarely even bring a stove when backpacking. Going without cooked food means no stove, no fuel, and no pans. That’s less weight and fewer dishes to wash. But what about vegetarian backpacking recipes for those of us who don’t want to cook?
Most snacks (with few exceptions like that beef jerky) are naturally vegetarian. For example, mix any number of dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and cooked dry oats for an easy trail mix. You don’t have to be precise about any of this or remember any recipes.
Peanut butter and wheat crackers is another high-protein high-energy backpacking food. Bread can be carried carefully and you can make sandwiches of peanut butter and wild berries. I have done this with strawberries, but peanut butter and blueberry sandwiches are my favorite.
If you eat cheese it can be carried for the first day without spoiling. Frozen “veggie dogs” can be brought as well, and will thaw out in time to cook them over the first night’s fire. In other words, it doesn’t have to get complicated. You can make your own simple vegetarian backpacking recipes.
Author: Steven Gillman
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Camp Cooking Can Be Gourmet
Since as far back as man can remember there has always been an interest in cooking around an open fire. We can’t have this luxury in our home or else we wouldn’t have a home after the meal was done. Over time the camp out included cold meat and bread, hot dogs, or an occasional hamburger but for the most part it was sandwiches. While open fires are the perfect place to fix meals the problem was carrying everything to the camp site and then roughing it when it came to preparing everything. It took a lot of preparing ahead of time so you could be ready for camping.
Camping around an open fire can be viewed in a totally different way. It’s not so much about dragging and lugging everything but the kitchen sink to the camp site and tons of water to help you rinse and keep up with the dishes. It’s about preparing all the food in bags and having it ready so that all you need to do is get it out and cook it. Here are some helpful hints and tips to make your next camping trip a success and leaving them wanting more of your gourmet meal.
When you are done preparing the meal everything should fit neatly inside a cooler so you can tote it around without making a mess. Make sure you count the number of meals that you need to prepare for so you won’t go hungry.
- Take the usual hamburger and hot dogs and spice them up. First, realize that aluminum foil is your friend. Press out hamburger patties and wrap each individual ones in an aluminum pouch. Don’t forget to add onion, carrots, celery, and your favorite spices and seasonings. You can also replace the beef and pork with chicken. Take the average hot dog and place it in the pouch with some potatoes and beans. Season to taste and then your family can enjoy it.
- For breakfast, you want everyone to enjoy the taste of a hot breakfast before you get your day started. Precook sausage patties and eggs before you leave and place them on a biscuit that has already baked. Individually wrap each one so that they can eat what they want. Purchase or make frozen potatoes which can also be put in aluminum pouches and season to taste before adding them to the fire. Everyone can enjoy a nice hot breakfast to get everyone started on the right foot.
- Snacks are going to be in demand because your family will burn more calories when they are outside. They can’t watch television or listen to music so they will be exploring more and becoming active. You will need to provide something that will hold them over until the next meal. Snack foods such as granola bars, trail mix, crackers, and popcorn are just some of the snack foods that you can have ready. These do not require too much preparation so you will be able to purchase them or fix them up before you leave. They will last during your trip without being refrigerated.
- Drinks are another thing you may want to consider. Everyone will probably drink water but they will want something different with their meals. Take advantage of the outdoors by brewing up some sun tea. This is easy to do and tastes so good. Your family will enjoy a tall glass of ice tea with their meals.
It’s not always easy to prepare for camping but this year the meal will be more enjoyable for you and your family.
Author: Lisa Paterson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com