View Full Version : Trying out backpacking food - rice and bean soup mix
I did a test kitchen meal for backpacking food today:
1Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
fry the above for a minute or two then add:
1/4 cup black bean soup (dried soup mix)
3/4 cup instant brown rice
1 cup water (maybe a little less)
boil/simmer for 10 minutes
let it stand for 5 minutes
I had half of it for dinner. This tasted pretty good, it would have been excellent with tortillias and chopped tomato. The flavor was great although the texture was a little boring (like eating just rice). It needs something extra on the side, like some salad or vegetable, or anything crunchy (sunflower seeds? crackers?). I was still a little hungry after eating half of it, maybe if I ate the whole pot it would have been enough. A good meal, considering it was made up of dry ingredients plus water (except for the onion, which could have been dried onion).
Sounds good! Totally doable as a non-cook version too :) (ie..boiling water, let sit for 15 minutes)
Bet it would taste excellent with some dried hamburger added...and as a wrap with cheese..yummmmmmm:-?
I did a test kitchen meal for backpacking food today:
1Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chicken bullion
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
fry the above for a minute or two then add:
1/4 cup black bean soup (dried soup mix)
3/4 cup instant brown rice
1 cup water (maybe a little less)
boil/simmer for 10 minutes
let it stand for 5 minutes
I had half of it for dinner. This tasted pretty good, it would have been excellent with tortillias and chopped tomato. The flavor was great although the texture was a little boring (like eating just rice). It needs something extra on the side, like some salad or vegetable, or anything crunchy (sunflower seeds? crackers?). I was still a little hungry after eating half of it, maybe if I ate the whole pot it would have been enough. A good meal, considering it was made up of dry ingredients plus water (except for the onion, which could have been dried onion).
If you are trying to stay meatless (except for the bullion) You might try TVP. It has a slight "taste" to it I cant explain that some don't like but you might like it OK.
You could try Tempeh too.
Two Speed
01-05-2006, 07:18
I think you may be on to something there.
BTW, I don't see the problem with carrying an onion. Yeah, they're a little heavy, but fresh vegetables add a LOT of character to trail food. Onions in particular are easy; they're not fragile and keep for a good long while at room temp. FWIW I always try to have a small onion or two, a couple, three four cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and maybe some celery in my food bag, and I try not to forget to bring a good ol' chunk of cheese.
Gotta be careful with the cherry tomatoes, though. They travel pretty well, but I have smashed one or two. :datz
As far as your recipe goes, maybe you could reserve a small portion of the onion, add a little celery? Would add texture. I'm going to have to pick up the ingredients the next time I'm at the grocery.
I got the recipe off of this board, I am just a noob testing food at home to see if I can survive off of it on the trail.
I'm thinking of trying the dried hamburger, is that a grocery store product? Maybe jerky would go well too.
On the side, tortillia chips, uncooked celery, tomato. Maybe a taco sauce packet or a horseradish sauce packet. The rice/bean soup combo would make an awesome burrito filler.
The bean soup mix came from a local health food place. Look here under Beans:
http://www.clnf.org/products.html
They are a wholesaler to health food stores, the prices are pretty good.
Skylark, hamburger is something you do at home. I cook up and dry a couple punds at once. Once dry I store it in the freezer. Keeps it for at least 6 months if not longer. All you need is around 1/2 cup dried hamburger in a recipe for 2 people. It comes back with boiling water in 5-10 minutes. I have the full directions to how to dry on my site if you need it :)
[quote=skylark]I'm thinking of trying the dried hamburger, is that a grocery store product? Maybe jerky would go well too. quote]
i got a nesco dehydrator for christmas. friend gave me 4lbs of venison which i promptly turned into jerky. i eat those ramen soup cups for lunch at work, and they are a little skimpy on the meat. so i've started chopping up a small handful of venison every day to add to my lunch. works great. doesn't quite re-hydrate, but then i don't soak it all that long... about 10 minutes. still chewy, but really good with either the beef or chicken ramen cups.
i've never seen dried hamburger in a grocery store. they do make some sort of dried steak cubes now though, thicker than jerky.
QHShowoman
01-05-2006, 14:32
I would add some salsa and dried ground beef (or that dried ground tofu stuff).
I have the full directions to how to dry on my site if you need it :)
Wow, great site, especially this page:
http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/gearstuff.htm
Its exactly what I am trying to learn!
I just got my dehydrator today. I am SO excited -- geek, I am.
Can't wait to spend the weekend trying out some of thre recipes here. :banana Sue