vegetarians...any suggestions?

[django]

Hey all, I am a vegetarian (not vegan) who, until recently, tended to just buy those "Mountain House-style" meals and deal with it when backpacking. However, I cannot stand them and would like to find something with a little less chemical injection. I am not a backcountry chef-type and I do not own a dehydrator. I want quick and easy, high in calories/protein, light to carry, etc. The food would be for week to ten-day hikes. Any suggestions that anyone out on the cyber-trail could make would be very much appreciated. Here's a chance to save a hiker from the Mountain House.

Thanks,

Django

[Happy]

Hey all, I am a vegetarian (not vegan) who, until recently, tended to just buy those "Mountain House-style" meals and deal with it when backpacking. However, I cannot stand them and would like to find something with a little less chemical injection. I am not a backcountry chef-type and I do not own a dehydrator. I want quick and easy, high in calories/protein, light to carry, etc. The food would be for week to ten-day hikes. Any suggestions that anyone out on the cyber-trail could make would be very much appreciated. Here's a chance to save a hiker from the Mountain House.

Thanks,

Django

Sure, just go to the health food section of Kroger/Public's and Look for Fantastic Food's Soy Based products and you will discover Hummas, Taco Filling, Instant Black Beans, Instant Refried Beans,& Sloppy Joe Mix among other choices. Go to the Rice Section and Pick up some "Near East" Couscous and the Sauce section and retrieve some "Knorr" sauces including
Tomato and Basil for your choice of pasta. Add some Instant potatoes and tortillias along with some Knorr Soups...excellent!

Be creative, PLENTY of choices available and CHEAP!

[Doctari]

You don't actually need a "dehydrator" as such, if you want I can send you instructions to use your oven to dehydrate food.

Ramen (at least the ones I have) are vegitarian, the Meat flavoring is just that, flavoring.

Mac & cheese, with textured vegetable protein (it comes dried at some specailty shops) tastes great.

I "shop" for camping food EVERY time I go to the store. Have found Near East Couscous @ Big Lots for $0.99 it normally sells for $2.45 at the regular store. I LOVE the herb & garlic, I add a bit of Parmisan cheese and YUM! You would be amazed at some of the bargans in pre dried vegitarian food you can find if you look for it each time you shop even in unusual or unexpected stores.

Doctari.

[sea2summit3]

Buy the book "Backpack Gourmet" by Linda Frederick Yaffe. I've been using it to prepare food for a thru hike and its got lots of vegitarian (as well as meaty) one-pot meals. The book is geared towards dehydrating, but there are many ways to dehydrate food. I really like this book because the meals are easy, tasty, and quick. All you have to do is cover any of the meals in this book with water, boil, and eat. Yea! K.I.S.S. at its best!

[cryptobrian]

I enjoy just about anything from Mary Jane's Farm. Vegetarian and pretty much everything is organic, down to the baking powder.

See http://www.backcountryfood.org/ for more info.

I also am a fan of Hard Times Cafe vegegetarian chili. Though best experienced in the restaurant over a plate of spaghetti with beans, onions, cheese and a splash of hot peppery vinegar, you can also simply purchase the base mix itself.

See http://www.hardtimes.com/ for more info.

I have found some interesting (all vegan) snacks/engergy bars/chocolate bars, mock jerkey, etc. One online source of these items is Pangea.
http://www.pangeaveg.com/

There is a (hopefully) soon to be published book, "Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'". This might be interesting.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0762725311/qid=1077294963/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-7341825-4044800?v=glance&s=books

The Vegetarian Resource Group can also be helpful. Here is one arcticle on the topic of vegetarian backpacking:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2001may/2001maybackpack.htm

Anyway, I hope some of this is helpful.

[Cehoffpauir]

I enjoy just about anything from Mary Jane's Farm. Vegetarian and pretty much everything is organic, down to the baking powder.

Anyway, I hope some of this is helpful.

Excellent info, cryptobrian! Hats off and a bow!

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea.....Veggie. When I come up out of Town, I usually bring a plastic container of sprouts (or sprout my own, more on that if interested), bread or bagles, and a tomato or 2. also, small plastic container of mayo(transfer from small jar). Then you have fresh sprout/tomato sandwich every day, till the tomato or bagles are gone. Enjoy!.....KZ@

[Jaybird]

Hey all, I am a vegetarian (not vegan) who, until recently, tended to just buy those "Mountain House-style" meals and deal with it when backpacking.............blah,blah,blah....... Mountain House.
Django

Django:


Mountain House not to your liking huh???
I wuz pretty impressed with their VEGETARIAN selection myself...in fact i usually take a few "meatless" entrees on the trail with me.

there are several companies that feature Veg. dehydrated food products,etc.
(Nitro-pak,wildernessdining.com,1stopfoodstorage,greatout doorsdepot.com)

you have to do a bit of homework (& taste-testing) to find which ones you prefer....as i've said before...."it ALL tastes good...on the trail!"

[golfricker]

Buy the Knorr's Dried pasta sauces at any grocery store. They have a number of flavors.

Use TVP. Not as bad as some think.

And as someone said, Fantastik foods.

If so inclinded one can get a dehydrater for 35 bucks at Walmart.

[django]

Hey all, thanks for the great suggestions. I've already been taste-testing many of the above suggestions and, you are all correct, there are plenty of great vegetarian "just add water" items on the grocery shelf. Particularly love the Near East Mediterranean Curry Couscous.

Thanks also for the website and book info. Everything I've found, up until this point, assumes that vegetarians enjoy cooking elaborate dishes at all times. Good to see that there are some basic food suggestions out there.

As for the Mountain House, it isn't the worst stuff in the world in limited doses and I was glad to see several veggie choices. However, I have found that, about 10 minutes after munching down one of those things, there's a pretty grotesque chemical aftertaste going on. Not to mention, after several days of dealing with said aftertaste when backpacking, just the smell of it drains my appetite...and my energy. I think that the ultimate decision to leave it behind came during a power outage at my house. I pulled out my stove and a couple of meals and served up some veggie lasagna for my wife. Yep, the Trail definitely makes things taste better (all apologies to Mountain House and the like).

Thanks again everyone...nice to meet you all,

Django

[Lint]

Quinoa is a great tasting, easy prep, whole grain dish. Excellent source of protein and other goodies. Pop in a veggie bouillon cube for added flavor! I also eat alot of lentils. The food co-op by me sells 'em bulk and they are dehydrated. Quick cooking and have curry spices mixed in!
I became sick of Ramen noodles and am currently in love with rice noodles. You can get them in 'ramen' style single servings with spices and oil all in a little packet. Again, I get them at the co-op, but I think some of the larger supermarkets sell them. Look for the words THAI on the package.
Hummus is excellent, and for an anternative try 'baba ganoush'. It's made with eggplant, and like hummus can be found in powdered form. Add water, stir, and enjoy some damn good veggie eating!
If you want to carry a larger tupperware style container you can make tabouli. It is bulgar wheat with a bunch of spices, and ya add water, let sit for an hour or so and then eat. Tastes even better with a few dumpstered tomatoes chopped up and mixed in.
Carrying a frying pan/pot lid and a little oil? Powdered natures burger (again) takes some water, a bit of rehydration time, and then ya can fry up the patties.

I'm sure there is a website where folks can buy this stuff, but I don't know it. Pull out the phonebook and look for a natural foods store or a food co-op in yer neck of the woods. Eat well, and only drink vegan whiskey!

[retread]

I have bought "Ramean" noodles from Oriental grocery stores that are MUCH better that the more common ones. They have better noodles...bigger, thicker, sometimes spinach or wheat flour noodles. Also they are bigger portions and have different flavors. They cost a little more but are worth it.

Be forewarned: I saw vegans become vegetarians and I saw vegetarians eat meat. You burn 6000-8000 calories a day. Thats a lot of noodles. One vegetarian I hiked with ate ...as she said,"a buttload of peanut butter."

I carried TVP which gives you protein and also serves to soak up any extra water/juice in whatever you're cooking. Stovetop stuffing will do the same thing. Look up AdventureFoods.com. They are a ma and pa business in Whittier, N.C. just outside of Cherokee. They have a wide selection of dehydrated foods and sell in bulk for good prices. I bought beans, tomatoes, TVP, and barley from them for my hike and I was pleased with their prices, their selection, and their quality.