John Muir Trail Food: Part Deux

A demanding schedule has hindered my cooking time as of late, which has translated into very little time to experiment with dinners. This week, I finally made time, prepped a few simple dishes and tossed ’em into the dehydrator.

Before I get to those, I’d like to mention that my previous experiments were a success!! Even after 21 days in ziplock bags, the lentils and black beans look and taste great!

A day after I made the lentils and black beans, I made rice noodles with olive oil, mushrooms, asparagus, dried dill, salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. After 20 days, the rice noodles look good and taste even better. I think I will be eating quite well on the trail after all :)

Ok, back to my current experiments. The first meal I prepared this time around was macaroni salad. I used curly (spiral shaped) macaroni, vegenaise (vegan mayo), celery, bok choy, garlic, cilantro, curly parsley and dill. Can you say YUMMMMMMY?? After about 8 hours in the dehydrator at 135 degrees, I removed the dried salad and placed it into a ziploc bag. I tell ya – if this dish doesn’t spoil (and I don’t think it will), I may be the only person to reek of garlic on the trail :))

The second meal I prepared was rice – made with olive oil, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper and a dash of salt – with a side dish consisting of eggplants, carrots, onions, garlic and parsley. The rice dish was in the dehydrator with the macaroni salad so it too dried for 8 hours. In all honesty, these meals taste better when dehydrated than they do just after I make them. Or it might just be that I get hungry at night (I turned the dehydrator off at 10pm).

I’m not sure about the caloric content of these meals in relation to their weight, but I'm almost certain that the ratio is close to 100(calories):1(ounce). Although eating calorically dense, hearty meals on the trail is most important to me, it is more important to consume nutritionally dense and tasty meals. I’m willing to lug a few extra ounces of food per day on the trail and look forward to dinnertime than stick to the ratio religiously and languish each time I open my bear canister.

Please don’t hesitate to comment! I would love to hear your thoughts, observations and even suggestions for recipes that work for you!

Bon appétit 

Culinary Experiments

In an effort to eat yummy, nourishing food on the trail, I've decided to make my own dinners! 

Tasty freeze-dried or dehydrated meals are difficult to come by if you are a vegetarian - like myself. Also, the astronomical amounts of sodium found in most of the pre-packaged foods is a bit much for me. I know, I know, I need to replenish my electrolytes, but rest assured, my diet provides plenty. 

Nesco FD-75PR Dehydrator

I will use my Nesco Dehydrator to experiment since I have a lot of time 'til I hit the trail. My plan is to place generous portions of my dinners in the dehydrator, let them - well - dehydrate, transfer the food into ziplock bags and let them sit in a shelf for about a month at room temperature. None of the food should spoil, but I'd prefer to be sure now than be surprised at camp after a 16 mile day! 

So far, I've experimented with two of my favorite dishes: black bean spread with grilled onions and seasonings, and yellow lentils with grilled onions and spices. 

Ready for the dehydrator

Black beans (like most legumes) are high in calories, fiber, carbohydrates and protein. I prepare the beans with olive oil which adds more calories and fat (and also has anti-inflammatory properties). 

Yellow lentils are also high in calories, fiber, carbohydrates and protein. The lentils are prepared with olive oil too. 

                     

                          finished product - black beans

finished product - lentils

My plan is to mix the above dishes with either rice, mashed potatoes, buckwheat, noodles (rice noodles are in the dehydrator as we speak), quinoa or couscous to make generous portions of end-of-the-day savory goodness. Many experiments to follow - check back soon.