RE: [pct-l] Hi everyone!

[Jim Mayer <JamesLMayer@netscape.net>]

Craig and Eric,

I'm not exactly sure what makes up "vegan" as opposed to other forms of
vegetarian cooking, but I don't think you would have much trouble (note: I
haven't thru-hiked, so I can't speak from personal experience here).  In
particular, the "calories to weight" issue can be solved neatly by carrying
high fat items like nuts and... drum roll... a bottle of cooking oil.  That
taken care of, the only problem is getting enough protein and you already know
how to do that!

Meat doesn't have any particular fat advantage.  And if you are going to dry
it, you need to use very lean stuff or it gets rancid.  Also, and you may know
this already, the only calorie numbers that matter are:

o fat.............. 9 calories/gram.
o carbohydrates.... 4 calories/gram
o protein.......... 4 calories/gram

Alcohol is 8 calories/gram but I don't recommend making that a major part of
your hiking diet :-)

Although I am not a vegetarian, I almost always take vegetarian food
backpacking.  I find it less hassle.  Here are some specific things that you
might find helpful:

o You can carry oil in a small Nalgene bottle... they really don't
  leak.  When I bring cooking oil that's how I carry it (though I
  put the bottle in a ziploc bag with a paper towel anyway).  I've
  taken extra virgin olive oil... I think walnut oil might be a nice
  one to bring also (just for a different flavor).

o Fantastic Farms makes instant humus and refried black beans.  These
  are really good and mix up instantly.

o Nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. all have lots of fat and,
  best of all, add some variety to "one pot" meals.  Another advantage
  of nuts and seeds is that since the fat isn't loose in the pot
  everything cleans up nicely with water.

o I often throw some raisins or other dried fruit in my "one pot" meals.
  The fruit varies the texture and keeps things interesting.

o I have cooked and then dried beans with good success.  The smaller the
  bean the better.  Cooked and dried lentils work extremely well...
  they rehydrate in just a couple of minutes and you can do anything
  from lentils and rice to lentil soup with them.

o I'm of the "bring it to a boil, let it sit, then eat it" school of
  trail cooking.  If you actually like to cook, then the tiny salmon
  colored "red" lentils you find at Indian groceries should work well.
  They cook up pretty quickly.

o The thinner you slice veggies the faster and better they will rehydrate.
  You can dehydrate anything... the question is whether you can get it
  to rehydrate easily.

o Greens are great dehydrated.  They rehydrate in no time at all.

o Curry powder and chili powder are your friends.

o Instant rice and cous-cous are your friends.

o Once you figure out the proportions, you can cook pasta by bringing
  it to a boil with "just enough" water.  You then let it sit, covered,
  add whatever, and eat it.  If you use too much water, just drink the
  extra.

o Museli makes a good breakfast food, if you can find one that isn't
  too sweet.  You can make either a hot or a cold breakfast out of
  it.  I use powdered milk with some cremora added (milk isn't vegan
  though, right?).  You could probably use a powdered soy beverage
  instead, though I've never tried that.  And you can always add
  more nuts!

o There is a brand of freeze dried stuff out there called "Just Veggies."
  My local supermarket carries them.  They are very good, and can be
  used both in cooking and as a snack.

I hope this helps.

-- Jim

Eric wrote:

> Craig wrote:
> 
> 1) I'm looking for vegan recipes for dehydrating. If anyone out
> there has some experience with vegan backpacking food,
> especially dinner items, please
> email me at nielsencrg@aol.com. Maybe we can trade some recipes
> and dehydrating tips. 
>
> 
> I can't speak from experience, because I've never tried it, but
> I've heard others say that getting enough calories for a thru-hike
> via a vegetarian or vegan diet can be quite difficult. It's very
> tough to get the calorie-to-weight ratio to where you need it
> using only vegan foods. That's not to say that it's impossible,
> but be aware of the challenge.
> 
> Maybe someone who knows what they're talking about can elaborate
> on this?
> 
> Eric


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