Up first is the Garden Veggie Couscous which we created as an alternative to a commercial freeze-dried meal. It can be made either with organic or traditional ingredients and is vegetarian friendly.

The meal we based it on ran about $7.50 for a one serving meal. Ours is the one on the right, the commercial meal on the left and cost considerably less.

One Pot Chicken and Pasta is an easy (one pot) recipe that has no draining. It is a hearty meal that will fill up even the hungriest guy!

~Sarah

Easy to prepare the meal even comes with its own bowl. Inside find a pouch of precooked noodles, a sack of dried vegetables and a sauce packet. You can use the bowl or prepare the noodles in a freezer bag or mug. Cover the noodles and vegetables with boiling water and let sit for a minute or two, then drain. Toss with sauce!

The only real downside of the meals is the really high sodium count. Be forewarned that the package is “2 servings” (which come on, no one is going to eat half of it. I really hate when companies do that!). You can cut back on the sauce to control some of the sodium (it has a lot of sauce) or a better option would be to add more vegetables and meat (presoaking it to rehydrate, then add in) and make a large 2 person bowl.

~Sarah

Easy to prep, this meal only needs water for boiling the pasta and a packet of olive oil and your meal is ready! It has a great taste and takes to other things being added. A liberal dose of Parmesan cheese and a can of oil packed tuna, maybe cook some freeze dried vegetables with the pasta as well, and you have a meal for two in 10 minutes that is very tasty!

~Sarah

It is important for it to work that you follow the directions carefully on the yogurt powder. We tried it two ways to see what would happen and if you stray…well, it isn’t pretty. Lumpy is the key description You will also want to consider packing a tiny whisk for best results.

Package the dry yogurt powder in a quart size bag. In a small bag pack the guar gum. You will also want to pack sugar. Add the warm water as called for to the yogurt powder. Whisk until fully mixed, then slowly whisk in the guar gum. You must do it in this order – if you add the guar gum to to yogurt before the water it clumps and lumps up. Keep whisking until fully mixed up and then let sit for at least 5 minutes – it will thicken up nicely. Whisk in sugar to taste.

Fair warning: this isn’t yogurt like many are used to. If you are used to super sweet yogurt that is pudding thick you will want to pass. But if you like Euro style yogurt it could work out great for you!

~Sarah

Chocolate Pudding – an easy to make dessert for one. You can even whip it up in a small Titanium cup!

Fruit Punch Shake – it isn’t for everyone but can be a fun drink.

~Sarah

We prepared the recipe two ways: FBC and one pot styles. The FBC method bag is on top of the FBC Cozy, the sandwich bag for the one pot method is to the right. We used a GSI Soloist pot and a MSR Windpro canister stove for both versions. Add in a lighter and a long handled spoon and off we went. Dry weight of the meal below is 2 ounces.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

3 Tbsp cheddar cheese soup mix

2 Tbsp freeze dried potatoes

1 Tbsp freeze dried tomato chunks

1 Tbsp instant rice

1 tsp dried parsley

1 cup water

The FBC version tucked into the cozy, waiting for hot water. (With FBC use very hot water, just below boiling)

Stove and pot in action.

Once the water was added, it was stirred and sealed tightly. It needed about 10 to 15 minutes and then was ready to eat.

Ready to eat:

For the one pot version we brought the water to a boil, added the dry ingredients, stirred well and turned off the stove. Cover tightly and let sit for 10 minutes. A pot cozy is a good idea for cold temperatures.

Soup is ready to sip on.

Inspired? Want to make more soup recipes? Head on over to Trail Cooking for more! One nice thing about soup in the off season is it helps keep you hydrated which can be an issue in cold temperatures – when you don’t feel thirsty but are.

~Sarah

The Health Bowl was an inspired ‘re-do’. Another hiker sent me his recipe that he cooks in the traditional way (simmering raw rice and red lentils). This version takes a lot less time and fuel to whip up.We didn’t salt it heavily, so if you try this vegan friendly option out, do salt to taste. We used on of my favorite lower sodium veg friendly bouillon’s by Vogue Cuisine.

I noticed there was an older recipe on our blog that had never been put up on Trail Cooking so it was added today.

Corn Salsa Rice and Beans – A vegetarian friendly dish that uses dehydrated corn salsa.

~Sarah

Online there are single serving options as well or you can at times find tubs in the grocery store or C-stores.

An example – these are 4 ounce tubs of shelf stable salsa:

Want an easy way to make salsa? How about a DIY dry mix? See our recipe over on Trail Cooking, easily made from finds from online sources such as Harmony House Foods. The recipe can easily made while setting up camp or walking on the trail.

Another way is to dry your favorite salsa at home, using a food dehydrator. Check out our Dehydrating 101 for the how-to to get started!

Last but not least you can find ready to go mixes online and in some health food stores where all you need is water and time for it to rehydrate. Check out the all natural options that Frontier Foods offers – Tex Mex Salsa and Picante Mexicana.

Backpacker’s Pantry sells a mix as well. that can be mild or spicy.

~Sarah

Trashy Souper Rice – this recipe uses dry cream of mushroom soup mix. Don’t forget the tater chips for the top! (We used Kettle brand New York Cheddar flavor.)

Spicy Cheesy Beans and Rice – Okra isn’t the veggie most people think of but it can be fun to use. We used the cheddar cheese powder in it along with kidney beans and Tabasco sauce.

Both recipes can be prepared using either one pot, insulated mug or FBC methods and are vegetarian friendly. Hope you enjoy them!

~Sarah

Mocha Shake – think a cold shake for breakfast. With a lot of caffeine.

Quick Asian inspired Peanut Sauce – Made with packets and a few spices you can quickly have a dipping sauce or to toss with pasta and rice.

Dehydrated Trail Cake – this was inspired by our good friend Ldyblade. You can eat it like biscotti or have warm “cake” in camp.

Creamy Tomato Soup – also works great as a sauce for pasta and rice.

Pesto Tomato Pasta – a vegetarian friendly meal.

Spicy Beef and Tomato Couscous – hearty meal for two.

Cheesy Bacon Grits – I know I can only eat so much oatmeal before I want something hearty and savory!

That should hopefully get you inspired a bit and as always you can use the index on the left side of Trail Cooking to search the different types of recipes for even more options.

~Sarah