Vegan Trail Dinner Base
Dehydrated beans, quinoa, and a fat you actually carry. A plant-based dinner that hits real calories.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 142
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 500 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant refried bean flakes | 1/2 cup | check the label, some brands add lard |
|---|---|---|
| Quinoa flakes | 1/2 cup | flakes rehydrate, whole quinoa needs a long simmer |
| Nutritional yeast | 2 tbsp | savory weight, plus B vitamins |
| Dried vegetable flakes | 1/4 cup | bell pepper, tomato, onion |
| Olive oil | 1.5 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Cumin, garlic powder, chili powder | 1 tsp total | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Pour the dry mix into the pot and add 500 ml of water. Stir before you light the stove so nothing clumps on the bottom.
- Bring it to a boil, then cut the heat and cover for five minutes.
- Stir. If it is still soupy, wait two more minutes rather than adding more flakes.
- Pour the oil over the top and stir it in last, off the heat.
Vegan trail dinners fail on two counts: not enough calories and not enough protein. This one solves both with pantry items rather than freeze-dried pouches. Bean flakes and quinoa flakes together land around 24 grams of protein, and both rehydrate in minutes instead of simmering through half a fuel canister.
The oil is not optional. Plant-based dry goods are lean, so without added fat this comes in near 500 calories, which is not a dinner after a long day. Stir it in off the heat so it coats everything instead of cooking off. Nutritional yeast does the job cheese would do in a non-vegan version, and it keeps the bag dry and shelf-stable.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one quart freezer bag, spices included. Oil rides in its own bottle inside a second bag.
Variations
- A handful of corn chips crushed on top adds fat and texture.
- Swap the bean flakes for instant hummus powder for a different dinner from the same shelf.
- Hot sauce packets weigh nothing and fix a bland batch.
https://www.hykeandbyke.com/blogs/hyke-byke-blog/vegan-backpacking-food-and-recipe-ideas