vegan ideas with little cooking

awibs · Post by **awibs** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:45 am

Now, I know that most of the things that spoil easily are animal product, so theretically, a vegan diet would be the easiest to bring along. Unfortunately, I have little experience with living out of a backpack since well before I went vegan. All I know how to cook that's vegan involves... well... cooking. And I'm not interested in carting out an elaborate kitchen setup. I recall reading [quote] the People Who Want Party All Night and Eat Food Out of a Can should not camp with the People Who Prepare Elaborate Meals and Do Yoga Every Morning. [/quote] and after all the cooking I do at home, I believe for this one week I fall distinctly into the first category.

So here's my problem. Since I dropped the dairy and went completely vegan, I've been living off of stir fries, curries, Persian food, salads, and french fries.... with the exception of the last, basically stuff that involves a lot of fresh produce and a lot of cooking. Everything I used to eat when I lived out of a backpack in high school..... chef boyardee, tuna out of a can, packaged chips, crackers with cheese and cookies... is thoroughly nonvegan and also thoroughly unhealthy. The only portable munchies I ever see vegans eat are pretzels, and I definately can't live off that for a week. Oh, and I hate anything resembling a power bar.

I've only been able to come up with a few things as of yet.... apple cinnamon granola bars, which make me happy but I don't think I could live off them.... goldfish or triscuts or some kind of cracker.... those wonderful candied almonds the sell at Faire, which I shall stock up on the weekend before I go.... what fruits and veggies that will survive, some ramen, a few pb+js and maybe some hummus. If I wrap a potato in tinfoil and leave it outside in the desert, will it cook itself? Or is there some kind of simple solar oven I could construct out of a box for said potato? The thing I'm going to miss the most is my ability to eat canned pasta..... I could live quite contentedly off room tempature chef boyardee for quite a while, but for health reasons strongly prefer to make my own red sauce now.... I wonder if there is any company that makes a comparable "just heat it" canned soup or pasta that is vegan? Is there anything else easily portable that anyone might be able to suggest?

Thanks so much.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:29 pm

Nothing from the barnyard in this camp. Morning--nuts, seed and ceral. Add dryed choped up fruit and soy milk. Snacks-flax seed bread with soy butter and a good tea. Lunch-tomato soup w/caned mixed veggies(veg-all) add salsa to veggies and some corn tortilla chips OR Refryed beans, salsa and tortilla chips. OR refried beans, chips, salsa and a 1/2 cup of chile over the top. Love my beans. Snack-a can of V8. For dinner-same as breakfast adding some goodies for filler and a good tea. Bring along apples in the cooler some oranges Not quit ripe pears( they will ripen quickly). Salsa, flax bread, apples and left overs in the cooler. The rest can be premesured in bags. then the rest is in cans.

Chai Guy · Post by **Chai Guy** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:37 pm

Got Tasty Bites?

http://www.tastybite.com/cgi-bin/miva?M ... VEGETARIAN

I know some people dislike this stuff, but I love it (and I normally hate prepackaged food of any kind).

I brought some of this stuff last year, but plan on making even more meals with it this year. I think this is exactly what you are looking for.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Feb 24, 2004 8:38 pm

Forgot to mention. I use the double boiled system so the food wont stick to the pans. Two stainless steel boiling pan w/lid one cup one lid makes a plate. Take along a travel cup for the tea cart{:) ad other free drinks. They keep the sand out. The hell with this cooking I'm out having fun.

Juju · Post by **Juju** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 2:49 am

I party all night but still want to cook dinner every evening. I love making curries on the playa, so I pre-chop and freeze the veggies beforehand, so I'll just need to stir em in the pot once I'm there.

Hinoichi House Tofu also does a tasty-bite type deal with japanese curry that you boil in the pouch... they might be vegan. Also take a look into some instant udon. Better than ramen, they're refridgerated noodles that you boil for 2 minutes and are quite tasty.

Last year I brought a few Thai Kitchen brand instant rice noodle soups also, which are gluten and egg free.

awibs · Post by **awibs** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 8:34 pm

pre-chopped and frozen curries and stir fries... sounds brilliant :D

i also find the idea of sticking a can of soup on the dashboard in the morning to be brilliant.

i've seen things akin to the tasty bites... just add water stuff in boxes. those are expensive and overly-packaged in small containers though. does anyone have any ideas of how to dry or otherwise prepare precooked food for nonrefridgerated storage? to sort of make my own "just add water" rice/veggies stuff? so i can make it without the *fifty tons* of salt in all the prepackaged stuff?

oh, and has anyone ever heard of a non beef based varient on chef boyardee i could look for? i mean, i make my own stuff, but it would then need refridgeration.

i love the chips and salsa idea. except, i tried it when packing for a road trip and my friend slammed the suitcase around and exploded the salsa inside it. it was a glass-shard-y mess. anyone know of storebought (and therefore unrefridgerated) salsa that's sold in a non-glass container?

thanks so much.

breathe deep seek peace