Vegan camping food

[Wildflower]

Does anyone know of any vegan dehydrated food packages for camping?

I would be happy to try and make my own too if anyone has any suggestions.

I am planning a backcountry camping trip, so the meals need to be very lightweight and can cook up with minimal boiling/heating and only need to have water added (in a reasonable amount).

I would try something with rice/beans or possible dried fruit but I am not sure they would cook right in such a small pot with so little water.

[Mystic]

Check out the tastybite Indian range. They have a few vegan options (namely the Bombay potatoes, Punjab eggplant and Bengal lentils). They come in a foil-type packet that you put in boiling water to heat up, and they require no refrigeration. They are really quite good. If you can carry some pita with you, you will have a complete meal.

Other ideas are baked beans (although sortof heavy to carry) and good quality canned soup. Other than that, I am NOT a camper so that is all I can contribute

[Nivvie]

Ahhh..a subject close to my heart. My husband's a trucker so does a lot of cooking on a little stove in his cab, as truckstops rarely cater for vegans. (In fact, make that never)

He uses a lot of straight to wok noodles (only some are vegan, check the back), dehydrated soya mince, and some other things you might not have in the US. He uses this dairy free instant powdered cheese sauce you just add water to and heat to make a kind of mac cheese, with some mushrooms thrown in. He also uses a hell of a lot of tins, which might be a little leavy for you.
Normal instant noodles are good, there are some veg flavoured ones other there that are vegan, if you have enough water.

Rice takes forever on a camp stove, but beans work well. He uses either tinned or pre-soaks some before he goes and mixes them with instant noodles.

I hope you have fun, and if you have any great ideas or come up with something new, let me know, he's always trying to make things more interesting.

[Wildflower]

Oh, good idea Banana! I have bought those (or a simillar looking brand) at the HFS and they are very good. We love indian food too, its our favorite cuisine!

Thanks for the ideas Nivvie. tinned food will be much too heavy, but I can get tvp (textured vegetable protein) or "soy meat" and that is dried and that will be a good staple.

I didn't know that your partner was a trucker and a vegan. That must be quite challenging. When I go anywhere by car, I pack the cooler! We have a great electric one that plugs into the ciggarette lighter.

I'll let you know if I find anything else...so far just an american company that makes vegetarian and a few vegan pre-made meals. http://www.packlitefoods.com/index.htm 2 of the soups and 2 of the dinners are vegan. and the peanut butter lunch spread. Not really necessary for the road when you can bring a jar of real pb!

[Stu]

I think that one of Bachelor's "Pasta 'n' Sauce" thingies is vegan. The Tomato and Herb one. Or at least, it used to be (you should check the ingredients). They can be made with milk or water, so obviously a vegan would use water. And pasta is a really good thing to eat if you're out in the wilderness.

[Wildflower]

Thanks Stu. I am not sure we have those here in the states. I will have to do a search! Sounds interesting!

[emzy1985]

Where can I get ready meals like this: (scroll down to meals in minutes )http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp


in the UK? I want meals I can just throw on a camping stove, add water and away you go. I'm going to the DOWNLOAD festival in June so I'm starting to shop around for food. However they do do a wonderful vegan breakfast baguette but it is like £4!!!

[Smiles]

Heya,

I don't know if you have a co-op or health food shop by you- but tru-foods i think that is what they are called) do 2 pot noodle type things- one is potato based, think the other may be rice. I have had the potato one and it is quite nice (but needs salt).

My co-op have also started selling vegan soup in a bag- but i'm not sure what make they are though.

good luck and have fun.

BB

[bryzee86]

Where can I get ready meals like this: (scroll down to meals in minutes )http://store.nexternal.com/shared/St...t=products.asp


in the UK? I want meals I can just throw on a camping stove, add water and away you go. I'm going to the DOWNLOAD festival in June so I'm starting to shop around for food. However they do do a wonderful vegan breakfast baguette but it is like £4!!!

they do what?! They didn't when I last went!

[Hemlock]

We need to get our heads together on this one because me and Corum will be doing loads of bike rallies this year and will need ideas for easy camping food!!!

[Marrers]

My friends use a lot of those vacuum packed sausages, hot dogs, tofu patties and burgers in their camper van because they don't go off as quickly / don't need refrigeration.

Sainsburys are now doing own brand cooked pasta in pouches (even a wholewheat one) which could be handy.

[veggiemaya]

i am definitely going to keep my eyes open for some things. once the weather starts warming up a bit around here i cant wait to start hiking again. last year my bf and i went on a road trip from nj to wyoming and did a lot of camping/hiking...but i wasnt vegan yet at that point.

[emzy1985]

Byrzee - They have at least four vegetarian food vans and two of them are completely vegan. Burgers, falfel, breakfast, salads and cakes. Expensive but yummy. Normally the same vans that do Strawberry Fayre in Cambridge every year...which btw you should SOOOOO come too! Byrzee & Joeybee for download 2008 too hehe

Where do you get vaccumm packed sausages and tofu that don't need refrigerating? I always take the tru-foods pot meals. I'm really looking for a meal in a pot that I can boil so I don't have to take oil or utensils but a little more fullfilling than those trufood things. More like the meals in minutes on the links

[bryzee86]

Byrzee - They have at least four vegetarian food vans and two of them are completely vegan. Burgers, falfel, breakfast, salads and cakes. Expensive but yummy. Normally the same vans that do Strawberry Fayre in Cambridge every year...which btw you should SOOOOO come too! Byrzee & Joeybee for download 2008 too hehe

woah when I last went they only had 2 vans (one in the campsite and one in the main arena. And they only did various burgers and falafels! Vegan cakes at festivals! wow!

Anyway I don't think I'll ever go to Download again, for a few reasons:

1) they let far too many people in now (about 30% increase on when I first went)

2) the people they do let in are full of arseholes, because of the shitty bands they keep putting on

3) the camera operators are idiots and encourage dickheads in the crowd to do stupid things. The whoel experience last time made me feel so dirty and nasty.

4) I'm poor...

[emzy1985]

I understand why people wouldn't want to go. We go in a big group so as if anyone is a dick head / starts on us things are sorted out pretty quickly. I go for the few bands that are keeping the metal alive and the randomness of it all. Last year some drunk guy came and sat with us in our camp and I offered him a hot dog and he said, " no thanks! I'm vegan!!" Of all the 70,000 people there a vegan stumbles into our camp site!! He ate the hot dog lol. But hey Bryzee if you and Joeybee ever wanna hang out with some metal heads you are always welcome

[bryzee86]

Oh no we've never been started on or anything. In that respect it's fine, but the people get leery and lecherous really easily and I hate it. I'm not sure what It's like at other festivals, but Download has gone down the pan imo.

[emzy1985]

The others went down the pan with the introduction of Indie and Emo music to the mainstream IMO. Download is managing to keep the indie out for now although we do have to put up with emo. However it ain't everyones thing...and I understand your point!!

Now back to getting some decent food.......

[Marrers]

Where do you get vaccumm packed sausages and tofu that don't need refrigerating?

My friend says "those wiener things can survive a few days, and those odd grills, come in a vacuum bag in red stripy box, forget who makes them? They keep for ages. Obviously, sosmix and stuff like that may be useful too."

They have a large range in Infinity Foods in Brighton so I imagine any well stocked local health food shop (prob Fresh & Wild but not Holland & Barrett). I think Taifun might be one of the brands.

[emzy1985]

I may have to take a trip down to Brighton soon (love it soo much there anyway!)

[Marrers]

Yagga also needs no refrigeration!

Yagga’s products are made from ‘Muscolo di Grano’, a unique blend of a rare type of wheat organically grown on the Mediterranean coast deep in the South of Italy, mixed with organic lentil flour, soya, pure local spring water and organic Italian herbs.

ETA It is not available in many places but another reason to go to Brighton! (A bit off the beaten track) Sunny Foods, 76 Beaconsfield Rd, Brighton stocks* it. 01273 507879

* see post below - not often in stock.

[emzy1985]

I tried Yagga at the fest in the summer. YUMMY STUFF

[Marrers]

I thought I'd pop in and get some later today but when I rang to check they haven't got it in stock and they don't often have it as it doesn't sell well in that branch.

However they said they could get it sent over from Eastbourne (where it sells better so is usually stocked). If you let them know on a Monday it could be in Brighton on a Wednesday.

[Risker]

Morrisons do packets of flavoured noodles for 8p each, they taste good and it's some good stodge to reduce the need to use festival loos.

[emzy1985]

Morrisons do packets of flavoured noodles for 8p each, they taste good and it's some good stodge to reduce the need to use festival loos.

I dread to think what is in them though like refined, sugar and e numbers but then again the amount of alcohol I'll be putting into my body I don't think it will matter much!!!


Thanks for the Tip Marrers!!

[Mr Flibble]

I've tended to eat cold food at festivals, then bought hot stuff. It saves on hassle and a few extra quid that saves carrying is very welcome. Plus I've worked at a lot of the festivals I've been to, so I've had discount food at the ones that are vegan friendly.

Dependant on the fire rules you can always take a small disposible bbq (weighs very little) and tofu based things to have the first night. They take hardly any time to cook, so you can use it first then donate it to other people. Saves on taking pans, fuel, attempting to try and wash up etc.

[yum]

Hi all,
i'm going camping this weekend and so far the only things i have come up with to eat are tortilla wraps and cous cous (the ones that are dried and you add water too). I'm not going to have a fridge or freezer and don't want the people i am going camping with (all meat-eaters) to think that vegan food is second best, unvaried etc. I want them to look at my food and think 'i want some of that'

So ideas would be great as i am going very soon

mwah

x

[Risker]

Are you going to have any cooking equipment? With a camping stove and a frying pan you could fry up some burgers/sausages/falafels from a packet mix.

[yum]

Risker that is a brilliant idea!!!!!!!!

yes we are gonna have a stove type thing!!

wooooo very good idea!

thanks
x

[saycheezly]

make some muffins/ cookies/ sweet yumminess

beans/ sosmix/ chopped onions all fried up served in bread and butter. best camping brekkie. you can even cook the onions before u go if u have the time and then it all just needs heating up.

[RebeccaDye]

I went camping a couple of months ago and took;
Tofu Scrambler, Quick Mix Seitan, energy bars, vegan marshmallows, chocolate fudge mix, Trufree quick snack, tins of beans and soups and stuffed vineleaves, mushroom pate, lots of fruit.
Most of those things are available from www.veganstore.co.uk
And my food definitely outdid my omni friend's pot noodles.

[yum]

this is fab, thanks guys!

Saycheezley: i love fried brekkie. I was thinking also about getting small individual cartons of soya milk and using it with cereal.

i often feel malnourished when i come back from camping.

RebeccaDye: what is tofuscrambler? does it have to be refridgerated? I won't have time to get food delievered now as i'm going on friday. Maybe for next time.

thanks for ideas
x

[RebeccaDye]

It's a packet mix of herbs, spices and veg which you just add a block of tofu to and cook to make scrambled tofu.
Have a good time!

[saycheezly]

i take small soya milk cartons as well... not as much risk of it going off before it's finished!