Index

• Breakfasts
• Dried Snacks
• Dried Fruit
• Lunch and Main Meals

 

Breakfast

Chia Breakfast

I have two versions, the first for day hikes(wet) and the second when I am carrying it on a multi day hike for camp preparation.(Dry)

Wet:  Halve fill a 250-500ml screw top container with water and add;

• 30gms of Almonds
• 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds

Let the Chia and Almonds soak for at least 2 hours,  then add 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder, and let it soak overnight.

In the morning add approx 200ml of Coconut Creme, and 1/2 a mashed Banana, (optional +2 Scoops of live Yoghurt) and shake.  Eat about 1hour before starting the hike.

Dry : In a Jug I add together;

2 Tbsp Chia seeds, 1 Tbsp Cocoa, 30gms of finely chopped Almonds, 50gm of Coconut milk Powder, stir to combine and then  pour it in a small zip lock bag.

The night before you intend to eat it, fill they zip lock bag with water,(add some dried berries or fruit) stir and close it. To eat,  just cut off one corner of the bag – and squeeze the paste from the bag.

Yoghurt

• I had started a Plain Greek Yoghurt experiment this morning, and then I read this awesome method how to. (yep  I yearned the yellowing lesson with my first batch)
• Weight change dried: 100gm Wet –  13 gm Dry

Dried Snacks

My kinda Hummus

• I make my own Hummus,(but shop brought also works) mostly because I don’t like Tahini. My recipe is done to eye – watch the garlic content though… can make you a bit unpopular in the huts!

• My serving size is 100gm wet, and dried it becomes a in crunchy powder ( I have developed a taste for just eating dry:-) as a snack with a suck on my drink bladder and what ever else I am eating.. or reconstituted.
• Reconstitutes with cold water, but it needs the exact amount of water.
• Weight change dried: 100gm Wet – 32gm Dry.

Popcorn

Hiking with stove and 500ml billy, place 2 Tbsp of popcorn kernels in a small zip lock bag and add just enough oil to evenly coat all the kernels  when tossed in the bag.(2tsp for my last)

When you make it hold the billy off the flame and shake it side to side regularly… just like you would at home.

 

Dried Fruit

Non Astringent Persimmon

• I like to use a Borner V slicer on the thicker size which i think is bout 4mm, these dry down into chewy but sweet slices.. cant wait for persimmon!

Frozen Berries (Any kind)

• I love these in my Chia breakfast that I soak over night in cold water.
• Just take the Berries straight from the freeze and lay them out on and oil drying sheet ( helps get it off later)

Apples

• I prefer Royal Gala, as much as I like and apple with skin on, its best to take it off for drying, and take out the core.  Slice 4mm thick in Borner slicer.
• Dip though lemon juice to prevent it browning – dry on mesh racks in drier
• Weight change dried: 140gm Wet – 20gm Dry
  

Banana

Out of the skin, unless your a Gorilla of course, and slice in to rounds on the Borner.(4mm Thick or 2mm  Thin)

Dip through Lemon juice, dry on the dryer mesh trays, so sweet -just shows you don’t need sugar with a banana around!

Weight change dried:  140gm Wet  – Dry  25- 40gm

Pears

• Off with the skin, out with the core, an slice 4mm thick across
• Dip through lemon juice and dry on the dryer mesh
• Weight change dried:  120gm Wet – 10-20gm Dry
  

 Lunch and Main Meals

These recipes are the meals that are the solid reliable items on my hiking menu, because they are easy to home dry, require minimal cooking to   reconstituted, and always taste great.

Apple Crumble

• Made with shredded apple rather than slices. It dries in to a pretty hard mass, so can need a bit of breaking up with a pestle, but seems to come to life again and happily emit some torturous odours for the freeze dry eats to savour.
• I tend to add a little more water and just stir it back to the consistency that is nice… worth having some hot water left to clean the pot with though!

Ratatouille

• Nice pleasing texture, comes back to more of a soup form that you can dry out with a bit longer, usually combine it with either rice (don’t dry the rice it gets really sharp) pasta or mash.

Refried Beans

• Cook and mash before, add the cheese before drying.  Great with cooked Quinoa, just watch the spices there is no way to put out the fire in the outdoors!
  

Mashed Vege fry

• Fried boiled and fried sweet potato, onions, garlic and potatoes… mashed, seasoned and dried… looses its colour a bit but I love it as a killer side

Tofu Bollanaise

• Great recent addition, went a little heavy with the tomatoes on the first batch, but other wise it was great.  Serve with pasta.
• Weight change dried: 250gm wet(my preferred serving size)- 47gm Dry

Rice Mash

Finally “cracked” rice, in the past I have found that cooking it at home, drying and has led to faster reconstitution times – but when dried the grains are very sharp and have a habit of puncturing vacuum packs or glad bags.

• The fix, I boil the rice in vegetable broth until cooked
• Then Mash the it into a smooth “paste” with a potatoe masher
• Dry it .
• Weight change dried: 205 gm Wet – 53 gm Dry.
• Reconstitute: Added 152 gm/ml hot water and stood for 10mins covered – completely edible. ( although there was slight taste of..mmm drier?)

Water

• Amazing stuff to dry, best to put it in a little glad bag and zip it up nearly all the way, and  you get to see what is really in your water once its dried..
• When your ready for a quick drink, just add some water give it a shake to combine and its as fresh as the mountain air
• Weight change dried: Any volume – the back weight <0gm

I would love to hear our pick of light weight and tasty hiking food.