Since NoKey and I are getting ready to tackle another thru hike in 2017 I thought I'd start sharing some recipes with my readers. A few years ago, when we took off to do a series of smaller thru hikes, I decided to attempt home dehydrating all our meals for a few reasons. Home dehydrated meals are economical and a lot more healthy than just eating a few of the same Lipton Sides over and over again. It keeps your tastebuds and your wallet happy!
One of our favorite recipes a few years back turned out to be Hawaiian Rice. This also was the first meal we ever ate out on the Benton MacKaye Trail. I wanted to eat it first because I was entirely convinced I'd hate it. This one, however, became an instant hit! Every time we'd see it in our resupply boxes we'd do a happy dance. Check out my recipe for Hawaiian Rice below!
Hawaiian Rice (1 Serving)
1/2 cup home dehydrated brown rice (cooked in veggie stock)
2 tbsp home dehydrated pineapple
1 tbsp home dehydrated bell pepper (broiled and blackend before dehydrating)
1 tbsp dried onion flake
1 tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 tbsp bacon bits or ham-flavored TVP
1/2 tsp ham base
At home:
Add the rice, pineapple, bell pepper, onion flake, coconut, salt, and ginger into a sandwich size zipper bag and mix well. Add the bacon bits/TVP and ham base to a snack size zipper bag and mix well; seal the bag. Add the small zipper bag into the larger bag and seal shut.
On trail:
Separate the two bags. Add the contents of the large bag to your cook pot and cover with water - you are just covering the ingredients here, no need to measure. Stir and then bring to a boil. Stir and then remove from the heat. Add the contents of the smaller bag and stir again. Let meal sit for 5-10 minutes until it reaches your desired thickness and consistency and enjoy!
This recipe was adapted from Chef Glenn's Hawaiian Shrimp and Rice. I cannot recommend his website enough if you're looking to learn how to make your own backpacking meals!
Have you made your own dehydrated meals before? How did it go?