I got a dehydrator a while back and have been looking for new ideas or things to make and then dehydrate. I figured a good way to find some ideas would be to ask everyone what their favorite home dehydrated meal was!
I'll start. My favorite so far was some vegetarian jambalaya I made and then dehydrated. Maybe it was just the day spent hiking in the rain, but with generous amounts of cheddar cheese it came out spicy and very flavorful and has been one of the more satisfying meals I've had while backpacking.
Post your favorite meal and what you liked about it!
I gotta admit I'm a sucker for a good incredibly spicy chili con carne - beef, beans, assorted peppers, rice, and habanero sauce for Africa. If only I could find a way to dehydrate sour cream and guacamole, it would be complete. Another reason to camp under a tarp and not in a small shared tent, I guess. Reggie
We have stunning Mexican food in our town. And slicing up a burrito from Tanya's Taqueria into 1/2 inch slices and dehydrating them makes a fabulous burrito casserole...
Cool idea balzaccom. I used to live in Santa Cruz CA, and my local taqueria did a carnitas to die for. Never would have thought of drying it. I'm all over that dehydrated sour cream - I gotta try it. As for nutrition content of avocado - lots of calories. Admittedly all fats, but what the hey. Slow release energy.
Registered: 05/19/14
Posts: 182
Loc: Central Illinois near Springfi...
A Google search for freeze dried avocado will turn up a company that claims to make both avocado pulp powder and guacamole powder. They don't provide any indication where they can be purchased.
Sarah Kirkconnell has a recipe for instant guacamole here:
Registered: 01/16/13
Posts: 913
Loc: Nacogdoches, TX, USA
For a weekend trip, just take fresh avocados. I've done it, and they were much appreciated. The hard part is keeping them from getting pulverized in your pack. I haven't figured that one out yet. Of course, it also means you have to bring a knife to slice them.
ETA: And, BTW, a good way to eat them is to halve them and spoon them directly out of the peel like a bowl. Just add a little salt, and they're great.
Edited by 4evrplan (07/04/1611:46 AM)
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The journey is more important than the destination.
The 'pulverisation in the pack' is a surmountable issue. When I was in the army I was on a semi-tactical exercise. Periods of 'war on, war off'. We had been fighting in full kit - packs and all. On the 4rd day on a non-tactical morning, I smelt the aroma of bacon and eggs. Some of my guys had been carrying eggs for 4 days, jumping in and out of aircraft and APC's - generally rolling around and crushing their packs. Somehow the eggs survived in a commercial egg-holder plastic frame designed for hiking. With a bit of initiative, it's doable I guess. If it was me, I would have just ended up with smelly raw omelet in the bottom of my pack.
I haven't tried it yet, but found instructions for dehydrating tomato sauce. So I'm going to try making a few spaghetti meals for a fall camping trip coming up.
Also found some good ideas for dehydrating chicken. Will be trying a few ideas to use with that too.
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
Guys tend to miss out on such foolishness as "Tupperware Parties." I actually did get one good tip over the years. The salesperson said she cracks eggs into a container with a small cap to take camping, then pours out one egg at time when she needs them. One caveat, unrefrigerated eggs last longer inside an intact shell.
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