Vegetarian Ultralight Backpacking Recipes
Hummus and Tortilla ChipsThe combination of hummus and whole-corn tortilla chips is not only delicious, but it gives you a fair amount of protein. Mixing beans with whole grains has been known for years as one of the easiest ways for vegetarians to get relatively high-quality protein. What makes this simple recipe especially practical, is there are now several brands of powdered hummus mix. You just add water to some, or water and olive oil. The latter can be carried in a small plastic bottle.
Wilderness Salad
The more adventurous hikers who are willing to get educated will like this one. First, it requires that you learn about some of the basic wild edible plants that can be used in a salad. For example, on many hikes you will walk past dandelions which have edible leaves, wild roses that have edible flower petals, and various plants in the mustard family that have edible seed pods and leaves. Collecting as you hike, you can quickly gather enough for a salad with lunch.
Before you leave for your trip, get a couple packets of a decent salad dressing to bring with you. If you can"t find a place to purchase these, order a salad at a fast food restaurant and ask for an extra packet or two of dressing. Alternately, you can carry a small amount of olive oil in a plastic bottle, and bring a lime. The juice from a third of a lime mixed with a tablespoon or two of olive oil makes a great dressing. The unused part of the lime can usually be kept in a plastic bag for a couple days without refrigeration.
To really dress up the salad, add some sunflower seeds. You might also bring some croutons. Both of these are high in calories for their weight, making them ideal ultralight backpacking foods. Parmesan cheese can also be carried without refrigeration for a few days, and will make the salad even tastier while adding a bit of protein as well.
Peanut Butter and Berries
One of the more delicious sandwiches I have had consisted of peanut butter and wild blueberries. If you use whole-grain bread you are getting a good dose of protein. Other berries you could use include blackberries, June berries, raspberries, wild strawberries, and at least a dozen others if you are willing to take the time to learn about wild edible berries. One of the worst things about the typical backpacking diet is the lack of fresh plant foods, so berries - as well as the wild salad outlined above - are a healthy addition.
Bread is harder to carry than many foods, of course, since it tends to get flattened in the pack. Pita bread might hold up better. You can also just put the peanut butter on whole wheat crackers and then top them with several berries each.
These should get you started, and you can come up with your own vegetarian ultralight backpacking recipes fairly easily once you get past the idea that food has to be cooked. Notice too, that with the exception of adding parmesan cheese to the salad - if you wish - everything mentioned here is not only vegetarian, but vegan.