We enjoyed this plant-based comfort food on our recent thruhike of the Lowest to Highest Route. It beat Tim’s Jamaican Rice and Peas in a recipe competition!
Ingredients (Makes 1 Serving):
- 1 Tablespoon powdered oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ Tablespoon flour
- ½ teaspoon vegetable bouillon
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (for color)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional but yummy if you like a kick)
- 10 grams dehydrated pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup dehydrated chili (low or no fat)
- ⅓ cup noodles (choose noodles labeled to have a 6-7 minute cook time)
- 1⅓ cup water to rehydrate
Before the Trail:
Dehydrating:
- Cook and dehydrate your favorite low or no fat chili at 135°F until it is completely dry and crispy (~8+ hours, flipping once). See our favorite chili recipe here.
- Cook, puree, and dehydrate a pumpkin/squash (or just dehydrate a can of pumpkin puree) at 135°F until it is dry and leathery, not sticky (~8+ hours, flipping once).
Assembly:
- In a small bag, combine the powdered oat milk, nutritional yeast, flour, vegetable bullion, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. This is the “cheese” sauce.
- In a Ziplock bag, combine the dehydrated pumpkin, dehydrated chili, noodles, and bag of “cheese” sauce.
On the Trail:
- Set aside the “Cheese” Sauce. (So it doesn’t burn.)
- Combine the remaining dry ingredients and the water in a pot.
- Bring to a boil on high heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the “Cheese” Sauce.
- Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes until all of the water is absorbed.
- Stir and enjoy!
Photos:
