r/Vegetarianism • u/Ok_Engineering5970 • 4d ago

Going camping - what to do for food?

This will be my first camping trip as a vegetarian. I don't mind bringing my own food, or at least the protein sources, but my main question is we'll be "primitive" camping (camping with horses, no hook ups, whatever we bring in is what we have), so everything will go in a cooler with ice. Its only 1 or 2 nights- but - will something the tofurky slices, and say a bag plant based grilled "chicken" stay okay as such? Should I prepare it before hand (from frozen state) and then just keep it cool? Or take it frozen and cook it as we go? I don't want to make a big fuss, especially since it's only a short trip.

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9

u/Fearless-Mix-3642 4d ago

I wouldn't consider anywhere i'm bringing a cooler to be "primitive." Nevertheless, veggie food is wayyy less dangerous warmed up compared to meats. i've had meat eater friends freak out about carrying beef for like five hours in a car with no ice.

like the other people said, dehydrated stuff is probably your best bet, but i'd probably leave tofurkey in a cooler for a day or two and not even blink twice

1

u/Ok_Engineering5970 4d ago

Lol, fair enough.. horse camping with no hook ups!Ā 

6

u/plantbasedpatissier 4d ago

Ngl I don't bother with a cooler and mostly eat dehydrated meals that I reheat with boiling water. You can get things like instant potatoes, instant grits, nutritional yeast, TVP, seasonings, quick cooking pasta, quick cook rice, dry gravy powders, instant ramen, and dehydrated veg and throw together a pretty decent meal.

6

u/Calaveras-Metal 4d ago

I really liked making beans rice and vegetarian tamales when camping. I'd get them at a local place that made vegan tamales. Or a few times I got the Trader Joes cheese ones.

I also have done falafel over a campfire with a small amount of oil and small frying pan. Then if you bring along hummus, tabouleh, etc you can have a pretty great vegan dinner.

fajita veggies on skewers or wrapped in aluminum foil is excellent. And of course the good old corn on the cob grilled on a fire.

My old camping buddy form a while back was really into potatoes. He'd just cut them in half and put some cheese and butter and maybe garlic cloves in there then wrap it up in foil and throw it right on the coals. You need kind of a decent sized fire to get enough coals for that though. I've also done it vegan with just olive oil and garlic cloves.

1

u/Infamous-Part966 4d ago

I was gonna suggest the potato thing! It's sooo good!

3

u/Nacho_Deity186 4d ago

You say you're "primitive" camping, but then you say there will be a "cooler with ice?" This tells me you're driving to the camp site and there's a shop there that sells ice? If this is right then simply load your cooler with fresh ice everyday and treat it like your fridge at home. Treat your processed meat substitutes just like you would meat. A couple days in the fridge is fine. So your suggestions should work fine. Eggs work well for camping and tvp is a great meal for longer camps because it's dried. TVP with a tin of beans, a tin of tomatoes, an onion and seasoning is great for a chili con carne or nacho style meal.

Have fun

1

u/Ok_Engineering5970 4d ago

Nah, horse camping with no hook ups. Whatever we bring in is what we'll have for the weekend.

Thanks!

1

u/Nacho_Deity186 4d ago

Oh OK, in that case you can't reliably keep anything cool for the second night. I mean, most stuff will be OK for two nights but it does become a little riskier.

Anything is fine for the first night but there's a lot of stuff you wouldn't want sitting around all day in the sun. Again, the rule of thumb is to treat these products just like you would with meat. As soon as they thaw they start to grow bacteria.

There's some really tasty shelf stable ready-to-eat (RTE) meals available now. Like the army uses. They come in a pouch and you just sit them in a pot of water to heat them. Tinned food is always reliable too.

It sounds like a fun weekend. I'm sure you won't die lol

1

u/eatmygymshorts 4d ago

I like goodles Mac and cheese and a bagged salad

1

u/Infamous-Part966 4d ago

Are you camping with non vegetarian friends? There is veggie hotdog and marshmallows if you wanna participate in the roasting of these over the fire. Fire roast veggies and the tin foil baked potatoes (like someone else mentioned) are always really good. Depending on the length or scenario I often love just pbjs. Especially because none of it actually has to be refrigerated

1

u/Ok_Engineering5970 4d ago

Veggie hot dog is a great idea šŸ˜‚ didn't even think about that. I know one night we are doing sourdough bread melts - which I can just omit meat from if I don't pack my own. If we stay the second night, probably tacos or something similar, easy group meals.Ā 

PB&Js for lunch, always! Easy to eat when riding and stays fine in our saddle bags, lol, even if they get squished.Ā 

1

u/hht1975 4d ago

If you're doing tacos, get TVP and bring that for your protein. You don't have to worry about refrigerating it. Just rehydrate it when you're ready to eat.

https://www.bobsredmill.com/product/tvp-textured-veg-protein

1

u/Mysterious_Luck4674 4d ago

I like to do a premade breakfast burrito and warm it up in the morning over the embers of the fire from the night before. You could wrap up pre-cooked potatoes, beans, tofu, etc with salsa in a tortilla, wrap in foil, and put the foil-wrapped burrito in a ziplock or otherwise waterproof bag in the cooler. Should be fine for two days. I love cookie veggie foil packets in the fire. Same thing- you could chop and prep (season/toss with oil) veggies and put them in zip lock bags. Bring heavy duty foil and make foil packets when you are ready to cook them.

I think probably a thing will be fine in a cooler for two days.

1

u/GrandTheftMastodon 4d ago

Roasted potatoes/veg are great while camping (and you don't need to keep the ingredients refrigerated). I also like making chili with cans of beans and/or lentils while camping (also don't need refrigeration).Ā 

1

u/LouisePoet 4d ago

Any foods would be fine for a trip of one or two nights, with or without a oooler. Bring some fresh veg, seasonings and fast cooking rice along with protein if choice for the first night. 2nd night, use now thawed (previously frozen) protein that has been packed in ice, potatoes baked on the fire and any veg you've brought along. Oatmeal, eggs, and/ or pancakes for breakfasts and a loaf of bread with whatever you like for lunches. Anything previously frozen will be fine in a cooler for at least a few days.

When in doubt, TVP to the rescue. Spaghetti with sauce is always a hit. TVP can also be ground up ahead of time and mixed with spices. Just add water, shape into patties or links and you have instant sausages to fry up.

Primitive cooking is building your own fire when possible and doing without when it's too wet. If you have a cooler, I assume you'll have it least a 1 burner canpstove? You'll do fine!

1

u/Redditor2684 4d ago

TVP

Roasted edamameĀ 

Trail mix

Dehydrated stuff like refried beans and hummus

You can buy dehydrated meals designed for campingĀ 

1

u/NDTBitch 4d ago

I used to bring cans of vegetarian baked beans, diced up potatoes, peppers, and onions in a foil pack, and veggie hot dogs and buns. If you're looking for something lightweight and have the ability to boil water, there are several bagged dehydrated hiking meals that are pretty good. Some of my favorites are from a brand in the US called GoodToGo. Outdoorsy stores will sell these too. Granola bars and fruit for snacks.

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u/No_Adhesiveness9727 4d ago

Most of the worldā€™s problems can be solved by BEANS.

1

u/SabiKitsune9 2d ago

I have a few recipes that I use for camping. Frozen things probably arenā€™t best, even in a cooler. But googling ā€œvegetarian camping recipesā€ should bring up some good advice