Freezer Bag Cooking - Post your recipes here to share!

[Aron Snyder]

Here's what I did for dinner my last couple trips.

1 pound elk burger

1 lb Italian sausage

Cook together in skillet/wok (added ms dash no sodium seasoning)

Stick all of that in a dehydrator (6 hours on 145 for me)

I then take Top Ramen out of the package and stick that and my desired amount of elk burger in a ziplock bag. I also throw out the seasoning packet that comes with the Ramen and use no/low sodium seasoning blend on my own.

You can also do the same type of thing with the burger and add it to Idahoan potatoes (that's Gmans idea), but tastes pretty dang good!

This is proably the best "poor boy" dinners you can find and if you throw out the seasoning packet and add your own protein, it's somewhat healthy!

 

[Aron Snyder]

[video=vimeo;54243943]http://vimeo.com/54243943[/video]

I'm using a Nesco American Harvest dehydrator and my Crock Pot is from Bed Bath and Beyond

 

[Goober]

I have taken to just dehydrating my leftovers. Starting in about july, I cook about 2x as much dinner as we need, and throw the leftovers in the dehydrator overnight. Vaccum seal and then throw in the freezer. The lower the fat content the longer it will last, but by vaccum sealing and then freezing until I leave for my trip, I have found just about anything will last. Before dehydrating though, be sure to break the food up as small as possible. Not so much to speed the dehydrating, but to speed the re-hydrating. I dont usually cook in bags, I am a jetboil man. What works the best for me: Get into camp and the first thing I do is boil up water and dump in dinner and cover. Then I go about the rest of my camp chores and whatever. Come back 30 minutes (or more) later, heat up if needed, and eat. I find that to work out the best for re-hydrating, with no crunchies left in my dinner.

 

[unm1136]

Patrick's Game Cassarole is getting rave reviews on the Kifaru forum. I haven't made it yet, but it is on the list. I have tried recipes from backpackingchef.com, and hungryhammockhanger.com. While the BBQ Spaghetti was disappointing, the Mexican Beef and Rice with black beans rocked. I rarely use recipes when I cook, but it was a snap.

Open and drain a can of black beans and dehydrate them and bag them.

Brown and season a pound or two of ground beef. Don't use the commercial stuff, it seems to mold quckly. If you can't or don't want to make your own taco seasoning, then add the seasoning to the water you rehydrate the meat in. While the meat is browning mix in a quarter to a half a cup of bread crumbs. Dehydrate.

Sautee onion and garlic in a tablespoon or so of oil. Toss in some cumin and black pepper. I also like to add a tablespoon or so of Tumeric for its anti-inflamitory and anti-biotic properties. Put the rice in the pan and stir for a coupel or three minutes. Put a can or two of rotel tomatoes (I prefer the habañero to the green chili) on the rice and boil it, while stirring occasionally until the liquid is gone. Then add about twice as much water as rice to the pan and either simmer till the rice is done, or cover it and toss in a 350 degree oven for an hour or so. Dehydrate.

Take 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the dehydrated rice, a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dehydrated beans, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dehydrated beef and put them in a quart size freezer bag. If you are using commercial taco seasoning, put between a teaspoon and a tablespoon to your taste in the bag. If you want cheesy goodness add the powder packet from a box of macaroni and cheese. Rehydrate with an equal amount of boiling water and let sit for 20-30 minutes.

pat

 

[unm1136]

Another college meal favorite gets to the back country. Make a pot of bean with bacon soup. I like to add barbecue sauce, a little liquid smoke, and some hot sauce. Dehydrate. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cop of the dried soup mix to a quart size freezer bag, and add a serving of the macaroni from the box of mac and cheese that you took the cheese powder from for the mexican rice. When preparing, add twice as much water as the total of the soup mix (I usually just add a pint of boiling water if there is a cup or so of mix). Stir and let sit for 20-25 minutes.

When I prep and package these I write the meal name and the amount of hot water to add in sharpie on the bag itself. My stocking cap works as a cozy, but I am going to make one out of reflectix. I don't want my dome to get cold while waiting for my dinner to rehydrate. My sea to summit xmug has the measurements marked on it for dosing the hot water out.

pat

 

[flyinsquirel]

I just recently stumbled upon this site http://www.backpackingchef.com/

Haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but some of them sound good.

 

[shaun]

Here is my bar recipe some of you guys were requesting:

Ingredients
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup natural-style peanut butter or low-fat peanut butter (i use the all natural)
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups of whey protein powder (i use gasparri myofusion vanilla)
2 cups dry uncooked oatmeal (not quick cooking kind)

Directions:
Combine PB, honey and milk in a pot.
Warm over low heat.
Add protein and mix
Add the oats.
You don't want to cook it, just warm it through so you can stir it.
Add more milk if it is too thick to stir.
Press in a 9" x 13" pan.
Let the bars sit until cool

It says recipe was for 16 bars but I cut it to 8bars to double nutritional quantities. I also myself aqjust the protein content so these are just approximates goin off my book. They are the best tasting ones I have came across so far.
Totals:
Cal- 280
Fat- 16
Carb- 24
Pro- 16

 

[RockChucker30]

Thank you all for the suggestions and heads up about the MH eggs!

Becca-I'll check out the grits idea, any brand better than the others?

RockChucker-What's your recipe for the primal cereal?

1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 banana, salt and cinnamon to taste, 1/4 cup milk. I normally double.

Chop in food processor until smooth, then spread on dehydrator sheet and dry. I chop in processor again after. Then just add 1/2 cup hot water and stir.

 

[Becca]

Freezer Bag Cooking

I have been trying to come up with some new options for breakfast, as I am getting tired of oatmeal. We did some granola on our goat hunt last fall, but it was almost too sweet, and besides that pretty spendy. This afternoon I made a double batch of my own cranberry coconut granola:

I ended up using oats, dry quinoa (which adds an awesome nutty flavor and crunch), wheat chex cereal, shredded coconut, almonds, and craisens. I was able to cut down on the sugar some by using unsweetened applesauce and honey, although there is still a little brown sugar in the recipe as well. At about 40 calories per oz (or 320 calories per 1 cup serving) this should be a good way to start the day during backpack season. For in the field, i will probably prep some bags dry and some with powdered milk to make it more like breakfast cereal...

 

[gobbler1662]

i to am kinda tired of instant oat meal or pop tarts. so i have been working on another option that i think is ready. You can buy the Gallon size cans of instant potatoes shreds at walmart. I take 6oz of instant potato shreds, add 1/2 pack biskit and gravy mix, then i dehydrated jimmy dean sausage diced up and added a good two table spoons. All this goes into a zip lock bag. At camp I take zip lock and place contents into an empty moun tain house bag to re-constitue with my hot water. Wait 8-10 just like a mountain house meal and its ready to go. Only hard part is the sausage. Took all day in my dehydrater, and then I place the dehydrated sausage diced up in a freezer bag and freeze untill a few days before my trip. Then add it to the bag of shreds and gravy. Tastes great and very inexpensive to make.

 

[trk3263]

Ok my $0.02 to bump this post.

Easy Spaghetti:
Make spaghetti for dinner with some good protein in the sauce, I usually use hamburger.
Once your done with dinner blend the sauce in a blender or similar just to get all the chunks smaller.
(I find that it is easier to dehydrate and rehydrate with everything being small in size)
Now put the sauce in the dehydrator on a fruit leather tray. Once done it will look like a fruit roll-up. Break it up and put it into a DRY blender or food processor which will blend it into a powder.
Put your now powdered sauce into a snack bag and throw it in the freezer. When your ready to go throw just the noodles from Ramen noodles into a bag with your sauce.

Rehydrate just like a mountain house. This one is good and easy. (Sounds like more work than it actually is. Once you do it once you will ask why you haven't been doing it forever.)


I have a few in the freezer right now. I learned my dehydrated food stuff from Trailcooking.com website. They have a good Rehydrating 101 section too.

 

[trk3263]

Chili from a Can the light way:

Last season I went out on a limb and dehydrated some canned chili. It was real good in the BC.

1. Open a can of your favorite chili
2. Blend it to make it all the same consistency (WARNING it may look like puke)
3. Dehydrate it on a fruit leather tray until dry
4. Break up into pieces and throw in a food processor.
5. Throw in a bag and put it in the freeze until your ready to leave. (The freezer is only used in case you don't dehydrate everything completely.)
6. Rehydrate in the field just like a MH

I am big on blending big chunks only because in the past I have had some nasty meals that had a big chunk perfect but the little chunks were like rock hard from being over done due to waiting on the big chunks drying.)

 

[trk3263]

Thanksgiving on the Trail - From the Freezer Bag Cooking Cookbook
(This is the meal that HOOKED all my Hunting Partners making meals)

In a quart freezer bag put:
1 1/2 cups instant stuffing
In a second freezer bag put:
1 packet gravy (1 cup size)
Also take:
1 teaspoon of olive oil (1 packet)
1 pouch of chicken (7 oz) (If you want to drop weight dehydrate a can or pouch of chicken)
In camp: Put olive oil and 1 1/4 cups near boiling water into the stuffing bag
and mix. Put chicken into gravy bag, add 1 cup near boiling water and stir.
Place both bags in a cozy for 5-10 minutes. Pour the chicken over the stuffing
and serve.
Yield: Serves 1-2


Added notes by me:
We also have added dried cranberry's (Craisins) to this recipe and it is awesome!

I have read you should keep a small amount of Olive Oil in your pack. It can be added to just about any food for calories without ruining the flavor.
Olive oil is a very popular food with ultralight backpackers because it is so weight efficient and because it is quite easy to pack. For example, olive oil has 240 calories per once making it very calorically dense. By comparison, other backpacking foods provide you with far less than 100 calories per ounce, if you are lucky <-- http://sectionhiker.com/good-trail-food-olive-oil/

 

[unm1136]

And you can get packets of an olive oil blend (olive and canola) at most Subway sandwich shops.

pat

 

[Brandon Pattison]

Great additions!

 

[slim9300]

Here's a great recipe that I had tonight. This is perfect for dehydrating. I'm going to add it to my list of backcountry meals.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

 

[Ray]

I just experimented with Taproot brand sprouted rice and quinoa. Cooked, then dehydrated, then rehydrated with boiling water. I tossed in a bullion cube and a handful of dried bell pepper, mushrooms, and olives. After a 15min soak, about half the rice was normal, but the other half was still crunchy. Edible but it might not be a good back country meal.

The dried veggies were good. Mushrooms were a little slimy but good.

I have mixed up a couple experiments using mashed potato mixes with powdered milk and spices. Not too bad and easy to prepare.

 

[Ray]

Thai Kitchen thin rice noddles - 2.5oz
dehydrated spaghetti sauce - 1oz
Dehydrated Italian spice ground turkey - 1.5oz
1 tbl Parmesan cheese

Add 1 3/4 cups boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Make sure you use a stout vacuum bag as the rice noodles will puncture a ziplock bag.

This makes a full 16oz bowl of spaghetti. It takes a while for the turkey to rehydrate.

Make sure you follow the dehydrator food prep tips on backpacking chef dot com.

I bought most the stuff on sale, so for about $12 I have about 4 to 5 meals worth of supplies.

 

[gulicemo]

Venison Stroganoff from http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/beef-stroganoff

I used:
3/4 cup dehydrated venison
3/4 cup Barilla Elbows; These cook in a coozy after about 20 minutes.
1 tbl spoon powdered butter
1/4 cup dehydrated mushrooms
2 tbl spoon dehydrated onions
3 tbl spoon dried milk
1 tbl spoon flower
1 tbl spoon McCormic stroganoff seasoning

Put it all in a quart freezer zip lock. When re hydrating, cover ingredients with boiling water and put in a cozy for 20-30 minutes. A little more water = more soupy, a little less water = more gooy.


Mexican rice, beans and chicken as mentioned above.
This recipe is simple easy and tasty.

This is how I put it together:
Dehydrate 4 cans of black beans.
Dehydrate 4 cans of chicken.
Mix in a quart zip lock freezer bag:

2/3 cup dehydrated beans
2/3 cup instant brown rice
1/2 cup dehydrated chicken
McCormick taco seasoning to taste

Cover in boiling water, place in cozy 20 min to re hydrate. Serve straight or on a tortilla

Venison couscous pasta
2/3 cup plain couscous
3/4 cup dehydrated ground venison
1/2 cup powdered marinara sauce as shown earlier in this thread.

Couscous hydrates really fast, so you can eat this meal after letting it sit only 5 minutes. To up the calories, add olive oil after hydrating. This makes it ever more delicious.

 

[HellsCanyon]

Just got done putting this in the dehydrator. Always been a big chilimac fan... Think it's going to turn out great cause it's a bit over seasoned at this point.

1.5 lb elk burger
1/2 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
14 oz can tomato sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can pinto beans(drained)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups pasta noodles.

Brown and drain burger, add everything but noodles and pinto beans. Let it reduce on simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add pinto beans last 5-10 minutes. Boil pasta noodles until cooked, drain and add to the meat and sauce. Let it heat back up to a simmer and call it good!

Mike