Spanish Rice and Beans Trail Bag

Ingredients

0 of 14 out on the counter

• ½ cup instant white rice, dry
• ¼ cup fine bulgur, dry
• 40 g dehydrated pinto bean flakes, no salt added
• 12 g tomato powder
• 2 tbsp dried onion flakes
• 4 g dried red bell pepper pieces
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 2 tsp olive oil, carried in a small leakproof bottle
• 1½ cups water, boiled at camp

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1At home, weigh the rice, bulgur, bean flakes, tomato powder, onion flakes and red pepper into one quart freezer bag, then add the paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Seal and shake for 30 seconds until the color is even. Pour the olive oil into a small leakproof bottle. Together they are one dinner for one hiker, about 166 g dry.
2. 2At camp, filter or purify the water first. Bring 1½ cups (355 g) to a full rolling boil. Colorado State puts boiling at 203 °F at 5,000 ft, against 212 °F at sea level, and a Boulder trail starts higher than that.
3. 3Tip the bag into a pot or an insulated mug with a lid, add the olive oil, then pour in the boiling water and stir once, scraping the corners.
4. 4Cover and let it sit 15 minutes. Above 5,000 ft give it 20 minutes, because the water is cooler. Both times are our kitchen estimate and untested here, not a source's. Stir, and eat when the rice and bulgur are tender and no hard bean flakes are left.
5. 5Eat it within 2 hours of adding the water, or within 1 hour if it is above 90 °F out. Do not carry the wet leftovers on.