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suggestions for last couple days meals that come out of cans

8.7K views 43 replies 28 participants last post by  Steve Campbell  
#1 ·
Another thread talks about freeze dry machines and some one posted about last days of say Grand Canyon floats meals that do not require coolers or expensive freeze dry machines.

The idea intrigues me. Rather than screw up the OP's thread with canned foods menu's I opened it up here.

So any one have suggestions ?
 
#20 ·
This.

I've done a late in the trip Green Curry that is completely out of cans as a late trip meal on a bunch of longer trips. You can do it entirely out of cans.... canned chicken, canned veggies, canned coconut milk, you can even get the curry paste in a can. Get the coconut milk in the large food service can and if you smash them well enough all the other cans fit inside it. Any Thai curry works for this... Masaman, Red, Yellow, Green....whichever is your favorite. If you wanna make it extra delicious.... bring a can of Coconut Cream too. I vacuum bag the rice to keep it safe.

I really like the Red Beans and Rice late in a trip too. Bring a shelf stable sausage like a Kielbasa and its a great filling and tasty meal that doesn't require a cooler. I find people get kinda sick of cooking towards the end of the trip so having something you just dump out, add water, add sausage is pretty nice.

I feel like, as long as it doesn't get too warm in the cooler.... a lot of vacuum sealed boil bag style meals will work late in a trip too, even if most or all of the ice is gone.
 
#9 ·
Zatarains Jambalaya mix is a super easy box I'll typically make late in the trip. Add a link or two of sausage (easy to keep frozen and typically already pre-cooked), can of stewed tomatoes and about 15 min. later your GTG. Colder trips I'll precook some ground turkey/beef, vacuum seal/freeze it and the make a bastard taco soup w/cans of pinto, corn, rotel, green chilis, kidney beans, package of ranch mix and cans of stewed tomatoes... super easy and easy to batch up or down.
 
#17 ·
Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas



Makes just a few, multiply amounts to match number of people



Canned chicken well drained

one can Rotel well drained

Tortillas

Shredded Mexican Cheese



spray or oil a fry pan

Fry the chicken / Rotel mix until liquids cooked out

I like to get enough of this mix cooked up to feed the group



In a fry pan or griddle, oil it up, place a tortilla on the griddle, apply chicken/rotel

mix then shredded cheese on top (you will learn the right amounts of each based

on the first Quesadillas you fry) of one side of the tortilla.

Fold over the Tortilla

Cook the Tortilla until crisp on both sides and cheese is melted. On medium heat

around 3 minutes is my experence.



Repeat till every one is fed. We usually set up an assembly line and cook to order.



At the end of the table place garnishes and let each person serve themselves.

Suggested garnishes your choice. Guac, salsa, sour cream, cilantro etc etc

You may also have some sides like Mexican Rice, Black Beans, refried beans

what ever.
 
#22 ·
I feel that with modern coolers and good cooler management this isn't as much of an issue as people make it out to be. Sometimes we do light trips with no cooler, or a softside one. In those cases, my favorite meat is canned chicken. People seem to be more agreeable to that than other canned meats. My go to meal is a white bean chicken chile, which is super easy. you can also do chicken enchiladas, and chicken and dumplings, I will also do a number of pasta dishes, like mac and cheese, or a meatless pasta with a jar of sauce. One meat that is very versatile and can make a lot of meals, but seems to generate mixed reactions, is Spam. You can google spam recipes and get about 50 different ideas. Some turn their noses up at it. I have done some meals with spam and rice, or ramen, that is sort of flavored in some sort of oriental way that have gone over well.

I do often use meats like a ham, or sausage like Hilshire farms that last a long time in a cool environment, and they seem to be better choices for late in a trip than going to all canned foods. At the end of the day if your group likes it then it is great.
 
#30 ·
Not difficult to create a Mex-out or stir fry from cans, you can even find canned tortillas if you search. But why? The real thing - esp. corn torts - lasts at least 3-4 weeks properly cared for and fried on griddle to refresh. Root veggies - onions, carrots, potatoes, beets, etc. - can easily last 3-4 weeks if you pay attention and cut any funk away (but best not to let it develop!). Cabbage is your friend. I've carried "fresh" (supermarket/Costco) eggs 3+ weeks and they taste just fine - again, properly stored and crack each individual into a sierra cup or similar container before adding to the aggregate. Canned meats I rinse in water before using unless canned in water (usually tuna&chicken, but there are others). Ham lasts months, as does bacon (see Powell, J.W.). Cook if concerned, I usually pre-cook all bacon and sausage at home so don't have to deal with grease on the river... Dried beans/polenta/rice/orzo/"instant" mashed potatoes (Ore-Ida, etc.) are all easy and FAST.

Not difficult to eat well out of cans/dried, trick is to add some fresh that "kicks" in and keeps everyone moving... (direction groover but not all at the same time). Canned fruit/juice also tastes great Day 18 on... You can make sprouts but have to pay attention - they taste great when everything else is done/gone. Always a trade-off between time and taste, and what you do at home versus on the riv'. I'm happy with olives/artichokes/crackers&cheese - until I'm not!
 
#32 ·
Green Chicken Posole from mostly cans- I've done this with a slowcooker at home but works equally well on the river in a pot or DO.

In an oiled pot, drop in canned chicken and if you have it, sliced onion and a few minced garlic cloves or sub onion/garlic powder. Saute a bit.
To said pot, add in 19 ounce can of Green Echilada sauce, a couple of 7 ounce cans of salsa verde (like Herdez), cup of chicken broth from a cube or BTB, small can green chiles, 2 x 15.5 ounce cans of white hominy, oregano, salt and cayenne/hot sauce to taste and let it slow cook for a while.

Eat on it's own or with tortillas.