Wheat free menus

[Dimeo Train]

Has anyone made a menu or knows of a resource for backpacking recipes that are wheat / gluten free? Gluten free seems to be a rising trend for health reasons.

Typically foods made with wheat flour like flatbreads, hard tack, crackers, pasta are popular foods to pack. A lot of freeze dried meals have gluten in them. It seems like the selection of rice crackers is pretty limited in comparison to wheat. But no more goldfish crackers for me or tortilla wraps for me :( Any recommended "ready to eat" foods that are good for packing which are gluten free? Thanks guys!

I pack trail mix, fruit snacks, baby bell cheese, Uncle Ben's Rice entrees, powdered hummus spread, asian rice noodles for soup. I have a dehydrator and vacsealer and have made some decent rice and bean mixes using it. I'll have to share some on BPL soon.

I'm hoping to find a good gluten free biscotti / hard tack recipe. I'm amazed how well it keeps for long periods of time when vacsealed.

Can anyone recommend a gluten free dehydrated "mountain house" type powdered meal?
I've not done it before but I like the idea of buying a large tin in bulk which I can reseal into smaller portions with my vac sealer for some cost savings over the usual $8 per portion.

Thanks guys!

[Terran Terran]

I use equal parts of coconut, almond, and oat flour with a couple teaspons of powdered butter and powdered cream. I'll add wheat germ, cocoa, chia, cinnamon, fruit…along with egg and oil. Red palm oil and virgin coconut oil
The egg and the oat flour are what hold it all together. Could probably use powdered egg.
Sprinkle the top with maple sugar mixed with date sugar.

[Greg Mihalik]

"Gluten free seems to be a rising trend for health reasons."

IF you have a sensitivity.

Otherwise, it is just marketing.

[Diane Pinkers]

What Greg said. Most of the gluten free products are super heavy on starches and other heavily processed grain products. Ì am sensitive, but most of the time I avoid eating bread, crackers, etc., because they are no healthier. For trail food, I make my own, and use minute rice, potato flakes, dehydrated quinoa, or freeze dried beans/lentils as a base. Lunch is the hardest. I may take multi-grain crackers, and if I am really craving a tortilla, Mission has come out with a tortilla that holds up well. It is all starches, and feels like empty food, but it doesn't shred when I wrap it like most other gluten-free tortillas. Lots of time I take dehydrated salads, rehydrating them when I stop for midmorning break. Or just snack on bars, jerky, salami and trail mix.

[Michael Gunderloy]

Outdoor Herbivore has some gluten-free offerings: http://outdoorherbivore.com/gluten-free/

[Kate Magill]

Annie's Bunny Snacks come in a couple gluten-free varieties that are surprisingly tasty; I bought the Snickerdoodle flavor recently and didn't even realize they were wheat-less. Good caloric density too.

[Ed Tyanich]

Alpine Aire has a number of GF freeze dried meals that are very good.
http://www.alpineaire.com

[Alexander S]

Why gluten free? Have you been diagnosed with celiac disease by a GI specialist? It affects ca. 5-6 % of the population.

If you do not have this, you are not gluten intolerant, just as you do not suddenly have mitrocardial valve regurgitation without underlying heart disease.

Contrary to popular beliefs, gluten free diet is actually not more healthy as it deprives the food of the primary protein value.

Some people feel better on a gluten free diet because they are really just cutting down on carbs and additives commonly found in frozen pizzas, etc.

[Terran Terran]

On the other hand, adding a LIMITED amount of nut and other flours to your diet can be quite healthy and delicious. My favorite flour is homemade from local honey mesquite. Sweet cinnamin flavor. South American mesquite is also flavorable. Not near as good though. Lot of fiber. Not something you want to try for the first time out on the trail if you get my drift. No pun intended.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

http://www.trailcooking.com/recipe-home/gluten-free/ There you go….

[Adam White]

Maltodextrin?

I don't mean to fan the flames of a malto war, but Google tells me that it is gluten free. That (and Pringles…) are the carbs I mainly subsist on while backpacking.

Not for everybody, but works for me. I find "meals" to be too fiddly. I just need to cram food down my gullet.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I wouldn't exactly call Maltodextrin "food", but hey…each to their own ;-)

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I bring a wheat-free menu when I backpack. I basically make dried veggies and dried meats and then use various rice products, freeze-dried corn and peas, or mashed potatoes as starchy foods. I also dehydrate cooked sweet potatoes (the yellow and the orange kind). Just steam them, mash them and smear the potatoes on parchment to dry. After they're dried, I take the sharp edges off in the blender. Celery root and winter squashes made the same way are pretty good, too. This means I eat a lot of rehydrated meals for both lunch and dinner. Just start soaking lunch at breakfast.

Sushi nori sheets make good wrappers for various fillings. I've put all kinds of stuff in them, not just Japanese-flavored stuff.

I've also seen these excruciatingly expensive "paleo wraps" at the health food store that look interesting. Not interesting enough to pay so much for them, but maybe if I were desperate for a tortilla-like thing for wrapping goodies. The vegan/raw department also has some interesting "flat breads", like onion poppyseed flat bread, that cost a fortune and look sort of like crackers.

As for crackers and snacks, you might try a Japanese market. They have a lot of treats made with rice, sesame and other non-wheat ingredients.

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