Name: Three Bean Chili Mac
Brand: Peak Refuel
610 calories/136g = 4.5 cal/g
Peak Refuel was my favorite freeze-dried brand before I was a vegetarian. I didn’t like all their stuff but in general I really thought they had some of the best textures on the meal overall and meat in particular.
But after I went vegetarian, the pickings were slim from them at REI so I stopped looking in that section. Also, this is not my go-to meal type, vegetarian or not. Usually a chili mac leaves me gassy and is very one note.
I was intrigued by the inclusion of vegetables and sweet chili sauce so I decided to give it a try. It was not at all what I expected…
The texture was really nice. The pasta came out really well cooked and the corn and pepper pieces were also decent. The beans were kinda chalky, they maybe could use more time (I think I used the recommended time on this).
But the strangest thing was, I couldn’t taste a sauce at all. It kinda tasted like well salted pasta, beans, and veggies. This wasn’t necessarily bad, some dishes mask the crappiness of their ingredients with the sauce. The ingredients were really great but I kept looking around for a sauce packet that I had forgotten to add (I didn’t). But on the other hand, I felt really healthy but also filled up when I finished the meal. Sometimes, this is a great thing on the trail.
Would you eat again: Yes. It was a a bit bland, but I really liked how it tasted like real food and not a pasty mush.