Ready to hit the trails but without the beef jerky? Here are a few vegetarian backpacking recipes you can try, along with some simple snack foods.

Olive Oil Noodles

This is a simple recipe that you don't need to write down. Bring a small bag of spices (whatever kinds you like), some dried vegetables, pasta and olive oil. Soak the dried vegetables while you are setting up camp. Then cook them along with the pasta. Drain and add the spices, salt and olive oil for a delicious dinner.

If you bring the thinnest pasta you can find - something like angel hair spaghetti - it will save some time, fuel and trouble cooking. If you want to dress up the meal a bit more and you are backpacking in the southwest, you can collect some pinon pine nuts to add. Parmesan cheese is another nice addition, and can be carried for days if kept out of the hot sun.

The Simplest Soups

Most grocery stores carry dry soups that just require you to pour boiling water on them. The ones in the cups take more space, but are still light and very convenient. No dishes to wash except for your spoon.

Vegetarian options are limited with these, but the good news is that there are a few. Even better news: some of the tastiest soups-in-a-cup you can get are the black bean varieties or lentil soups. Most of these have no animal products in them.

Uncooked Vegetarian Backpacking Recipes

I personally don't like to cook. In fact, I rarely even bring a stove when backpacking. Going without cooked food means no stove, no fuel, and no pans. That's less weight and fewer dishes to wash. But what about vegetarian backpacking recipes for those of us who don't want to cook?

Most snacks (with few exceptions like that beef jerky) are naturally vegetarian. For example, mix any number of dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips and cooked dry oats for an easy trail mix. You don't have to be precise about any of this or remember any recipes.

Peanut butter and wheat crackers is another high-protein high-energy backpacking food. Bread can be carried carefully and you can make sandwiches of peanut butter and wild berries. I have done this with strawberries, but peanut butter and blueberry sandwiches are my favorite.

If you eat cheese it can be carried for the first day without spoiling. Frozen "veggie dogs" can be brought as well, and will thaw out in time to cook them over the first night's fire. In other words, it doesn't have to get complicated. You can make your own simple vegetarian backpacking recipes.