Nile Spice Black Bean Soup and Fixin's - $1.56

Aside from being a great recipe, this one illustrates a point. The Nile Spice soup is $1.39 for 170 calories. If I tried to get 3,000 calories in a day from this type of meal, it would cost over $23. Still, I REALLY like the spices in the Nile Spice soup, so I can add some things at a low cost to bring the calorie count up to 300 and not bust my $5.00/day budget if I'm careful with the other meals.

A lot of the prepared soups and things are low in fat which is great for dieting at home, but not so good for backpacking where the energy needs are higher. So, I added things with an eye towards increasing fat content. They also have too few calories to maintain energy on the trail, so I bring it up to 300.

Many like to just add hot water to dehydrated meals. I find they are tastier if the water is added cold and they are heated in the pot. For this one, put everything in the pot and heat it slowly. If you want stew, just add enough water to cover it. For soup, add more water.