A Vegan's Advice for Bonnaroo
A call for recipes!
I'm building a list of the best Bonnaroo recipes (meat, vegan, dessert, etc) in existence. Send me your recipe, a picture of your dish - if you have it, and your name and mailing address via Facebook or at bonnaroochris@gmail.com. I'll send a gift to each of the recipes picked. I'm suddenly hungry.
» A Vegan's Advice for Bonnaroo
By Raylon Smith, attended 2010-2013
Nothing invokes the image of ‘hippie’ more quickly than saying the word “Vegan”. Go ahead, try not to picture a long haired, unkempt, hemp-sandaled nature-boy after saying the “V” word aloud. And you know what else hippies like? Camping and music! So where better to combine these three wonderful things than Bonnaroo, right? After all, they do a lot to promote their 4-day low-footprint music festival in the hot, hot heat of a Tennessee summer. They have an expansive recycling program, compost bins around most of the food vendor areas, and even some on-site farming. Fortunately for the modern day hippie, the vegan options at Bonnaroo were better than your average county fair, if not by much.
Sure, 80% of the veg fare was deep fried. ‘Cause when I’m awake at 8am and already drenched with sweat due to the 85 degree+ heat there’s certainly nothing I want more than a deep fried curly potato to kickstart my day. This is my main gripe, lack of diversity. Listen, I know it’s hard to keep fresh food fresh in the middle of a sweltering field for 4-days, but I wasn’t even sure I could trust the smoothies to be dairy free, much less that deep fried thing sitting out for who knows how long. So even the option of a nice salad or cold veggie sandwiches would go a long way. This brings me to ...
Let’s face it, there’s no cookin’ like home cookin’. Not only are you saving the animals by making your own veg food to bring, you’re cutting back on the resources it takes for other people to bring all those, uhh, potatoes to the festival for you, AND you’ll easily save $10 plus time wasted every time you’re stomach demands sustenance if you’re eating what you brought instead of what you buy. Amongst other things I’ll mention in a bit, I suggest stocking up on almond milk & cereal, great for breakfast or a midnight snack. Plus you can use the almond milk to wash down a brownie. Also, a jar of peanut butter & jelly with a loaf of bread is also sure to get some use.
If you want that field green salad with diced cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and hemp seeds to stay appealing you’ll need a cool cooler. So, a layer of dry ice (see "Dry Ice" above for tips) on the bottom of your cooler topped with regular ice to re-stock your food coolers will ensure you can keep that salad from turning into a pile of green mush, provided you package the dressing on the side. Just make sure all your food containers are waterproof or bring large Ziplocs to prevent them from getting waterlogged.
Each person in our 4-strong posse each contributed a large dish. Along with an assortment of fruit like bananas, blueberries, sliced apples, we had a big green salad w/fresh cut veggies, penne pasta salad w/sundried tomatoes & pine nuts, vegan lasagna, and vegan brownies. All of these foods are yummy straight from the cooler. You’re body will thank you for anything fresh you can bring and we all know cold leftovers are often the best. That said, mom’s casserole may be yummy, but when it’s congealed from the cooler it’s not that appetizing, so choose your recipes wisely. Things you can use to compliment food on-site come in very handy - like chips or crackers, mixed spices or nutritional yeast for your pizza, or Emergen-C to liven up that free water - will stretch your food dollar.
It’s easy to get carried away and forget that after you come out from under the shade of That Tent you’re going to be hungry and a hot 20-minute walk from your cooler. So, make the time when you wake up (or anytime you’re at camp) to eat a little something, and if you can sneak in a Cliff Bar or some peanut butter pretzels in your Utilikilt that should tide you over until those $7 beers begin to fill up your stomach. All that energy you burn going back to camp or wandering around looking for food just wears you down, costs you precious time, and possibly the experience of seeing the devil himself make a guest appearance during the Tenacious D set.
2010 being my first year, I realized only on the third day there was a Rastafarian vendor (pictured below) offering up a mock-meat jerk style wrap that had fresh veggies on it. Had I walked around during the early parts of the days I would have had a better idea what I could get inside when I needed something to keep me going. An empty-ish daytime concert field is WAY different than it is at night when it’s packed with thousands of meandering drunks (hello, mirror). So having a few strategically located spots picked out from an early afternoon scout trip will keep you from having to settle for the sake of your stomach.
Let’s face it folks, Bonnaroo is a vacation; a grueling, hot, exhausting, expensive vacation. And while you’re on vacation you’re supposed to have fun. This is how I justify $7 beers and spending $300 before I even leave Florida. In that spirit, don’t fret if you have to drop some dough inside to keep fuel in the tank. Enjoy the occasional deep fried delicacy with your beer, they can be tasty and you’ll burn it off at 2am in the Silent Disco. In addition to funnel cake and samosas, I heard there were veggie corn dogs. If you’re fortunate enough to be in the VIP area I’ve heard there are a few additional options like a vegan pizza, veggie burger, and even a cool crisp salad. Outside of that there are also a selection of Indian and Asian-themed options. I saw a vegan spicy-peanut noodle dish, and some curries, but these didn’t attract me enough to try them out. I saw a photo on Vegan Good Things that reminded me the one thing I regret I missed was trying the breakfast from a place called “Bearly Edible”, I presume they had a tofu scramble or the like.
Don’t let it beat you down, bring a bodacious belly busting banquet! Remember you are what you eat, literally. And when you’re putting yourself through the Roo, you need good fuel to keep you going.
facebook.com/RaylonS
Post script
By Chris
I wanted to share two recipes that I use each year. (See below). Also, I'm issuing a call for the best Bonnaroo recipes (meat, vegan, dessert, etc) in existence. Send me your recipe, a picture of your dish - if you have it, and your name and mailing address via Facebook or at bonnaroochris@gmail.com. I'll send a gift to each of the recipes picked.
While at Bonnaroo, I've made everything from NY strip steak & potatoes for dinner to a bacon & egg breakfast in the morning. [For heat, I use a single-burner butane campstove and a propane flat-top grill.] I will say that it is hot, even in the evenings and the last thing you want to do is stand over a stove. I now bring pre-packaged dishes. Everyone in the group contributes a dish, maybe pasta or veggie based - packaged in tupperware, ready to re-heat or if its too hot the meal is still good cold.
I bring fresh fruit like grapes, apples, avocados and berries to help stay hydrated. Snacks like fresh cheese, chips & salsa and anything with peanut butter keep me happy. My annual treat that I purchase in Centeroo is the frozen mocha latte.
Two Recipes:
Chris' Veggie Lasagna
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
3 Garlic Cloves (or minced from a jar)
1 Large Onion - chopped
2 Yellow, Red or Green Peppers - chopped
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1 container of sliced mushrooms - roughly chop
1 package of mozzarella cheese ( or dairy free cheese "daiya" cheddar)
6 small green zucchini, trimmed & thinly sliced
6 small yellow squash, trimmed & thinly sliced
3 large carrots, trimmed & thinly sliced
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
6-12 large basil leaves
Want it Spicy? Add red pepper flakes
- Serves 4 to 6 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a big bowl mix: tomato sauce, garlic, onion, peppers, thyme, mushrooms, salt & pepper and 1/2 package of cheese together. Set aside.
• Spray shallow baking dish with Pam or rub with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Spread a light layer of the tomato mixture in the baking dish. Layer each of the vegetables with a tomato layer in between. (if using basil leaves, add them in the middle somewhere) Top with 1/2 of remaining cheese. Layer tomatoes, add spread remaining cheese. Cover with tin foil. (cheese may stick to tin foil, so wrap lightly.)
• Bake: 40 minutes to an 1-hour. It's usually done or really close to done as soon as I smell it cooking. I still set the timer for an hour, but my nose normally wins.• Let it cool for 10 minutes before putting it in the fridge overnight. Once cooled, cut into portion sizes and put in a tuperware contatiner.
• In a big bowl mix: tomato sauce, garlic, onion, peppers, thyme, mushrooms, salt & pepper and 1/2 package of cheese together. Set aside.
• Spray shallow baking dish with Pam or rub with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Spread a light layer of the tomato mixture in the baking dish. Layer each of the vegetables with a tomato layer in between. (if using basil leaves, add them in the middle somewhere) Top with 1/2 of remaining cheese. Layer tomatoes, add spread remaining cheese. Cover with tin foil. (cheese may stick to tin foil, so wrap lightly.)
• Bake: 40 minutes to an 1-hour. It's usually done or really close to done as soon as I smell it cooking. I still set the timer for an hour, but my nose normally wins.• Let it cool for 10 minutes before putting it in the fridge overnight. Once cooled, cut into portion sizes and put in a tuperware contatiner.
Lasagna Tips:
- For more taste, saute the garlic, onion, peppers and mushrooms before adding to mixture. Experiment and saute with different spices like basil, garlic powder, Monterey Steak Seasoning, cumin, rosemary.
- Easy substitutes: frozen corn & peas, frozen chopped onions & frozen mushrooms.
- Bonnaroo does not allow campfires but if you going where you can have one, wrap each portion really well in tin foil. Then put them in a ziplock sandwich container to keep the ice water out of the foil during transport. When ready to eat, remove from ziplock and place in the fire pit on hot coals - flip after 30 minutes. The tinfoil also serves as a plate! :) (be careful that you don't cut yourself licking it!)
- For more taste, saute the garlic, onion, peppers and mushrooms before adding to mixture. Experiment and saute with different spices like basil, garlic powder, Monterey Steak Seasoning, cumin, rosemary.
- Easy substitutes: frozen corn & peas, frozen chopped onions & frozen mushrooms.
- Bonnaroo does not allow campfires but if you going where you can have one, wrap each portion really well in tin foil. Then put them in a ziplock sandwich container to keep the ice water out of the foil during transport. When ready to eat, remove from ziplock and place in the fire pit on hot coals - flip after 30 minutes. The tinfoil also serves as a plate! :) (be careful that you don't cut yourself licking it!)
Chris' Bonnaroo Breakfast
One tupperware container per breakfast:
- 4-5 slices of fresh mozzerlla cheese
- 1 small bunch of grapes
- 1 half of a blueberry bagel
or 1/2 cup of granola
- Coffee