Being gluten-free, it’s super hard to find healthy, quick and easy instant meals for when you’re on the go or for those days where you just don’t have enough time to make lunch. (Not only that, but for me there’s really only one place near my office where I can actually eat on those days when I don’t bring a lunch.)
Last year, I discovered Wok Fresh and Backcountry Wok at the Toronto One of a Kind show and instantly (pun not intended) became hooked. They make vegan, dehydrated meals – you just add water and go!
The company is based out of Ottawa, the owners are avid campers and backpackers and first started experimenting with making their own dehydrated meals in 2017 for their backpacking trips. From there, Backcountry Wok was born! They currently have 3 flavours (more on that later) and even make an effort to source ingredients from local producers. They also work with a dietician and chef when creating new meals so that everything is properly balanced while tasting great.
What I really loved about these meals is that they’re all made with fresh, dehydrated ingredients. Dehydrating removes the water by using low heat over a long period of time to dry out the ingredients, so there is no nasty chemicals or preserves in the meals. They’re also super simple to make:
Step 1: boil water and pour it into the bag up to the fill line (1.5 cups).
Step 2: Seal the bag and shake it occasionally, wait for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Enjoy!
Another thing that I really loved about their products is that they’re all made in compostable packaging, making the zero-waste meals. How awesome is that?! They have two flavours that are gluten free, I tried both of them.
The Original Fried Rice
Their Original Fried Rice meal is definitely comfort in cup, it’s super delicious and as odd as it might sound it just left me feeling so content. It’s packed full of fresh ingredients and a homemade vegetable bouillon. Below is the ingredient list and product description from their website:
Product description: Nothing says comfort food like The Original Fried Rice. Filled with fresh vegetables, soya puffs and our homemade vegetable bouillon — just the way Mom makes it.
Ingredients list: Ingredients: Rice, carrots, zucchinis, soya puffs (water, soyabeans, canola oil, rice flour, magnesium chloride), white button mushrooms, homemade vegetable bouillon (parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, thyme, black pepper, celery seed) [does not contain gluten, nuts or dairy, but made in a shared kitchen where these ingredients are processed].
Thai Green Curry
The Thai Green Curry meal is a perfect balance of spicy and sweet. If I had to pick a favourite out of the two, it would be this one. I’m a huge fan of anything that is made with garlic, lemongrass and turmeric. Below is the info from their website:
Product description: Our take on the classic Thai-inspired green curry. The perfect balance of spiciness and sweetness. Our green curry is infused with all the right herbs and flavours for a mouth-watering, aromatic experience with every bite!
Ingredients: Rice, carrots, zucchinis, white button mushrooms, coconut cream powder, green chillis, shallot, lemongrass, salt, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime peel, cumin powder, coriander seeds, turmeric.
The third flavour is Bibimbap, otherwise known as Korean fried rice (not gluten free).
I’m so excited that they’ll be at the Toronto One of a Kind Show once again this November, and I can’t wait to stock up on these guys! If you’re headed to the show this year, be sure to stop by their booth in the Flavours section and try some samples so you can experience these tasty meals for yourself!
For those of you who can’t make it to the Toronto One of a Kind Show, you’re still in luck – not only do they ship across Canada, but I’m also stoked to let you all know that I’ve teamed up with Wok Fresh for a giveaway! To enter, check out the form below. Good luck!
While I may have received compensation and/or product mentioned in this post, the opinions and text are all mine. This post may also contains affiliate links.
