Cowpea and Millet Pot
Black-eyed peas and millet cooked down with sunflower seeds and oil. One pot, no wheat.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 18 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Millet | 1/2 cup | rinse and dry it at home so it does not go bitter |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated black-eyed peas | 1/2 cup | instant refried style rehydrates fastest |
| Hulled sunflower seeds | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Bouillon powder | 1 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika and black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried onion flakes | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil with the bouillon, onion flakes, and paprika stirred in.
- Add the millet. Simmer on the lowest flame the stove will hold for twelve minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not weld to the pot.
- Stir in the black-eyed peas. Cook four more minutes, then kill the heat and cover the pot for five.
- Fold in the sunflower seeds and pour the oil over the top. Add water by the splash if it went stiff.
Millet is the underused trail grain. It costs about the same as rice, cooks in the same pot, and holds more fat without turning to paste, which matters when the calories are coming from oil and seeds rather than the grain itself. It is also free of wheat, so this one goes to people who cannot eat couscous or ramen.
The black-eyed peas go in late on purpose. Dehydrated legumes rehydrate faster than millet cooks, and adding them at the start just means twenty minutes of them falling apart. Sunflower seeds off the heat keep some crunch; stir them in early and they soften into the mash.
Packing
Millet, peas, bouillon, onion, and spices premix into one bag. Sunflower seeds ride separately so they stay crisp, and the oil stays in its own bottle.
Variations
- A spoonful of instant chicory or coffee in the broth darkens it and cuts the sweetness of the millet.
- Swap the millet for quick-cooking rolled oats and the cook time drops to five minutes, though the texture goes soft.
https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2026/08/10/nassau-county-demonstration-garden