Cranberry Walnut Quinoa
Quinoa cooked with the pot lid doing the work, then loaded with dried fruit, nuts, and oil.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 3.1 oz
- cal / oz
- 135
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 475 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
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Quinoa | 1 cup | rinse and dry it at home so it does not go bitter |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 2 cups | hold the 1:2 ratio, everything else is loose |
| Dried cranberries | 1/2 cup | any dried fruit works, chop the big pieces |
| Walnuts | 1/2 cup | crushed, or swap pecans or sunflower seeds |
| Dried chives or freeze-dried scallions | 2 tbsp | stands in for the fresh bunch |
| Olive oil | 1/4 cup | dropper or leakproof bottle |
| Vinegar | 2 tbsp | sherry or red wine, in a small bottle; vinegar powder also works |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Put the quinoa and 475 ml of water in the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Boil uncovered for five minutes, then pull it off the heat and clamp the lid on.
- Leave it fifteen minutes without lifting the lid. The residual heat finishes it and you save fuel.
- Fluff it, then stir in the cranberries, walnuts, and chives.
- Pour the oil and vinegar over, season, and stir until every grain is coated. Eat hot, or let it sit and eat it cold.
Quinoa is a good trail grain because it cooks in twenty minutes and most of that is off the stove. Five minutes of boil and fifteen minutes sitting under a lid gets you the same result as simmering the whole time, on a fraction of the fuel. The 1:2 grain-to-water ratio is the one number worth holding to; everything after it is by feel.
The original called for a bunch of fresh scallions, which is a fridge item. Dried chives carry the same sharp note and weigh nothing. Oil and vinegar are the real reason this works cold the next day: the fat keeps the grains from clumping into a brick, and the acid keeps it from tasting flat once it cools.
Packing
Quinoa in one bag, cranberries, walnuts, and chives premixed in another. Oil and vinegar in separate leakproof bottles, packed upright in a side pocket.
Variations
- Blueberries and pecans in place of cranberries and walnuts.
- A foil packet of chicken or a scoop of freeze-dried beans if you want the protein higher.
- Skip the vinegar and use lemon powder plus a pinch of sugar.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/cranberry-walnut-quinoa-salad-hot-or-cold