Spiced Apple Walnut Breakfast Couscous
Couscous cooks off the flame, so the stove is free for coffee.
- calories
- 480
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 137
- protein
- 9 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 7 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 240 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.
- Breakfast
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant couscous | 1/2 cup | plain or whole wheat |
|---|---|---|
| Dried apples | 1/2 cup | chopped small so they rehydrate in the same five minutes |
| Walnuts | 1/4 cup | rough chopped, carried in their own bag |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Butter | 2 tsp | coconut oil if the days are warm |
| Maple syrup | 1 tbsp | optional, in a small bottle |
Method
- Bring 240 ml of water to a boil.
- Stir in the salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon until they dissolve, then add the dried apples.
- Pull the pot off the stove. Add the couscous, stir once, put the lid on, and leave it five minutes.
- Fluff with a spoon and work in the butter while the pot is still hot.
- Top each bowl with walnuts and a drizzle of syrup. Eat before it stiffens.
Couscous is really just wheat that has already been cooked and dried, so it needs steeping rather than simmering. That means one boil, then the stove is yours again for coffee while breakfast finishes under a lid. The dried apples go in with the hot water, not after, so they get the full five minutes to soften.
The walnuts and butter are what make it a meal instead of sweet porridge. Fat and a little protein hold you past the first hour of walking, and the nuts stay crunchy only if they never sit in the pot. Keep them in their own bag and add them at the bowl.
Packing
Couscous, apples, sugar, cinnamon, and salt go in one bag per two servings. Walnuts ride separately or they go soft. Butter in a small screw-top tub, syrup in a dropper bottle.
Variations
- Two tablespoons of powdered milk in the dry mix makes it creamier without a cooler.
- Swap the walnuts for pepitas to keep it nut-free.
- Dried cranberries or chopped dates in place of half the apple.
https://camprecipes.com/spiced-apple-walnut-breakfast-couscous