Squash and Sprouts with Candied Pecans
Freeze-dried squash and sprouts rehydrated in one pot, with maple pecans made at home.
- calories
- 610
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 136
- protein
- 11 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 400 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
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried or dehydrated butternut squash cubes | 3/4 cup | cut small, big cubes never rehydrate |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated Brussels sprouts | 1/2 cup | halved and dried cut-side down at 135F |
| Coconut oil | 1 tbsp | solid below 76F, fine in a small jar |
| Cinnamon | 1/4 tsp | |
| Nutmeg | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | a pinch | |
| Chopped pecans | 1/3 cup | |
| Ghee | 1 tbsp | for the pecans, at home |
| Maple syrup | 1 tbsp | for the pecans, at home |
| Soy sauce or coconut aminos | 1/2 tsp | coconut aminos if you need gluten-free |
| Dried cranberries | 3 tbsp |
Method
- At home, melt the ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the maple syrup and aminos.
- Add the pecans and cranberries and stir for about three minutes, until the glaze coats everything and stops running.
- Spread on parchment, cool completely, then bag them. They go hard and separate as they cool.
- In camp, pour 400 ml of water over the squash and sprouts in the pot. Bring to a boil, then cut the heat and cover.
- Wait ten minutes. Squash takes longer than you think; poke a cube before you commit.
- Drain off whatever water is left, or drink it. Stir in the coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Dump the pecans and cranberries over the top and eat.
This started as a sheet-pan Thanksgiving side, which does not travel. The oven was doing two jobs: caramelizing the vegetables and candying the nuts. Only the second one survives a trip, so it moves to the kitchen at home, where the glaze can cool hard and stay that way in a bag.
The vegetables get dried instead of roasted. You lose the browning and there is no honest way around that. What you keep is the spice and fat, which is most of what made the original work. Coconut oil goes in after the heat is off so it coats rather than fries, and the pecans go on last so they are still crunchy when the spoon reaches them.
Packing
Vegetables and spices go in one bag, candied pecans in another. Keep them apart until the pot is off the heat or the glaze dissolves into the squash and you lose the crunch.
Variations
- Add a packet of instant mashed potatoes to soak up the water and turn this into a heavier dinner.
- Dried rosemary or thyme, a pinch, if you want it savory instead of sweet.
- Swap the ghee for more coconut oil to make the whole thing vegan.
https://mealswithmaria.site/oven-baked-butternut-squash-and-brussels-sprouts