Mexican Quinoa Bowl
Big on protein but light enough for long backcountry trips, this Mexican-inspired quinoa bowl is hearty and delicious while also being soy- and gluten-free.
Ingredients
Base
- 200 g quinoa
- 100 g bean flakes
- 20 g dehydrated vegetables
Spice Mix
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp tomato soup powder
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Pinch cinnamon
- salt to taste
Instructions
At Home
- Package the base ingredients and the spice mix separately. Package the salt in a separate container if you want to add it to taste.
At Camp
- Dump the base ingredients into one pot with 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Keep stirring here and there to prevent it from sticking to the pot. Add more water if it starts getting too thick.
- When it's close to done, say after 10 minutes, it's time to add the spices. But first, check if it's too watery; if so, drain some out. Then add the spice blend, mix, cover and let it cook till completion.
Notes
- You can tell that the quinoa is al dente when it looks mostly translucent with a white spot in the centre (for an example, see the photo above). Once it's cooked through, that white spot will disappear. Depending on your altitude, it can take up to 15-20 mins for quinoa to fully cook. Replace with instant quinoa for a faster cook time.
- I'd suggest adding the spices towards the end. The tomato soup powder will start to thicken, which can increase the risk of everything sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. This way, you can also control how soupy the final dish is.
- Don't add the spices after turning the stove off though; make sure to mix everything together and let it heat through, say for 2-3 minutes. This helps get rid of the raw taste of the spices, and combine flavours properly.