I have been going backpacking in the mountains and this meal has become a staple of ours over the last few years. When planning meals for back country backpacking, it is important to pick foods that need minimal refrigeration, are lightweight, and doesn't take a up a lot of space. It's also important to pick food that tastes good and is nutritious! Quinoa fits all of these criteria!

Step 1: Ingredients

You will need the following:
-quinoa
-water
-dried veggies
-oil
-spices or flavoring of your choice
-turkey jerky (optional)

The amount we made was enough for 4 people, you might make more or less depending on the number of people you are cooking for. I encourage you to try this recipe before you leave for your trip so you can accurately gauge how much quinoa to bring.

Step 2: Measure and Boil Water

To cook quinoa, you generally need 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa. To measure how much water we would need, we poured our quinoa into a cup, made a note of how full the cup was, then poured it into another bowl and set it aside. Using the same cup you just measured your quinoa in, you can now get a good idea of how much water to add. Once you have added twice as much water as quinoa, add a bit more. Boiling the water at a high altitude leads to a lot of evaporation and the dried vegetables will also soak up a lot of water.
Boil the water on your camp stove.

Step 3: Cook the Quinoa

Add a drizzle of oil to the water and bring to a roiling boil. Add the quinoa and return to a boil and cook for a few minutes. Usually quinoa instructions are something like "turn heat down, cover and let simmer" but our backpacking stove has one setting and that setting is "high" so we just partially covered the pot and stirred it occasionally to keep it from burning.

Step 4: Add in Spices, Veggies and Meat

Once the quinoa has been cooking for a few minutes, add in the spices, stir, and cover the pot to let the quinoa cook some more. Stir in the veggies and let the quinoa finish cooking. You might need to add in a bit more water if the veggies soak it all up and the quinoa is still crunchy. Right before serving, tear up some turkey jerky and stir it in. Obviously, if you are vegetarian or something, don't include the jerky, but it is a nice touch if you're not.