DIY Trail Foods. Quinoa Preparation

This weekend was supposed to be spent in the wilderness with my DH (my Darling, Delightful, Dedicated, Daring, sometimes Damnable Husband), and our children.  The one-to-two inches of rain in the forecast made the decision to go questionable.  Then, my kids decided their idea of fun isn't huddling under a tarp in a downpour, and they wanted to stay home.  Unattended.  

This put DH and I in a little of a quandary: do we leave the 16 year-old at home with the 18 year-old to supervise, or not?  After all, I asked off for this weekend months ago. 

Hmmmm. NOT! We scrapped the trip at the last minute.  On the upside, I get to sit around the house all weekend in my jammies and work on blog posts!

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On backpacking forums, we frequently discuss meal ideas.  As I have talked about to death in my DIY Trail Meal series, bases such as potatoes, rice, and pasta are often found in store bought trail dinners, but not suitable for those of us who want to eat "clean."

So we look to quinoa for our trail meal salvation. Quinoa can be used as a base in DIY trail dinners in lieu of potatoes, pasta, or rice. The great thing about quinoa is that it is very easy to work with, taking very little "hands on" time.  Quinoa is a little chewier once rehydrated, so it bulks up a meal very easily.

Simply cook according to package directions, dehydrate in a single layer for about 6 to 8 hours, or crisp dry, and store.  

Here is my Youtube video on how to prepare, dehydrate, and store quinoa:

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