Couscous with Veggies and Crunchy Chickpeas
If you’re just getting into dehydrating, this recipe is a hard one to screw up! The roasted veggies dehydrate and rehydrate super well and the couscous is already ready for the trail straight out of the box!
I’m really a texture gal when it comes to food. I love a good crunch. I actually used to gag on plain yogurt when I was a kid because it was just too smooth and gooey and consistent, you know? Hopefully I’m not the only one. Now I just pile it high with granola and fruit and I’m happy as can be. But anyways, I’m not here to talk about yogurt, I’m here to talk about chickpeas and this delicious recipe!
This was one of my first homemade dehydrated recipes that I brought into the backcountry. I didn’t really know how it would turn out but was pleasantly surprised with how well it rehydrated and how filling it was. You almost couldn’t tell that it had dehydrated components (other than the squeaky feta cheese chunks - I took my experimentation a little too far and tried to dehydrate feta… let’s just say it needs some perfecting, so I didn’t include it in this recipe quite yet).
The before: couscous and dehydrated veggies
One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s a great intro into dehydrating. The veggies dehydrate and rehydrate super well, meaning they keep their shape, texture and flavour upon rehydration. You can totally experiment with your favourite veggies too (beets, potatoes, celery, etc). Maybe stay away from dehydrated leafy greens and rather bring them fresh to add later. They have a better chance of keeping their shape and texture this way. The second thing I love about this recipe is that all the veggies (including arugula) were from my garden! Just a fun little fact because I really love growing and harvesting my own food, it feels very rewarding. You could also technically dehydrate the chickpeas in the dehydrator, but it takes much longer (~10 hours) so I prefer the oven for the them.
Note: try and dice the veggies in small, uniform pieces. This will help them dehydrate at the same rate and rehydrate to the same texture. Having some pieces that are much larger than the others will take longer to rehydrate or you’ll have crunchy veggies that are not fully rehydrated.
The final product. I was so proud haha
You can also play around with your ratios of couscous, veggies and chickpeas. Reduce the couscous amount and up the veggies if you like. You could also sub out the couscous for quinoa or even minute rice (just keep in mind this may affect the rehydration time).
The crispy chickpeas are really the icing on the cake (or the crunch on the salad (?) - doesn't quite have the same ring to it), so don’t leave them out! They also give a good protein and fibre boost. They’re also delish. You get the point.
A couple shots from the hike in and our camp spot.
If you have any feedback, ideas or questions, I would love to hear! Drop a comment below and let’s chat!
More Backpacking Recipes
COUSCOUS WITH VEGGIES AND CRUNCHY CHICKPEAS
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ~1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced
- ~1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup couscous, dry
- 1/2 cup arugula, fresh (optional)
- ~1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for dressing
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Veggie Dehydration: Wash and dice your veggies into small, uniform pieces. Sauté in pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper or roast in the oven (400F) until cooked through. Spread on dehydrator trays and dehydrate for 5-7 hours at 145F until dry and brittle.
- Chickpeas: Drain and rinse chickpeas. Pat dry with towel. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place in preheated oven at 400F for 20-30 mins, stirring half way through. When chickpeas are crispy, remove from oven and toss in spice mixture (you can experiment with different spices of your liking!).
- Meal Assembly: Place 1 cup dry couscous and dehydrated veggies (approx. 1 cup) into resealable bag. Place 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas into different resealable bag. Pack extras like arugula and olive oil dressing in separate containers.
- Rehydration: Empty couscous and veggie mixture into pot or heat resistant bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water to mixture, stir and place lid on top. Set aside for 10-15 mins to allow rehydration. This should make approx. 3 1/2 - 4 cups once rehydrated.Once couscous and veggie mixture is rehydrated, add crunchy chickpeas, arugula and olive oil dressing. Stir and enjoy!