Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Steel-Cut Oats

serves 4-6

I love this much more than regular oatmeal but never ate it because it was expensive and takes awhile to cook. It is sold in the grocery stores as "Irish Oatmeal" in a fancy tin, but I found it at Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan as "steel-cut oats" for about 1/5th the price. My next great discovery is that it cooks in only 5 minutes (instead of 20-25) if you soak the oats in the cooking water overnight. In the morning, all you need to do is turn on the heat and stir it occasionally as it cooks. Now I eat it a couple of times a week.

2 c. dry steel-cut oats
4 c. water
1/4 t. salt

Mix all in a saucepan, cover, and let soak overnight. In the morning, heat over medium heat until creamy, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in your favorite ingredients. Some of my favorites are: chopped apple, Craisins or raisins, banana, chopped toasted nuts, vanilla yogurt, cinnamon sugar or brown sugar, and jam. Use a combination of the above and stir in a little milk if mixture is too thick.

Note: Millet is another grain I love for breakfast. It is considered one of the most nutritious, least allergenic, and most digestible grains. I buy this at Kitchen Kneads also. Cook it the same way, only the ratio is 1 c. millet to 3 c. water. After soaking all night it will cook in 15 minutes (instead of 45 for unsoaked).

2 comments:

Heather Jones said...

By soaking any whole grains overnight, you also start the sprouting process which increases your nutrition and protein a lot!

Mirien said...

I didn't know that! Even better. Thanks, Heather!