On a chilly morning like this, I like a warm, satisfying bowl of oatmeal — and what better way to start than with fresh oats! Just a bit under 1/3 cup oat groats yields a generous 1/3+ cup of rolled oats, so I start my water to boil while I quickly and easily roll the oats with my KoMo FlicFloc Flaker (any flaker will work — or you can start with store-bought oats)….
Oatmeal only takes 5 minutes to cook on the stove in the morning. Here’s the recipe I use (from Everyday Cooking)…
I put ¼ to ½ cup oats per person, double that amount of water, and a shake of salt in the saucepan; stir once to distribute oats. Sometimes I put raisins or other dried fruit, and/or chopped apples in when I first start cooking, so the apples cook up soft and the fruit plumps up. Bring to boil and then simmer covered on lowest setting for 5 minutes; do not stir (unless you prefer it “sticky”).
After removing pan from pot, I add a squirt of flaxseed oil, a few spoonfuls of honey or Sucanat (we like the brown sugar taste), some applesauce and/or cinnamon and/or chopped walnuts or almonds. (Note: Sucanat can be used interchangeably with brown sugar.) You may also like to add a splash of fresh milk and a bit of butter.
Note that by NOT stirring, you get a soft, separated, non-sticky hot cereal. If you like it gummy, stir it a few times while cooking.
For another twist on an old classic, how about Baked Oatmeal? (Recipe also from Everyday Cooking)
Baked Oatmeal
With a whisk, mix:
1/2 cup olive oil (may substitute unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 cup dark Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/4 regular Sucanat with Honey (or sugar) – or about 1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
Add:
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups oats
2 cups milk
1+ tsp cinnamon
optional add-ins: a handful of raisins, nuts, chopped apple, dried fruit
Bake in greased 9×12 pan for 35-40 minutes at 350 F. Yummy with applesauce or canned fruit or maple syrup added as a topping (of course, you can add cream…).
Adapted from a recipe from my friend Carolyn Gardner
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