oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats

Cooking

I normally enjoy a bowl of old fashioned oats for breakfast. Trying to be a bit healthier, I recently added steel cut oats to my breakfast repertoire. But what is the difference?

Old fashioned oats take less time to cook. They take a total of three minutes on the stove top. Nice! Who doesn’t have three minutes to spare in the morning? The reason for the quick cook time is that the oats are steamed and flattened when processing. This process does away with the bran and other nutrients that take longer to absorb water when cooking.

Steel cut oats take 15 to 20 minutes on the stove top. Oh, well that is a bit longer, isn’t it. Why do the steel oats take longer to cook? It has to do with the processing of the oats. The steel cut oats are made by chopping hulled oat grains into small pieces with a steel blade, hence the name – steel cut. This allows the oats to retain bran which needs more time to absorb the water when cooking.

Steel cut oats, while creamy, are chewy and hardier than the old fashioned oats. They also have a nutty texture that reminds me of eating bulgar, but creamier than bulgar. By the way, steel cut oats are also known as Scottish or Irish oats.

My take on steel cut oats…It’s a thumbs up from me. I like the texture. I like the bonus nutrients. I do not even mind the extra time. I have gotten used to putting them on the stove before I start fixing my other breakfast items. Oh yes, I have quite a spread for breakfast. I think it may be my favorite meal of the day.

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

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I was in the process of making my morning oatmeal when it dawned on me. We were out of brown sugar. Oh no! I knew we ran out yesterday. Just did not go to the store to replace it yet. That was not a way to start off my morning.

But I was not bothered for too long. A thought came to me of how to save my morning oatmeal. I was already making fried apples with cinnamon. Why not top the oatmeal with these instead!

So, I finished the apples which I was sauteeing in butter with a sprinkling of cinnamon and then decided to add a teaspoon of regular granulated sugar to give it just a bit of sweetness. I usually do not add sugar to the apples, however, since sugar is added to apple pie filling, I thought I would give it a go. I plated the apples and then topped it with my old fashioned oatmeal. Not bad, but I am adding brown sugar to my shopping list.

As always, Happy Cooking!

Hawaiian Oatmeal Review

Cooking

I was searching recipes and I came across a tropical delight. Hawaiian Oatmeal found at: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/hawaiian-oatmeal-recipe/ Sounds tropical…I was hooked on the word Hawaiian.

I have made this recipe three times already. It is a keeper. A nice twist from plain outmeal. A bit of crunch, flavor in every bite, and the fruit is a sweet and nutritional bonus packing in an extra food group.

The only thing I changed on this recipe was the quantity. I cut the recipe down to one serving size which is a half cup of oats. This recipe is for four servings and since I was not making breakfast for all I just cooked enough for me.

Since our orange tree is loaded with oranges right now, I decided to give the recipe another go around with oranges instead of pineapple. This version was also very good and as we have oranges in the back yard, very practical as well. I’ll name this version Californian Oatmeal.

Californian Oatmeal

Ok, so I’m really hooked on oatmeal… Here is another of my creations. I call it Going Bananas! Oatmeal. I used the same recipe idea but used bananas instead. I did not add any bananas to the pot when cooking the oatmeal. I just topped it with half of a banana cut into slices. Sprinkled with the brown sugar, chopped almonds, and coconut as with the other recipes. I liked this version. Which did I like best… depends on my mood.

Going Bananas! Oatmeal

Oh, I couldn’t help myself….introducing Mad About Mangoes Oatmeal.

Mad About Mangoes Oatmeal

So kick-off your shoes, go to barefeetinthekitchen.com and give this recipe a try. The website also has a ton of other yummy looking dishes that are now on my to try list. As always, Happy Cooking!