Thursday, June 14, 2012

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

Most people skip breakfast because they have no time. Making breakfast shouldn't be a chore - so why not make something that is easy, portable and convenient? Making steel cut oats in your slow cooker is as easy as it gets. Oatmeal is a great make-ahead breakfast and is extremely versatile. You can customize the flavor, consistency and sweetness every morning. I like to make a pot of oats and portion it out into 4 grab and go containers. Topping each one with something different (cinnamon, fresh fruit, dried fruit, flaxseed, etc). Every portion is an empty canvas - ready for experimenting. I will post a few of my creations over the next few weeks.


I recommend if you are going to be saving the oatmeal for future breakfasts, that you add a bit of liquid to the oats as you are heating them. I usually add almond milk but water, cow's milk or soy milk work well too. The extra liquid helps the oatmeal loosen up (since refrigerating oatmeal tends to stiffen it some). The picture below is the steel cut oats cooked with a little bit of unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 tbsp of ground organic flaxseed. 



Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats


Cook Time: 2 1/2-3 hours
Prep Time: < 5 minutes
Serves: 4




Ingredients:
  • oil spray
  • 1 cup steel cut oats or Irish oats
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1/4 tsp of fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)


Spray the inside of the slow cooker with oil spray (helps with the clean up later). Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and heat on high for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.




The mixture may have a thin layer of liquid on top, that is perfect. Stir the oats and watch as the liquid gets absorbed. The oats should the slightly chewy and the consistency should be pretty thick.


Eating Immediately: Serve piping hot with toppings of your choice


Eating Later: Transfer the oats into small glass containers (for easy portion control) or into one large glass container. Allow the oats to cool. Once cooled, cover the containers and place in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave when ready to eat.

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories: 145 ; Fat: 2.5g ; Carbohydrate: 27g ; Fiber: 4g ; Sugar: 0g ; Protein: 6g

3 comments:

  1. If you're going to eat oatmeal, it only makes sense to eat the good stuff as in your recipe.

    Your method is a whole lot more interesting than the plain organic oats we microwave for 2 minutes. I've always known this version isn't the best, but I usually don't have a lot of time to fuss over breakfast and therefore have chosen the microwave over the stove top.

    I really like the idea of making the steel oats ahead of time with the slow cooker. I would definitely make a few days supply!

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    1. I used to eat the plain instant oats that you would cook in the microwave but once I tried steel cut oats, I was hooked. They really are superior. I do keep regular oats in my pantry to whip up a quick batch of oatmeal or for baking, but hands down... the texture and flavor of these oats are so much better.

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