Steel cut oats, also known as Irish oats, are an awesome source of insoluble fiber and protein. If you find that regular oatmeal is too mushy and just doesn’t fill you up, you’re going to want to try steel cut oats.
Now, the problem with steel cut oats is that they take a long time to cook. Who has 30-40 minutes to make breakfast? My solution to this was making them in the crockpot and then reheating them in single servings in the morning.
My favorite kind of oatmeal has always been apple cinnamon, so I’m taking advantage of the delicious Honey Crisp apples from our local orchard. Here’s a recipe that you can try and adapt to your liking…
Apple Pie Breakfast with Steel Cut Oats
Ingredients
2 cups steel cut oats
4 cups skim milk (can substitute soy milk or lactose-free milk)
3 cups water
2 medium apples, diced (sweet apples work best!)
many shakes ground cinnamon
a few shakes nutmeg
real maple syrup (not the crappy fake kind, seriously!) – sweeten to taste
Instructions
Mix all ingredients except maple syrup together in crockpot. It is going to seem like the oats are swimming in that much liquid, but don’t worry. Unlike smooshed oatmeal flakes, steel cut oats absorb a lot of liquid.
Cook on low for 4 hours, stirring every hour or so until liquid is incorporated and oats are the firmness/softness you like.
Top each serving with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup to taste. (Note: Steel cut oats are very hearty – don’t serve yourself up your normal portion of oatmeal. Start small!)
Variations
- I tried it with blueberries once. It tasted good, but the blueberries pretty much dissolved while cooking and it turned out like purple oatmeal. I may try it with other fruits, but I think apples hold up the best.
- Also wondering how it might turn out if I substituted a cup of apple cider for one of the cups of water… dunno if that would react poorly with the milk. Anyone know?
The Most Important Meal of the Day!
It’s easy to eat breakfast when a week’s worth of it is in the fridge, waiting to be microwaved and topped with delicious real maple syrup. (Yes, you can get Fit 4 GenCon while eating real maple syrup – a teaspoon a day won’t kill ya – and it’s REAL maple syrup, not the high fructose corn syrup nastiness.)
Try this recipe out – make some variations – let me know what you think and if you’ve discovered a tweak that makes it even better.