Breakfast Tip: Steel-Cut Oats

A wholesome breakfast idea...

Steel-cut oats (also called Irish oats) require a longer cooking time than I generally like to endure. Plus, whenever possible, I like to avoid getting pots dirty.

However, with some quick preparation the night before, here's a way to cook up (i.e. microwave) some steel-cut oats for breakfast in just a few minutes. The trick is to first allow them to soak for several hours--that is, overnight.

Oatmeal made from steel-cut oats has a texture that is chewier than oatmeal made from rolled oats and (especially) quick oats. It also has a somewhat nuttier flavor. From what I've read, there seem to be virtually no differences in the nutritional benefits of any of these types of oats--the differences appear only in the way the oats are cut and processed (which affects the cooking time) and in the way they taste.

Critical note: Be sure to use a large microwave-safe bowl for this recipe.
Other critical note: Don't leave the microwave unattended while you're heating this oatmeal.
Why?: The oatmeal will essentially boil and may overflow the bowl.

Overnight Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Estimated total preparation time: 6 minutes (plus overnight)
Estimated cooking time: 3-5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons dried fruit (like raisins or dried cranberries)
• Brown sugar or maple sugar to taste (start with 1-2 teaspoons)
• Optional: Extra milk or plain/Greek-style yogurt

Instructions

The night before:
1. In a large microwaveable bowl, combine the steel-cut oats and water.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning:
1. Remove bowl from refrigerator, uncover it, and allow it to come closer to room temperature for a few minutes while adding the other ingredients.
2. Stir in the milk, cinnamon, dried fruit, and brown sugar or maple sugar to taste.
3. Place bowl, uncovered, in microwave and cook on high for 3-5 minutes, stopping and stirring it occasionally, until oatmeal is desired consistency. Don't leave the microwave unattended.
4. Remove bowl and let it sit for 1 minute. (Oatmeal will also thicken some as it cools.)
5. Enjoy with extra milk or a dollop of plain or Greek yogurt.


Enjoy!

Yummy Oatmeal

I'm a huge fan of oatmeal... 

Sometimes I will even disrupt my obsession with Kashi Island Vanilla wheat cereal and eat hot oatmeal for breakfast during the summer months. Now that the outside temperature is cooling down, I'll be making oatmeal more often for breakfast.

The typical process:
Generally, I prepare an individual packet of maple-sugared oatmeal (or something similar--and I like the reduced sugar varieties that are around nowadays) and add some plain quick oats and extra milk or water. Then I toss in a couple dozen dried cranberries and microwave the whole deal. I have learned the sticky way that oatmeal expands quite a bit when microwaved. One must use caution.

The fancy method:
Sometimes I'll cook up some oatmeal the old-fashioned way using a stove and a pot. I'll use whatever variety of oats I've got, preferably something somewhat chopped, and doctor up the mixture with cinnamon, light brown sugar, vanilla, and dried fruits.

This savory, cinnamony, warm and yummy oatmeal creation has thrice graced my supper table in the past year. Who ever said oatmeal must be served only for breakfast?

Sugar...
Typically, I feel a twinge of guilt when I scoop out some *gasp* sugar to add to, well, anything. Then I look both ways before I dump in some more. Oatmeal is the chief offender--it doesn't really need sugar. But I really don't add that much sugar. It's just that sugar is discussed with such disdain when it comes to nutrition and health; thus, now that particular crystalline carbohydrate is oft-depicted as the nemesis of all those who endeavor to live healthily.

Moderation, people. That's the key. Fact is--we need sugar, and it isn't, or doesn't need to be, our downfall.

Math:
Curious to know just how much of that sweet stuff I've put into this recipe, I did a little calculating.
(Skip the following if you really don't care.)

Three tablespoons of light brown sugar contains 135 calories and 36 grams of carbohydrates (all sugar in this case). Divided into 4 servings, each serving contains 34 calories and 9 grams of carbohydrates (all sugar) from the light brown sugar. Additional calories and carbs (as well as protein, fiber, and vitamins) will come from the fruits and oats and milk, etc. I think--feel free to correct me--that 34 calories is about 15% of what one needs daily (for a 2000 calorie diet). Of course, we should limit our intake of those calories that come from simple carbs like sugar (as opposed to complex carbs found in whole grains and fruits).

Anyway, that amount works for me when I occasionally whip up this treat. One can certainly decrease or increase the brown sugar amount to suit one's own taste. Try cutting the sugar amount in half when you make the oatmeal, then add extra to your own bowl if you'd like more sweetener.

Whole grains:
And speaking (a while ago) of whole grains, I like that the oats contain no sodium or cholesterol and provide about 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein per serving (4 servings)--about 12% and 9% of a typical daily requirement respectively.

Water and milk?
I recommend using a combination of water and milk for this recipe. I think the milk is a necessary ingredient for a creamier oatmeal. Use whatever ratio of water to milk that suits you, resulting in 2-1/2 cups of liquid total.

Dried fruits:
The dried fruits soften while they're cooked, adding hints of their flavors to the mixture. About 1/2 cup of fruits is sufficient. My staple dried fruit is cranberries. Apricots are also tasty--chop them into small pieces because they expand significantly when boiled. Other fruits to try are dried apples, cherries, raisins, or strawberries.

Naming...
Sometimes I struggle over what title to give a recipe--or really anything I'm labeling or naming. It needs to be just right. I'll usually start with some sort of filler name to give the post or essay or whatever-I'm-writing something resembling structure. I started this one with "Yummy Oatmeal," and I intended to change it to something more professional once I reached the end of this commentary. But, lo! it is yummy oatmeal, so "Yummy Oatmeal" is how it shall be forever henceforth named.

So, now, without (much) more discussion, here goes the recipe. It's really a simple thing--nothing that unique--but sometimes we just need an inspiration, right?

Yummy Oatmeal
Serves: 2 - 4
Estimated time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 2-1/2 cups water and milk combined (making 2-1/2 cups total)
• Dash of Morton's kosher salt (or another coarse salt) - optional
• 1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water, milk, and salt (optional) just to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, quick oats, steel cut oats, light brown sugar, and dried fruits.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring often.
   
4. Remove pot from heat and let the oatmeal stand for one minute before serving.
5. Serve with extra milk and/or sugar, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Oatmeal Flour Pancakes

These pancakes are just so amazingly good...

"Bisquick never again," I thought as I ate my second bite from a small stack of these tasty morsels. These pancakes are hearty and dense, but still a tad airy, with a pleasing moist, chewy texture. The flavor is slightly sweet with the added richness of oatmeal. I highly recommend these pancakes. 

This recipe makes about 14 pancakes that are about 4" in diameter. I think they would freeze well, if you want to make some for later, but they're definitely the tastiest right off the griddle.

Making the oatmeal flour: It's a simple process. It should take much less than 5 minutes to make what you need for this recipe.

Process about 2-1/2 cups of rolled oats (I used some labeled "oven-toasted old fashioned oats") in a blender or food-processor until the mixture resembles a coarse flour. You'll need 1-1/2 cups of this flour for the pancakes. I used a blender because I disdain washing all the food processor's parts. I pulsed the oats a few times then blended them on a medium setting for about 15 seconds. Then I stopped the blender and stirred toward the middle any oats that weren't getting mixed in from the edges. After pulsing a few more times and blending a little bit more, the flour was ready.

Extra oatmeal flour: Try adding leftover oatmeal flour to a fruit smoothie. It's tasty and provides some additional nutritional goodness.

The story behind the oatmeal flour: For the past few weeks, I've been making granola frequently. It's a nice alternative to packaged cereal (especially since my favorite cereal costs a bunch), I can monitor exactly what goes into it, and I really like oatmeal. Once I make a batch or few of a granola that I really really like, I'll post the recipe. Until then, I'll continue tweaking.

Anyway, to fuel this granola-making endeavor, BT and I picked up a 10-pound box of oatmeal at a warehouse store. It was a great price! Then, at home, I looked at the box and realized it wasn't the quick oats that I had thought we were buying; instead, it was a mammoth amount of old-fashioned rolled oats. I prefer using mostly quick oats for granola-making because it produces a granola with a nice clumpy and chewy (but not too chewy) texture.

Temporarily unnerved by my discovery, and despising the thought of returning the huge package of oats, I quickly realized a solution: I would just process those rolled oats in a blender and use the resulting chopped-up-coarse-flour mixture along with some rolled oats in my granolas. It worked. (Sorry, profs, that is totally an incomplete sentence devoid of an antecedent.)

In the midst of the oatmeal-to-flour processing, I remembered once hearing about oatmeal pancakes. And thus the muses lent me the idea for this pancake recipe.

A few days later, I decided to create my own oatmeal flour pancakes. After researching five different pancake recipes (some involving oatmeal, some not) and comparing the common ingredients and typical ratios, I wrote down a list of ingredients I wanted to use and put away the sample recipes. Then I started measuring and pouring.

"Hmm...that looks about right....I guess," I'd think with each scoop and stir. Finally, with hesitant excitement, I dropped two quarter-cup scoops of batter onto a hot griddle. Waiting....watching....whoa! Bubbles appeared! That was a good sign! Then I flipped over the pancakes and--behold! Two perfectly golden pancakes!

And a small bite proved that they even tasted like pancakes--and delicious ones, at that!

So the moral of this story is the following: If you like pancakes, you should try this recipe. :-)

Oatmeal Flour Pancakes
Total Estimated Time: 30 - 40 minutes (includes 5 minutes for making the oatmeal flour from rolled oats)
Makes about 14 3"-4" diameter pancakes
Serves: 2 - 4

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups oatmeal flour *
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk (plus some extra)
• 1 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

* To make the oatmeal flour, process about 2-1/2 cups rolled oats (a.k.a "old-fashioned rolled oats") in a blender or food-processor until it resembles a coarse flour. You'll need 1-1/2 cups of oatmeal flour for the pancakes.


Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together oatmeal flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
2. Crack 1 egg into a small bowl. Beat slightly.
3. Add 1 cup of milk to the dry mixture in the medium bowl. Stir. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, and applesauce. Stir well to combine. Add an extra tablespoon or two of milk if needed. Batter will bubble slightly.
4. Heat an ungreased nonstick flat griddle over medium to medium-high heat. (The heat level will determine the darkness of the pancakes, as well as their cooking time.)
5. Drop batter by 1/4 cup scoops onto the griddle (each should be an inch or more apart).

6. Cook until small bubbles (about 10) appear in the pancakes (about 2 minutes).

7. Flip the pancakes over, and cook them for about 3 more minutes.

8. Transfer finished pancakes to a plate. Keep them covered or in a warm (but turned off) oven.

9. Repeat steps 5-8 with the remaining batter (makes about 14 pancakes).

10. Serve pancakes with butter, syrup, jam, or whatever you like. They're even tasty plain.

Enjoy!

Baked Quinoa Burgers

Savory, chewy, protein-filled patties...

Think hashbrowns without the grease. Think hamburgers without the grill (a plus for those living where outdoor grills are verboten). Think summertime fare. Think about a zesty, flavor-filled lunch or dinner that fills you up because it isn't full of empty calories. Quinoa is good stuff. 

I created this recipe from my failed attempt at following another recipe for mini quinoa burgers. I misread some of the amounts and ended up with way more cooked quinoa than I was supposed to have (reminds me of a particular scene from I Love Lucy, only much less dramatic). So I decided to improvise, using all that quinoa and adding extra ingredients I pulled from the pantry, to make something more closely resembling the size of a hamburger.

Cool the quinoa: To cut down on the preparation time, you can cook the quinoa the day before you plan to make the burgers, and refrigerate it until you need it. Regardless of when you cook it, however, you will need to allow it some cooling time before you mix in the other ingredients. Since you'll be forming the patties by hand, the quinoa needs to be at least cool enough that you can touch it and, well, get it smeared all over your fingers, without that uncomfortable burning-skin sensation. I recommend cooking the quinoa first, then allowing it to cool while you cut up the scallions, preheat the oven, line and butter the cookie sheets, etc.

Cookie sheets: Both my cookie sheets won't fit side-by-side in my oven, so I had to bake the burgers in 2 batches. Many kudos to you if your cookie sheets are sized to fit on the same oven rack, side-by-side. One huge cookie sheet that would fit all 12 patties would, perhaps, be ideal ... 

Dill? I have a dill plant, so I used some of it in the recipe. You can buy dill in the grocery store, or you could use dried dill (use about 1/4 teaspoon). Alternatively, you could use fresh parsley or dried parsley.

Spices: I like the flavor that the chili powder adds to this dish, so I highly recommend it. You could mix it up, though, and use any other spicy spices that you like (cumin is a good option). There truly are a lot of flavors going on in those patties--from the spicy golden mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce......

Side ideas: Steamed corn or broccoli, salad, baked beans, tomato cucumber salad, corn on the cob.

Baked Quinoa Burgers
Estimated Time: 2 hours 15 minutes 
- Quinoa cooking: about 30 minutes
- Other prep: 1 hour
- Baking time: 45 minutes
Makes 12 Burgers

Ingredients
To make the quinoa:

• 2 cups dry quinoa (about 6 cups cooked)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups water or broth

To make the quinoa burgers:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce* (*omit for vegetarian version)
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4-5 scallions
• 1 teaspoon fresh (or 1/4 teaspoon dry) dill or parsley, minced

Instructions
1. Cook the quinoa, following this recipe.

2. Cool the cooked quinoa while preparing other ingredients.
3. Position oven rack in middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil, then coat the foil lightly with butter.
5. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
6. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, oil, soy sauce, spicy golden mustard, and ketchup.
7. Thinly chop the scallions (discard wilted green parts and the root ends), mince the fresh dill, and set both aside.
8. Add cooled quinoa (cool enough to handle) to the large bowl.
9. Measure minced garlic, seasoned bread crumbs, quick oats, and chili powder, and add on top of quinoa. 10. Add the chopped scallions and minced dill.

11. With a large rubber spatula, mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

12. Measure out a 1/2 cup scoop of the mixture and form by hand into a patty that is 1/2" - 3/4" thick. Place on prepared cookie sheet. Repeat to make 12 patties (6 patties on each pan).

13. Bake on middle oven rack (bake in two batches if both pans won't fit at the same time) for 25 minutes.
14. Turn patties over (being careful not to rip the foil), and bake for 20 more minutes.

15. Enjoy plain or on a sandwich roll--with ketchup and a slice of ripe tomato, if you like.

Enjoy!

Cooked Quinoa

 A super side dish to substitute for rice...

Quinoa is a grain (actually the seed of a plant) that is similar to white rice when cooked. Unlike white rice, quinoa is an excellent source of protein (it contains all essential amino acids), and it is also a great source of fiber. This gluten-free food has a mild nutty flavor and a soft and chewy texture.

Quinoa is pronounced like "KEEN-wah." It's available in many grocery stores. I found a large bag of it at Costco.

When I make Slow-Cooker Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomatoes or Pineapple Chicken, I serve it over quinoa. Talk about tasty--that combination tastes mind-bogglingly good.

When preparing quinoa, first rinse it with cold water in a strainer to remove bitter-tasting "saponins" that naturally coat the quinoa. Some quinoa is packaged pre-washed, but it's usually recommended to wash it again. I've found that the seeds all clump together when I rinse them (annoying), but I figure that running a constant stream of water through them in a strainer with very small holes should still do the trick.

When cooking the quinoa, use 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water--just like rice.

Sometimes, I use chicken broth instead of water for added flavor (really tasty). I usually make the broth by dissolving a chicken bouillon cube in water--1 cube for each cup of water.

I like toasting the quinoa before cooking it because I think it gives it a really special flavor and texture. It doesn't have to be toasted first, so if you're short on time, you can go straight to adding the water.

Cooked quinoa tastes delicious--and not only that, but it will beat white rice in a nutrition competition any day of the week.

Cooked Quinoa
Estimated preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8 

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry quinoa
• 4 cups water (or chicken broth or vegetable stock)
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa under cold water then shake out as much water as possible.
2. Transfer quinoa to a large saucepan and heat it over medium heat, while stirring with a spatula, for about 2 minutes.
3. After some of the leftover water (from rinsing the quinoa) has evaporated, add the butter and toast the quinoa (stirring often) until it's golden brown and makes a popping sound--this takes 10-15 minutes.

4. Carefully add the water or broth/stock to the pot. Stir.

5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover it and simmer (stirring often) until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender--15-25 minutes.

 6. Serve it as a side dish, top it with the main course, or enjoy it plain.


Enjoy!