Slow-Cooked Apple Pie Oatmeal
Make a big batch of this on a Sunday afternoon and then reheat portions throughout the week. Using a slow cooker lets you cook hands free, so you aren’t spending all your spare time in the kitchen. Plus, it fills the house with an aroma similar to apple pie! Steel-cut oats are a good source of fibre and will help keep you feeling fuller longer.
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) organic steel-cut oats
4 cups (1 L) water
4 cups (1 L) whole milk
2 apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins
1 Tbsp (15 mL) each ground cinnamon and ginger
Lightly brush sides of slow cooker with oil; this will prevent a hard crust from forming.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and set to low. Cook until plump and soft, about 4 to 5 hours. Stir halfway through.
When cooked, spread out on 1 or 2 baking sheets to cool. This will help prevent oats from continuing to cook and turning mushy. When cool, scrape into large bowl and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Reheat in small portions, thinning with milk as needed. Sweeten to taste with maple syrup or honey and top with fresh or frozen berries, sliced bananas, or your favourite fruit.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Each serving contains: 245 calories; 9 g protein; 5 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 42 g total carbohydrates (15 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 43 mg sodium
source: "Breakfast", alive #375, January 2014
Slow-Cooked Apple Pie Oatmeal
Directions
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Farro, Lentil, and Vegetable Soup
Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours. Farro timesaver With a long cooking time, it’s worth it to cook a larger amount of farro and freeze it in small-portioned batches which can be thawed quickly. Using a ratio of 1:4 farro to water, cook on medium-high heat until farro is al dente, in a similar manner to the way you would cook pasta. Drain, rinse, portion, and freeze for later use. To thaw, simply run frozen farro under water or add directly to soup.
Arugula Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate Molasses, and Pine Nuts
Oven-roasted delicata squash makes a crispy treat atop this green salad. As its name suggests, this squash has a thin, delicate skin that’s tasty when cooked. Pomegranate molasses, an ingredient common in Lebanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine, brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dressing. No pine nuts? Use squash seeds! Simply collect about 1/4 cup (60 mL) seeds from cleaned squash, rinse, and mix with 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) of the spice mix used to roast the squash and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) olive oil. Roast at 425 F (220 C) on parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Cardamom and Ginger Scented Farro Breakfast Porridge
Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this. Ancient grain Farro (also referred to as emmer or einkorn) is a variety of wheat known as an ancient grain, which means that it hasn’t changed over time through breeding as is the case with many varieties of modern wheat.
Chocolate and Orange Chickpea Pudding
Spanish-inspired flavours of almond and orange and a good punch of protein make this pudding a delicious and nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert. The tiniest amount of large-flake sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil help bring all the flavours together. Amp up the orange For some additional orange flavour, when cooking chickpeas from dry, add a few strips of orange zest to the cooking water. Tastier toast Take your toast to the next level by using this pudding as a satisfying spread.