super oatmeal

Again, I will spare you a photo of one of they most unphotogenic foods, oatmeal. To be honest I pretty much hated oatmeal unless it was in cookie form until I was well out of college. It was slimy, gross, and generally unsatisfying. Especially unsatisfying when in a lame-ass wee packet that served as a sugar delivery system. I also grew up in a cream of wheat household, my mother hated oatmeal and never offered it as a breakfast option. That brings me to about the age of 24-ish, I realised that I should give oatmeal another try, its good for you relatively easy, and relatively cheap.

Enter steel-cut oats. These little suckers are a whole different animal. Nutty, a bit chewy, and minimally processed. The major drawback to steel-cut oats is the cooking time, if made traditionally it takes about 40 minutes of ACTIVE cooking and stirring. Yes, you can make a bunch all at once but there is nothing more boring than standing over your stove top just stirring oatmeal. Watching paint dry or counting paperclips come to mind.

I have since perfected the lazy steel-cut oat preparation- the steamer/rice cooker. I have one that I rescued from my parents house years ago it is very similar to this one. This is also the only way I prepare rice. I have only successfully ruined pots while cooking rice on the stove. Note- this oatmeal making process is no faster it is just hands free. 1/2 cup steel cut oats to 2 cups water in the little rice cooker dish, fill the water reservoir to the high line and set it for one hour. When it dings you have two hearty servings of oats that will improve immensely if they are left to chill overnight in the fridge then reheated in the morning.

Okay, back to the super oatmeal. I have tried numerous mix-ins for oatmeal and for the most part they are totally up to you and your preferences. However this morning I stumbled upon a real winner. After the oats were done in the steamer I split them in to two containers added a spoonful of chia seeds, a squeeze of hazelnut agave, and a spoonful of cashew butter. This all got mixed together then put in the fridge to wait till morning. The chia and cashew butter gave it a bit more body and staying power for the tummy, plus some healthy fat and a fiber boost. Breakfast Win!

Wow, this is an awful lot of talk about oatmeal....