Steel Cut Oats

On Sunday, I cooked up at batch of steel cut oats to have for a couple of breakfasts this week. It worked out really well cooking them on the weekend and then just re-heating what we needed for our breakfast. Steel cut oats are so good! They're not mushy like quick cooking oats (which I think are gross!) and they're more crunchy/chewy than old-fashioned oats. They take a little longer to cook than old-fashioned oats, though. Although, I picked up a canister of quick-cooking steel cut oats (first I'd seen any quick cook steel cut varieties) this week at Trader Joes that I'm going to try in a few weeks to see how they compare to the real thing. I used the base recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod. On Monday, I mixed in some mashed ripe banana and some chopped walnuts. And on Wednesday, I mixed in some homemade applesauce, cinnamon, and raisins. Both were delicious!

I guess I didn't snap a picture of this. I thought I did, but it wasn't on my camera. I'll update next time I make them.

Steel Cut Oats

1 cup steel cut oats
3 1/2 cups water
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon, raisins, bananas, applesauce, dried fruit, or whatever toppings you like

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the steel cut oats and and salt. Stir. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure you stir the oats occasionally so they don’t stick to the pan. When the oats start to thicken, at about 30 minutes, add in the milk and vanilla. I think the milk makes the oats creamier. Stir the oats, milk, and vanilla together and cook for ten more minutes. Add in the cinnamon and raisins or whatever toppings you wish.

If you want to make bruleed oats-put the oats in a bowl, sprinkle with brown sugar and turbinado sugar. With a creme brulee torch, fire the top of the oats until the sugar is crystalized.

Serve the oats hot. This batch makes 4-6 servings. If you want you can let the oats cool and then portion them out into smaller containers. To reheat, add a splash of milk and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

*Note-you can use 4 cups of water and omit the milk, I just like the creaminess the milk adds.*