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I've recetly realized how much I love oatmeal. I like cinnamon, sugar, maple syrup, honey, banana and pretty much any combination of those and assorted fruits. I was wondering if anyone would care to share their favorite oatmeal concoctions.
Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
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If you mean the stuff in the bowl that people eat for breakfast, then I pretty much like it every way it comes in instant varieties. I prefer fruit flavors. I think I'd probably enjoy oatmeal with eggs and bacon mixed in, although I've never had it. (Though now that it occurs to me, I probably wouldn't like it more than oatmeal, eggs and bacon when they haven't been mixed.) One thing I might try soon is oatmeal with sharp cheddar and black pepper.
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On the back of the Welch's dried cherries, is an amazing recipe for oatmeal cherry cookies. A-mazing.
Posts: 2064 | Registered: Dec 2003
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Oatmeal with thick cream and homemade elderberry jam. Or any kind of jam. Or nutmeg. The important part is the thick cream. (I do not indulge in this very often, I should note.)
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm looking for a way to cook oats that involves no animal products and no processed foods. Is there a way for that to be good? I adore oatmeal cookies made with real oats (not instant) but the flour, butter, and brown sugar in those is off limits for me. Anyone have any ideas? I can have any fruits there are, and I could probably stretch a point and have light soy milk. 8th Continent soy milk I think has only 3g of carbs per cup. Though it's not a whole food by any stretch. Another possibility is Splenda for sweetening, though again it isn't a whole food, so it's a stretch. Dried spices are all okay, so cinnamon is acceptable.
I tried making oatmeal cookies with a banana, water, oats, cinnamon, and soy protein powder, yet another processed food that I'm making an exception for. They were somewhat edible right out of the oven, but were nastier after refrigeration. They turned a shade of gray that I wasn't brave enough to try tasting.
I'm allowed whole grains, and I'm trying to branch out from brown rice, which is about the only grain I eat, and something I have almost every day. But I'm stuck for a good recipe with oats. Anyone have one?
I don't like raisins, by the way, since they always remind me of some sort of old shriveled up grapes or something, for some reason. But I frequently eat banana, apple, pear, cantaloupe, and grapes. Also, nuts of all kinds are allowed.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I like oatmeal with dates, coconut, and a small scoop of concentrated frozen orange juice. Only two or three dates per serving because they are very, very sweet.
Also, when pears are in season, I like to make a compote of them with fresh ginger and lemon juice/zest for dessert, and then oatmeal cooked in the compote juice the next morning, with any left-over pear cut up into it, is heavenly.
A tablespoon or two of oatmeal in a batch of smoothies adds a nice nutty flavor and is more filling.
And then there are oatmeal buttermilk pancakes which I could eat every day. Soak one cup of rolled oats in two cups of buttermilk overnight. In the morning add 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, one egg and one tablespoon oil or butter. To make those without animal products or processed foods....I believe you can make cultured soy buttermilk. Can you swap tofu for the egg? I have no idea about the oil.
Tatiana: Did your whole-food vegan oatmeal cookies turned grey because of the banana? Would lemon juice fix that?
Posts: 101 | Registered: May 2009
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My favourite is simple: oatmeal (not instant) made with milk till it's quite stiff. Serve with milk poured over (so you have a porridge island in a milk moat) and brown sugar sprinkled over the top.
Yum.
It has to be brown sugar - it melts and is delicious.
**
Tatiana, I really think oats need some kind of fat to make them tasty. If you're not going to use a dairy or animal fat, you're left with fake fat, or oil - both of which are processed. Without these, I think you'll be left with gruel.
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I actually like oatmeal better made with water rather than milk. It's good with cream, but I don't usually keep cream around the house, so I usually just eat it with frozen fruit (or fresh, in season.) That's plenty of sweetness.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Jamio: I like oatmeal with dates, coconut, and a small scoop of concentrated frozen orange juice. Only two or three dates per serving because they are very, very sweet.
That sounds yummy. Maybe I just need to cut up enough fruit into my oats.
quote:Also, when pears are in season, I like to make a compote of them with fresh ginger and lemon juice/zest for dessert, and then oatmeal cooked in the compote juice the next morning, with any left-over pear cut up into it, is heavenly.
If I knew what a compote was, this might make more sense to me.
quote:A tablespoon or two of oatmeal in a batch of smoothies adds a nice nutty flavor and is more filling.
Great idea! I do make smoothies regularly.
quote:And then there are oatmeal buttermilk pancakes which I could eat every day. Soak one cup of rolled oats in two cups of buttermilk overnight. In the morning add 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat), 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, one egg and one tablespoon oil or butter. To make those without animal products or processed foods....I believe you can make cultured soy buttermilk. Can you swap tofu for the egg? I have no idea about the oil.
That sounds heavenly. Though there are vegan substitutes for all those things, one can't really call them whole foods by any stretch of the imagination. I think I'll have to pass on the pancakes, much as I'd like to try them. My mom used to add rice to her pancakes and it made them so hearty and wonderful. I bet these would be similar.
quote:Tatiana: Did your whole-food vegan oatmeal cookies turned grey because of the banana? Would lemon juice fix that?
Ah, you're probably exactly right. I'll try that if I ever make them again. They weren't really tasty enough that I was sad to throw them out. I need to think of a way to make them taste better.
I read after I bought these oats that it's best to get steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. Any idea if those would act differently in recipes and things? I'm not sure what the distinction is, or why one should be better than the other, to tell the truth.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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imogen, I've been using small amounts of olive oil for cooking. If you think fat is important, I could possibly use a teaspoon of canola oil.
I have sort of a hierarchy of importance when trying to learn to cook on this diet. Like I said, I've broken the strict no-processed-foods thing by adding small amounts of oils, soy protein isolate (because otherwise I can't figure out how to get enough protein), and Splenda when things just really need to be sweeter. Animal products I'm much stricter on since they tend to cause inflammation. So as long as it's used in small amounts and it's plant-based, I'm pretty okay with it.
I should probably figure out how to use tofu a lot more instead of the soy protein isolate, and that would be one thing improved. Does tofu count as a processed food? Or is it just soybeans pureed? I'm not sure. I'm still figuring out how to eat this way. It's fun, though, trying new foods out all the time. And my taste buds have gotten more sensitive so that all food tastes scrumptious to me!
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Tofu is a fermented soy product. I'd say it counts as processed, but it rarely contains weird chemically ingredients. Just soybeans, water, and salt. I know you can make it at home like yogurt, and I like it in smoothies like yogurt, too.
A compote (as far as I can tell, because this pear recipe is the only one I've ever done) is fruit poached in water with spices added. The one I do is one cup of water, about an inch of grated ginger, one lemon's worth of juice and zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar (which I swap out for honey). The recipe said to thicken it with cornstarch, which is something I don't keep around, so I didn't thicken mine at all, but powdered arrowroot works just as well if it can be had. So you bring the water to a boil, add sliced pears (I don't bother with peeling), cook them til they're just tender, and eat them with yogurt.
Steel cut oats take much longer to cook, a lot of people put them in a slow cooker overnight rather than try and fix them in the morning, and I have heard they are much tastier. My grocery doesn't carry them, though, so I don't know for myself.
I'm trying to do more whole foods, too, and it looks like you're much farther along than I am. I'm always looking for new recipes, so anything you feel like sharing is welcome.
Posts: 101 | Registered: May 2009
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Tatiana, here's a recipe for cookies containing oatmeal that you could eat:
quote: • 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon rolled oats • 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour • 3/4 cup brown sugar • 1/3 cup raisins or golden raisins • 1/3 cup raw unsalted peanuts* • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oil • About 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two or three baking sheets. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add the oil, and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough water to make a firm dough. 2. Take a spoonful of dough, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Roll it into a ball, place on one of the baking sheets, and flatten to a circle about 4 inches in diameter. Repeat to make 12 cookies. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden at the edges. Cool on a wire rack. * Use sunflower seeds, roughly chopped almonds, and/or unsweetened dried coconut instead of, or as well as, the unsalted peanuts.
They're fairly fragile, but they're tasty enough that I've rarely had to worry about storing them after I bake 'em. Be forewarned that they aren't really particularly sweet, the way that a cookie usually is. If you bite into one expecting that it will be you'll be disappointed.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Thanks, Noemon. Those sound great. I love cinnamon and nutmeg together. I'm trying to avoid the sugar at the moment, but I'll save the recipe for later when I can have more sugar again.
Jamio, on your whole foods quest, I found one recipe the other day that I loved, so I'll share it. I use frozen vegetables, because they last longer and they're already washed and cut up. But this would work for fresh as well, and probably taste even better.
Time: about 20 minutes 1 lb. bag frozen cut leaf spinach 1 lb. bag frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry mix with strips of red, green, and yellow bell peppers along with onions. 1 can sliced water chestnuts drained 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 - 1/2 cup soy sauce or to taste 4 - 5 tbsp sesame seeds (I get these at the local Asian market in a sprinkle jar)
Heat the oil in a big skillet until it smells and makes rivulets on the surface when you tilt the pan. Toss in frozen spinach and stir-fry until the skillet is beginning to brown. Add drained water chestnuts and stir-fry until skillet begins to brown again. Add frozen bell pepper mix and stir-fry until skillet begins to turn brown again. Add soy sauce to make a big sizzling in the pan and continue to push the vegetables around in the pan to keep them from burning and to steam them in the sizzling soy sauce. Continue until the veggies are cooked to desired softness. Top with sesame seeds right at the end. Add more sesame seeds at the table to taste.
This makes about 3 - 4 servings. I usually apportion it into 4ths but then it's so tasty that I go back and eat part of the next serving too, so it ends up in thirds. =) It's really good for you as well as being delicious. When you eat this way, there are three nutrients that you need to keep up with, and those are protein, iron, and vitamin B12. This one has lots of iron from the spinach, but also spinach is packed with good nutrients that act as a whole to promote health.
I use Kikkoman soy sauce but any soy sauce that's brewed is good. That and the oil are the only processed foods. If you want to use less oil, you could stir-fry in just water instead. If you're limiting salt intake, you can mix soy sauce with water and use the diluted mixture instead. I found that all green veggies are good this way (stir fried with soy sauce and sesame seeds) including broccoli, fresh cabbage, zucchini, green beans, etc. The tastes of all these things are just out of this world. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Jamio, the compote sounds delicious too, and other than the sugar which I can substitute with Splenda, that's all stuff I can have! I'll have to try it.
Noemon, I wonder if I can come up with any brown sugar substitute for your cookies.
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Tatiana, can you bake with Splenda? If so, I imagine that you could just use that. The flavor wouldn't be the same as it would be with brown sugar, but I'd imagine that the cookies would still be good.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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