Tweaked from allrecipes.com
The cereal aisle (or bulk bins) might have you suddenly contemplating a gap in your oat repertoire. Steel Cut, Rolled (or large-flake) and Quick Oats. What’s the deal and which to buy?
Steel Cut is simply the whole oat groat cut into several pieces. In this form the oats take the longest to cook but they undergo the least amount of handling.
Large-Flake, Regular or Rolled Oats are created by steaming and rolling the original grain in order to flatten them into flakes. This gives them a larger surface area and they therefore cook faster.
Quick Oats undergo further processing by way of further steaming and/or flattening in order to make the fastest-cooking version of the grain.
Nutritionally the real difference is that with more processing (the rolling and the steaming), your oats also increase their glycemic index rating (meaning they spike your blood sugar a bit more). That said, all oats are healthy for you – no matter how you cut (or roll) ‘em.
Note: if you don’t have a slow cooker – simply use large-flake rolled oats and cook like you would regular porridge in a pot on the stove.
Ingredients
2 carrots (or 1–1.5 cups) grated
½ large apple (or 1 small) grated (about 1 cup)
½ cup crushed/chopped pineapple (optional)
1 cup steel cut oats (or regular – depending on what you have)
10 cups water
1 tsp fresh ginger grated
cinnamon
nutmeg
1 tsp molasses
salt
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Toppings: toasted almonds, coconut (and anything else you like), yogurt, milk and a little cinnamon
Method
1. In a slow cooker, combine your grated carrots, grated apple, oats, spices, salt and molasses and water. Set your slow cooker on to low and the timer on for 8 hours.
2. When there’s a half an hour or so left, add the maple syrup in and stir to combine. Serve up hot and add toasted nuts and yogurt or milk.
