Oats are back in fashion, they have once again become a breakfast option here in Portugal. After years in oblivion, oats are now considered a healthy breakfast alternative to a balanced and healthy start of the day.
Why?
According to Pedro Carvalho, a nutritionist and university professor, oats, not undergoing a very aggressive refining process, get to keep high levels of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are an excellent help in the fight against cholesterol (total and LDL) due to their beta-glucans’ levels; and a good source of vitamin B1, B3, folic acid, vitamin E, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
And It’s A Trend!
Instagram and Facebook are full of photos, including my own, of oatmeal bowls and their never-ending rainbow toppings: fruit, seeds, nuts, nut butter, yogurt, sweeteners … a million options, to everyone’s taste.
Now … How Do You Cook Them?
There are two great options for using oats: raw or cooked. Today we’ll be speaking about the cooked ones – the English porridge.
This method has proven to be absolutely bulletproof – it works all the time, with all types of milk (or combination of milk and water). If you choose the finer variety, you can cook them in the morning even on a workday, it takes 5 minutes.
Ingredients
Per person
- 30 grs of oats
- 100 ml your milk of choice (cow’s or vegetarian)
- 100 ml cold water
- Sea salt
- Optional: a pinch of cinnamon powder or a cinnamon stick.
Method
1º Weigh your oats
I use 30 gr per person, but if you’re an athlete you might need more.
2º Choose your milk
I strongly advise you to make a mix of milk with water, in equal proportions (50/50). Milk only will be too rich for me and water only is boring…
For every 30 grams of oats, I use 200 ml of total liquid, ie 100 ml of milk and 100 ml of water. If your dose of oats is greater than 30 g, just keep the ratio of oat weight to the amount of liquid.
Note – in case you have a hard time waking up to math, just use the phone calculator and divide the oat weight by 0.15; this will give you the measure of the total liquid you need. Divide by 2 to measure milk and water.
3º Choose the flavorings
Always season with salt. You can use:
- cinnamon, either powdered or a stick in the oats while you cook them; or,
- a few drops of vanilla extract; or,
- a bit of lemon or orange zest.
4º Cook them
I use a frying pan. Let the milk warm up with the water. Add the oats and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, season and stir. After 5 minutes they are cooked, with a wonderful consistency of rice pudding.
5º Divide into bowls and choose your toppings
I love more cinnamon, baked fruit (apple or red berries), chia seeds and eventually chopped nuts. Ah! … and a spoonful of plain yogurt or plain yogurt.
I see many recipes that add honey or maple syrup. I don’t like sweet things for breakfast. I suggest you do the same, get used to the purest taste, without extra sugar.
Do You Have A Different Method Of Cooking Oats? Please Share!
When sharing the photos of your oats and porridge on Instagram don’t forget tagging #glowchef. We’ll all enjoy the inspiration!