It’s a cold Autumnal morning, and I get an overwhelming urge for something familiar and wholesome. It has to be porridge. As I stir meditatively, the gentle scent of oats and warm milk wafting from the stove takes me back to childhood. My go-to recipe takes a little while to prepare, but it has all the flavours and scents of Autumn. It is well worth the wait, I promise!
Cook the oats with a softened and diced pink lady apple for sweetness and a subtle hint of cinnamon to make the apple-y flavours shine. No added sugar or syrup is needed in this recipe; the apple lends just enough sweetness without being overpowering. I also add a generous helping of plump fresh berries and a spoonful of slightly salty peanut butter to bring everything together with an interesting PB&J vibe.
I use steel-cut porridge oats because they are less processed than the instant variety, meaning the groat remains mostly intact. Steel-cut oats also have a dampened effect on blood glucose, and insulin response compared to instant or rolled varieties. If you are concerned about keeping steady blood glucose levels, it is also best to have added fat, either in the form of whole milk or stirred in at the end in the form of nut butter, dairy butter, coconut oil etc. You can also easily disguise milled seeds in the porridge for added healthy fats, minerals and fibre. Just add a couple of spoons of milled seeds after the cooking has finished and stir it well. Picky eaters won’t even realise they are there!
To speed up the cooking time you could pre-soak the oats the night before, or even cook them in a pressure cooker if you don’t feel like standing by the stove and stirring for 30/40 minutes.
Autumnal Apple Oats
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Loading...Delicious and healthy; My go-to recipe for oats takes a little time but has all the tastes and scents of Autumn. It is well worth the wait, I promise!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Coconut oil or Unsalted Butter
- 40g or 1/4 Cup Steel-cut Oats
- 250ml or 1 cup Whole Milk (or Milk Alternative)
- 1 Pink Lady Apple Diced (Skin-On)
- Sprinkle of Cinnamon
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- Optional Add-ins
- Ground Seeds
- Nut Butter
- Berries
- Maple Syrup/Honey
Instructions
Wash and dice the apple and measure out the other ingredients.
Set a small saucepan over a medium flame/setting on your stove and allow to heat up before adding the coconut oil or butter.
When the oil/butter is hot, add the oats and diced apple and stir until slightly toasted. (This will prime the oats to absorb liquid more readily and impart a lovely toasted flavour.)
Add the milk to the oats and stir well. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring regularly until the oats have absorbed most of the liquid. This will take anywhere between 25-45 minutes.
Test the doneness by tasting a spoonful; you may need to add more liquid if the oats are still too firm for your liking.
Remove from the heat and add a sprinkle of cinnamon and any optional add-ins such as milled seeds.
Nutrition
-
538 Calories
-
69.8g Carbohydrates
-
25mg Cholesterol
-
24.9g Fat
-
9.8g Fiber
-
14.1g Protein
-
16.9g Saturated fat
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261mg Sodium
-
37g Sugar
Notes
- For an amazing topping, slice up your favourite berries and add the tiniest sprinkle of salt with a few drops of lemon juice before you begin cooking the oats, so the berries have time to come to room temperature. The small amount of salt and acidity will bring out the flavour of the berries. When the porridge is ready, top it with the berries, a spoonful of good quality nut butter and a sprinkle of seeds. Sure, it's a little more effort, but you won't be sorry!
- The nutritional information has been calculated with whole dairy milk if you use an alternative the nutritional information will vary.
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