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Hot Cereal in the Heat: No flipping way
Sunday, February 17, 2013 15:52
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Oatmeal is a staple in our house. Until food prices went sky-high, it was cheap at barely $1 a pound. A 2 pound container lasted us a month. It tastes good, is healthy, and filling. But then the prices went from $1.99 for that container, to $2.59, to $3.99. On occasion, I’d stock up when I found it at less than $3, but in the last 6 months, I stopped buying rolled oats in the supermarket when I saw the sale price hit over $3 and $4. The regular price was $4 and up. And I’m talking the store brand. I don’t buy name brands: I can’t afford it. So, I went to my friends at Honeyville, took advantage of a special discount code they sent me, and got myself a 50lb bag of rolled oats that came to less than 75￠ a pound.
However, we did this maybe a month before the hot weather hit. So, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and 6-gallon containers aside, we have not been in the mood for hot cereal. What to do?
Summer porridge.
I can’t remember where I heard about it or where I read it. In some far off corner of the internet, but I’m glad I did. It’s revived our stale rolled oats relationship, and may have helped me shed a few pounds. Here’s my recipe, but feel free to adapt it or search the inter-webs for a recipe of your very own to adap.
All you need are a few simple ingredients and some 16 ounce wide-mouth ball jars.
Each jar is one serving and for each jar you’ll need:
- ½ cup rolled oats, uncooked
- ¼ cup 1% milk plus more on hand
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, plus more on hand
- ¼ cup to ½ cup fresh berries
- honey
- dash of salt
- Into the bottom of the jar add the milk and about 1tsp of honey.
- Stir in the Greek yogurt. I like using this because it’s thicker and tastes the way yogurt did when I was a kid. I suppose you can use a fruit yogurt, but honestly when there’s an ingredient list longer than my arm and when I can’t pronounce half of what’s in it, it’s just not cool.
- Put the lid on the jar and vigorously shake to combine. Taste and add more honey if desirable. The mixture should be a tad on the thin side in order for the oats to soften properly. (I’ve gotten this down so I measure by eye– about 1 tsp per batch, but I don’t like it very sweet. Adjust to your own taste).
- Add a small dash of salt, about ¼ cup to ½ cup fresh berries, and then the oats. Slap the lid on it, and shake. Initially, I carefully folded the oats and berries together. But the tastier batches were actually shaken and more combined.
- If it’s not easy to shake, add a little more milk and yogurt. Slap a lid on it and refrigerate for at least 6 or up to 36 hours.
The best part of this is you make it ahead of time and can have it in the fridge for breakfast, a midday snack, or to take on the go. So far I’ve made variations using blueberries and honey; blackberries, honey and lemon thyme; raspberries, lemon zest, and brown sugar; and blueberries and maple syrup. I’ve also tried it with vanilla greek yogurt and no added sugar, and to the original recipe a dash of vanilla seeds (split bean, adding a pea sized amount of seeds to each jar). When I ran out of fresh berries, I was able to use thawed frozen berries, and just cut down on the milk so it wasn’t overly runny.
I haven’t had the heart to use cinnamon or nutmeg, since those go with hot oatmeal in my book. I do want to try some fresh rosemary and lemon zest, and maybe even lavender and cocoa. Maybe once I restock my Goji berries, I’ll try some of them babies too.
You can safely make enough to last for several mornings, but try not to make them too far in advance. The longest they’ve been in the fridge in my house has been 4 days. Any longer and you’re in funkytown.
Email me your variations and enjoy oatmeal on the cool side.
2013-02-16 08:00:34
Source: http://www.green-and-growing.com/2012/08/hot-cereal-in-heat-no-flipping-way.html
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