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I go through phases with my oatmeal. Sometimes I have no desire whatsoever to eat it, and sometimes I love the taste and ritual. Right now I’m definitely in the latter phase.
Helen LOVES oatmeal. But grains can be difficult to digest, especially for babies and toddlers, if they aren’t properly prepared. Oats are high in phytates, which prevent mineral absorption. Phytic acid can be reduced by soaking grains, which activates the phytase enzyme, which in turn helps to break down the phytic acid.
However, oats are relatively low in the phytase enzyme, so soaking the oats alone doesn’t do a great job of reducing the phytic acid. BUT, if you add another grain that is high in the phytase enzyme, this greatly helps.
Let me show you the easy process for soaking your oatmeal for better digestion:
The day/night before, place your oats and wheat flour in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt. Cover with warm water. Stir.
Your oats are ready to cook the next morning! This step is optional, but I like to rinse the oats to get rid of the sour taste from the yogurt.
Now put in a pot and add water/milk and salt. Cook until it’s the consistency you like.
Now for the fun part: adding flavors! There are so many options. Cinnamon + bananas is yummy. You can even mash up the bananas to act as the sweetener for the oatmeal. Add chopped nuts and it’s banana bread oatmeal!
Helen adores raisins in her oatmeal. She always asks for them if I forget.
My personal favorite at the moment is bananas with chopped dates and cinnamon.
Oh, and I always add butter and cream. They are a must. I also sweeten my oatmeal a bit with maple syrup.
NOTE: I like my oatmeal porridgey, so I use quite a bit of liquid when cooking. If you like your oatmeal dry, cook it with less water/milk.
What do you like to eat in your oatmeal?
Overnight (Soaked) Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons yogurt, kefir, whey, vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (you can also use spelt)
- warm water to cover
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups liquid (I use half milk and half water)
- toppings: pastured butter, cream, maple syrup, fruit (fresh or dried), spices (such as cinnamon or nutmeg), nuts, etc.
Directions:
The day/night before, place the oats, yogurt, and whole wheat flour in a bowl. Cover with warm water. Cover loosely and place in a warm spot to soak overnight (12 hours).
The next day, give your oats a rinse to wash off the acidic taste from the yogurt. Put in a pot and add the milk or water. Cook until desired consistency, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve warm with plenty of butter and cream and your favorite toppings.
Kaitlin
Monday 29th of April 2024
If I'm tripling the recipe, do I need to triple the amount of vinegar as well? Thank you!
Erica Kastner
Tuesday 30th of April 2024
You don't need to triple the vinegar, but if you like the flavor you can!
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[…] Overnight (Soaked) Oatmeal […]
Alyssa
Friday 8th of June 2018
This is a great idea! I'll have to try this. Just an FYI, Bob's Red Mill rolled oats are the best for oatmeal and granola bars.:)
Erica Kastner
Sunday 10th of June 2018
Thanks for letting me know your favorite, Alyssa! I can't recall if I've had Bob's Red Mill oats before...
Claire
Thursday 14th of December 2017
Bananas and peanut butter. Every time. It's amazing! Although I do enjoy it with any fresh fruit, a handful of chopped nuts or seeds and cinnamon if I ever fancy a change. I love this recipe, by the way. My body and digestion always thank me for soaking and preparing food properly. I have finally mastered a great sourdough starter recipe and it's working wonders for me, so I really wanted (given the amount we have porridge for breakfast) a great soaked oatmeal recipe, and I've found it! :) I love so many of your recipes. Your baked oatmeal recipe is the only one I've ever liked (although I change it up slightly to make it lower in sugar), and the no-knead bread was one I made for many years and still occasionally do if I've not had the time to make sourdough! :)
Erica Kastner
Sunday 17th of December 2017
Ooooh...yum! I love bananas + peanut butter.
Aw, thank you for your kind words! So glad you enjoy my recipes. :) I'd really like to get into making sourdough. It's so expensive to buy, and I know it would be easy once I got the hang of it...
Erica Lea
Monday 11th of April 2016
So glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, I didn't really enjoy oatmeal until I made it the way I liked it, not the way my dad does. :)