Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A Very Comforting Baked Oatmeal Dish



This is an imaginative approach to oatmeal that a friend of mine, Katy, invented while needing an inexpensive nutritionally sound breakfast that could be eaten on the go. From her gastronomical adventures came this scrumptious masterpiece. Baked oatmeal, what dull name for a wonderfully delicious and hearty breakfast (or anytime treat!) I also like that this dish is a healthy approach to breakfast baked goods. I am personally not a fan of pastries. They make me sleepy, bloated, and grumpy. I almost always need to crash in the afternoon, if I have eaten refined carbs in the morning. This dish however leaves me feeling full, energized, and happy. It is also always a hit, morning or evening! All the folks I have cooked this for love the warm nourishing oats, spiced with tart apples, cinnamon, vanilla, and some good old warming comfort.

This recipe is a perfect example of traditional cooking methods applied in new and interesting ways. The oldest known cultivated oats were found in caves in Switzerland that are believed to belong to the Bronze Age. For the last couple thousand years they have been carried by trade all through Europe, Russia, and North America. Oats has been a traditional food in the northern isles of Europe for thousands of years. I feel a connection to my ancient Celtic grandmothers through this cereal grain.

Our ancestors understood how to cook and work with the food that they grew to best utilize the nourishment available. There was literally countless generations of observation error to find the foods that offered the greatest nourishment, and wisdom of how to properly prepare these foods to access this nourishment. These ancient ones didn't have much leeway when it came to survival. Preparedness as well as, utilizing the cultural wisdom of their elders, ensured not just survival but ability to thrive. There were recipes passed down through the generations not just because they tasted good, but because they were nourishing and healing.

What many of us today don’t realize is that whole grains, while a traditional food and important nutrient source, also contains phytic acid an anti-nutrient. This acid blocks the uptake of many of the nutrients within whole grains. Traditional cooking practices from all over the globe, utilize soaking and fermentation, to remove the phytic acid from grains and legumes.

"Phytic acid is well documented to block absorption of not only of phosphorus, but also other minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. It also negatively affects the absorption of lipids and protein. I would guess that one reason this is true is because phytic acid also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food such as pepsin (which helps break down protein), amylases (convert starch into sugar for digestion) and trypsin (also used in protein digestion). While whole grains have a much higher mineral content than processed grains, we won’t get the full benefit of that nutrition if phytic acid blocks us from absorbing it."
from http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/09/phytic-acid-in-grains-and-legumes.html

Oats is especially high in phytic acid, and requires a longer soaking time than other grains. Our ancestors knew this and would soak and ferment their whole oats to remove the phytic acid. I only buy whole oats because they have a longer shelf life, and there is a reduced chance of rancidity. Once soaked over night, whole oats, cook in just a couple of minutes and is a super easy, nutritious, and quick breakfast.

As with all good recipes it is adaptable and can be shifted to ones personal preferences. I have slightly changed this recipe from what I first learned, and I hope you do as well.

Cheers to Katy!

Ingredients-

• 4 cups whole oats
• 2 tbsp whey, plain yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, or if you are allergic to dairy try apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice (check out http://thenourishingcook.com/1-whey-cool/ for more info on how to make whey yourself!)
• 1-2 cups raw milk or rice milk (Yes, I am a raw milk advocate, a story for another time!)
• 8 pastured organic eggs
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
o ½ tbsp pumpkin spice powder ( OR 1tbsp cinnamon &1 tsp allspice & nutmeg)
• organic apples
• 1 ½ cups seasonal fruit (blueberries, peaches, bananas, raspberries, blackberries….)
• tbsp virgin raw coconut oil OR cultured organic butter
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 pinches of salt
• stevia extract
• raw wild honey or raw agave

To make this dish WILD add one cup fresh elder berries, wild blueberries, huckleberries, 1/4 cup seeded rose hips, or any other wild crafted berry. (Remember the only the blue elderberries are edible, and they must always be cooked before consumption.)

Preparation-

Cover and soak the oats in warm water with 2 tablespoons whey or other choice of fermented goo for 7-24 hrs. I usually do this the night before.

Once you are ready to get hopping, pre-heat the oven to 415F. Take a large rectangle cake pan, add the coconut oil or butter to pan, and let heat in the oven until melted. This is a good thing to set the timer on 3 minutes for, especially if you are extra sleepy.

Core and slice apples very thin- 1/8th inch. Layer these on the bottom of the pan, once the coconut oil or butter is melted.

Strain the oats, until all of the obvious water is removed. Add the eggs, vanilla, spices, & salt. Mix well. Now is the time to use your best judgment, and I know its hard the first time, so keep it simple. Add 1-2 cups milk. If you add more milk it will be a bit more like custard, less milk will be a bit more like a cake. There is no way to go wrong here, just use your preferential judgment. I like it more on the custard side of things.

If you like stevia (and I do in this dish!) add as much as will sweeten to your taste. I don’t give an exact amount on this because every stevia powder and extract is different. There is no true consistency in my experience, and each person's palate has different sensitivity to this herb. I really like stevia with oats, the oats mellows out the “fake” sweet flavor that can sometimes be overwhelming with stevia. If you don’t like stevia sweeten to taste with a ¼ cup of agave. Add 1 1/2cups of seasonal fruit diced into nice bite size slices. Mix well, and pour concoction into the cake pan. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or any other nuts you like on the top.

Bake at 415F for 40-50mins. Check with fork, and if the fork comes out clear, remove from heat, let cool & set for 5 minutes.

TO serve I recommend a heaping scoop, drizzled with honey and topped a good chunk of butter, cream, or a serious dollop of almond butter. Enjoy!




Health Facts about Oats-

Oat bran has the lowest GI at 50, rolled oats at 51 and good old porridge at 58 so eating any form of oats first thing in the morning will help to keep you going until lunchtime.

Oats are also jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals, such as:

Calcium – essential for the immune system

Magnesium – needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body!

Iron – transports oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from cells

Phosphorus – forms and maintains bones and teeth

Manganese – activates more than 20 enzymes and regulates blood sugar levels

Vitamin B5 – essential for your brain, your nerves, your hair and your skin

Folic acid – critical during pregnancy and essential for brain and nerve functions

And their high fiber content means your digestive system is stimulated and your cholesterol is kept nice and low.

3 comments:

  1. This sounds wonderful. And yeah for having a picture so I could pin you on pinterest and send more people over here to learn from your radiant health wisdom ;-)

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  2. Hi Emery! Thank you so much for your feedback. I am still learning the ways of blogs. If you have any other advise please let me know. I love to check yours as well, what beautiful boys you have! Hope to see you some time sooner than later. Much Love- Robin

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  3. Hi Robin,
    I am just now jumping in to the paleo way of living and eating. I thought oats were a no-no on this diet. Could you elaborate on this? Thanks and Happy 2015!

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