what kind of oats?

Oats | kateshortforbob | Wikimedia Commons

Bob wrote in and asked "I have heard that not all oatmeal has the same nutritional value, and I'm confused. There are so many types of oatmeal, steel-cut, instant, etc, etc. What is the most nutritious type?"

This comes up a lot. We're told that oats are really good for us, they are, and that we should eat more of them for reducing cholesterol, to help reduce cardiovascular disease and to stabilize blood sugar. Oats are a wonderful food. They contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is easily digested and helps the body by slowing down how quickly it can process simple starches and sugars. Soluble fiber also breaks down within the digestive tract, binding with cholesterol and thereby escorting it out of the body. Insoluble fiber cannot be digested and helps to create bulkier stools which move through the system more quickly. They also help mitigate certain bile acids.

More than just fiber, oats also provide manganese, selenium, tryptophan, phosphorus, and magnesium. They even provide a modest amount of protein (6 g per cup).

Quick or instant oatmeal is not as good a choice since it is broken down; your body can get through it too quickly. It's also it's more highly processed and the more processed a food is is the less nutritious it typically is. Oat groats and steel cut oats are generally considered to be the best. The groats are the whole grain, containing all of the fiber, bran and the beneficial germ. Old fashioned or rolled oats are also very good although they don't have all of the bran since some of that is removed during the rolling, or flaking, process.  I keep all three, oat groats, steel cut oats, and thick rolled oats, in my pantry all the time.  They're very versatile and are great for a wide range of recipes.

One cup of oats per day is considered to be very beneficial, especially if you have high cholesterol or are looking for foods to help stabilize blood sugar. Making it with milk will add more protein and some calcium. Adding fresh ground flax seeds, about one tablespoon, will further increase the fiber content and add a healthy omega 3 boost. Adding fresh berries, my favorite is blueberries is great, a dash of cinnamon on top and you've got a really great meal to get you going in the morning.

baking with kids

ready, set, bake

Baking is wonderful and something I love to do.  Even more fun is to bake with kids.  They're so excited and fascinated by the process.  Learning their way around the ingredients, how to measure, the wet and dry combining process; it's a fun edible science and math experiment in the kitchen.

This is one of my baking buddies, Miss A.  She came over the other day with her brother, Mr. C.   I had promised them that the next time they came over we would make cookies so that was our plan.

As it turns out Mr. C's idea of making cookies was to allow his sister and I to do all the baking while he played the part of Official Cookie Tester.  And, might I add, he was rather impatient for those cookies to be done.

Miss A and I got down to business, put on our aprons and got out my "Famous Chocolate Chip Oaties" recipe.  Mr. C. wanted to know why they were famous, had they been on t.v.?  Did someone famous invent them?  I told him that it was a recipe I had created and I simply call them Famous because everyone who eats them really likes them and wants more.  Needless to say he was less than impressed and informed me that unless they've been on t.v. they can't be famous.  Maybe I should send a box to Ellen?

One of the things I love about baking with kids is how curious they are.  Miss A wanted to taste everything.  Of course we decided that the chocolate chips were pretty tasty.  Surprisingly she liked the oatmeal, even raw, and requested a large spoonful of her own to nibble on.  We had two kinds of sugar and she tasted both of them.  Then we got to the baking soda.  Miss A asked if she could taste it.  I was a little surprised and said, "I'm not sure you want to do that."
"Why?" she asked.
"Well," I replied "it's a little bitter tasting and I'm not sure you're going to like it."
"But I want to taste everything." she said.
So I let her taste it.
Her face scrunched up a little and she said, "It's not really bitter but I don't like it."
"Want some chocolate chips to wash that down?" I asked.
Of course the answer was yes.

We wound up making two batches of cookies the regular variety and the peanut butter variety.  The recipe is below and we're sure you're going to enjoy it, just like we did.

Famous Chocolate Chip Oaties

1/2 C butter
1 C evaporated cane juice crystals
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
1 C + 2 T white whole wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 C chocolate chips
1 C rolled oats

Preheat oven to 375
Blend together butter and sugar until creamy
Add egg and blend well
Add vanilla and blend well
Mix together flour, salt and baking soda and sift into butter mixture
Blend in chocolate chips
Blend in oats

Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet
Bake 10 minutes
Let sit on baking sheet 2 minutes
Move to rack to finish cooling

For the Peanut Butter variety:
Substitute sucanat for the evaporated cane juice crystals
Add 1/2 C chunky peanut butter

banana oat pancakes

We love pancakes in our house.  They are a great, easy to make, healthy, whole grain breakfast.  Throw in some fresh fruit and maybe a little homemade Greek yogurt and it's the perfect meal to start your day...filling, nutritious, blood-sugar balancing, and, most importantly, delicious.

I love it when I find a recipe that is so perfect it doesn't need anything else.  This recipe is one of them.  From my King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book it's a recipe that is a consistent favorite.  I love the fact that it's made from whole grains.  Although I make my own oat flour by grinding oat groats you can easily make it at home by placing old fashioned oats in the food processor or blender and blending it until it reaches a fine consistency.  If that's more than you are willing to do you can also just buy it, both Arrowhead Mills and Bob's Red Mill sell oat flour or you can get certified gluten-free oat flour from Legacy Valley or Cream Hill Estates.

As a quick side note, oats do not have gluten in them.  However they tend to be grown near, stored with or transported with other glutinous grains, most specifically wheat.  Certified producers grow and process only oats, guaranteeing that there is no cross-contamination.

One of the things that my family likes so much about this recipe is that it is very fluffy.  You don't realize that these are whole grain oat pancakes they are that light and airy.  The bananas combined with the cinnamon and nutmeg make it a delicious way to start your day.  I also like having another great recipe that allows me to use up any almost over-ripe bananas.

King Arthur Flour's Banana-Oat Pancakes

3 small bananas mashed
2 T. unsalted butter melted (use organic)
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. sugar (I reduce this to 1 t. as the bananas when they are this ripe have a lot of natural sugars)
2 eggs
1 C. oat flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Stir together the mashed bananas, butter, lemon juice and sugar in a medium bowl.
Beat in the eggs.
Whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a small bowl.
Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened.
Check to be sure the batter is thin enough for your pancakes; you may need to add a touch of milk or water (I never do)
Let the batter sit 10 minutes before using.

Heat a nonstick griddle or heavy skillet.
If your surface is not non-stick brush it lightly with vegetable oil.
When the surface is ready spoon batter 1/4 C. at a time into the pan.
Let the pancakes cook on the first side until bubbles begin to for around the edges, 3-4 minutes.
When the pancakes are just beginning to set flip then and let them cook on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes more.

KA suggests you can sprinkle toasted walnuts over the batter just before cooking as an extra treat.

Sources for oat flour:

   

chocolate granola

Today we have a special treat as my friend Christine shares her chocolate granola recipe. I've always loved granola because it's a quick healthy breakfast, a great snack; it's also quick and easy to make. One of the other great things about granola is how it can be changed around to suit individual tastes. The idea of making it in a crockpot, is a big “wow” because it doesn't get any easier than that.

Christine shared the following thoughts with me, “A friend had told me a little about using dark chocolate. Apparently, it contains 'good' fats, that our bodies need to digest properly. I began to think about the other good fats I've been trying to feed my family, coconut, olive oil, and nuts, etc. Chocolate granola sounded like a good breakfast food. I knew from prior experience that a little coconut oil at breakfast helped me control my appetite. I found a basic recipe and substituted some things and added a few. It smelled wonderful - kind of like chocolate potporri all day. When all seven of us like something, its a keeper! This one will be a regular breakfast item for our family.”

With the addition of ground flax and coconut oil this recipe provides some great fatty acids (flax seeds have omega-3 while coconut oil has medium-chain fatty acids). These healthy fats help provide saiety, or fullness, which means it helps fill you up. Dark chocolate and cocoa provide antioxidants, especially epicatechin (found also in green tea) which protect against cardiovascular disease.

Here's Christine's recipe, as she says it's a big hit with her family, I'm sure it will be for yours as well.

Chocolate Granola
Mix in crock pot:

7 C. organic old fashioned oats
1/2 C. ground flax
1/4 C. organic brown sugar
1/2 C. shredded coconut
Pinch of sea salt
½ C. raw honey
2 T. maple syrup
¼ C. coconut oil
2 T. cocoa powder

Mix well and heat on low all day, stir once in while.

After slightly browned (4-6 hours on low) stir in:
½ C. 70% chocolate or darker, finely chopped
1 C. chopped almonds & walnuts

Cool completely then store in an airtight container

Chocolate granola photo courtesy of Christine Michael Gibson

breakfast pudding

It's another cold, wet, grey day here in Texas. A perfect day for breakfast pudding. It's my newest recipe created because I was looking for a different way to make oatmeal. While I love a hearty bowl of oatmeal or an oatmeal smoothie or homemade granola sometimes you want something a little different.

I decided that I would make something along the lines of a baked rice pudding but use oatmeal as the base grain instead of cooked rice. It came out delicious and is our new winter favorite. Although it takes 45 minutes to bake the leftovers are delicious (I actually preferred this on the second day). It makes 6 generous servings so it's perfect for a brunch or weekend breakfast with leftovers for during the week.

Baked Oatmeal Pudding

4 C. milk
1/4 C. turbinado sugar
2 T. butter
1/2 t. sea salt
1 egg
1/2 t. apple pie spice
2 C. rolled oats
1 cored, peeled apple, chopped
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1/2 C. raisins (or cranberries if you prefer)
1/2 C. ground flax seed
2 T. sesame seeds

preheat oven to 350
in a large sauce pan combine milk, sugar, butter and salt
bring to just under a boil until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted
in a cup beat the egg
slowly add milk 1 T. at a time until egg is warmed (this will prevent curdling)
add egg and remaining ingredients to milk mixture, stirring together
pour into greased 2 quart baking dish
cover dish and place in oven for 45 minutes
remove from oven, uncover and let set for 10 minutes
cut and serve drizzled with maple syrup

Enjoy!

strawberry-colada scones

Having leftover fresh ground flour from the ricotta pancakes I decided to make some scones. Scones are great. Not as dense as muffins, the right size for a snack and, like muffins, very pliable to modification. Rummaging around the pantry and fridge revealed some strawberry yogurt and the last little bit of shredded coconut so strawberry-colada became the flavor of the day. Unfortunately I did not have any fresh or dried strawberries which I think would have made these scones even better; the currants worked well but the scones were a little light in the strawberry flavor. In the future I'll make sure to have strawberries available the next time I want to bake these.

In the past when I have made scone recipes using fresh ground flour I find that sometimes they are more dense than I'd like. Wanting to make sure these were light more fluffy I separated the egg. If you are using a whole grain flour you may want to do the same.

Strawberry-Colada Scones

1 C. oat flour

1 C. brown rice flour

1/3 C. evaporated cane juice crystals

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

generous pinch of sea salt

1 C. strawberry yogurt

1 egg separated

1/4 C. coconut oil melted

1/2 C. currants

1/2 C. shredded coconut

preheat oven to 400

beat egg whites until peak forms, set aside

mix together egg yolk, coconut oil and yogurt until fully blended

in a separate bowl mix together flour, cane juice crystals, baking powder, baking soda, and salt

add dry mixture to yogurt mixture until just moistened

gently fold in currants and shredded coconut

gently fold in egg whites

drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet

bake 15 minutes or until golden brown

let cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to rack

Enjoy!

ricotta pancakes with honey glazed plums

Cooking and baking is always an adventure. Inspiration is all around you if you are open to it. There's no real explanation for why or how ideas come together but I can honestly say that frequently it's a matter of "oh gosh there's X in the fridge and I better use it up." Then I make something using that ingredient. Most of the time I make tried and true recipes, either my own or those from trusted cookbooks. Sometimes the inspiration is something I ate elsewhere that I really liked and have been given the recipe. Other times the recipes find me but I somehow can't help playing with them a little bit.

Such is the case with today's breakfast. The inspiration was a click-through twitter post that brought me to Almost Bourdain's (AB's) blog, which I just discovered and like a lot. He credits his inspiration for this recipe to Bill Granger, I credit my inspiration to him. It's kind of neat how that works, we're all connected by this idea of ricotta in pancakes but we each put a slightly different twist to it; all of them, I'm sure, very delicious.

My changes came about because I am trying to work more with gluten free recipes lately. These are for a few people I know who are faced with gluten sensitivity. It's also, as always, inspired by what I have on hand. AB's version calls for bananas and honeycomb. I didn't have enough bananas but did have plums. Didn't have any honeycomb either (and I miss my friends from CT who used to supply me with it) but I did have honey. Together with some breakfast sausage this made a great meal and is definitely on the repeat again list. I hope you like it too.

Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Glazed Plums

For pancakes:

1 1/3 C. ricotta cheese

3/4 C. buttermilk (for a little tang to offset the honey glazed plums)

4 eggs separated

1/2 C. fresh ground oat flour

1/2 C. fresh ground brown rice flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla

pinch salt

beat egg whites until peaks form, set aside

mix ricotta, egg yolks, vanilla, and buttermilk together until well blended

mix together flours, baking powder and salt

gently add flours into ricotta mixture

gently fold egg whites into mixture until just blended

drop by 1/4 C. measure into medium hot, greased pan

after 2 minutes flip to cook other side

For honey-glazed plums:

2 plums

2 T. honey

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 t. butter

cut plums into bite sized pieces

toss with honey and cinnamon

in a medium-hot pan melt butter

add plum mixture and stir until plums begin to soften just a little (about 7 minutes)

serve pancakes with plums on top

Honestly these were fabulous. I would even consider serving them as a dessert by making the pancakes smaller and putting a dollop of creme fraiche on top with a dusting of cinnamon.

pumpkin oat breakfast bars

My friend Erin recently shared this fabulous recipe for a great on-the-go-snack bar. With pumpkins in season it's easy enough to make your own puree. If you don't have the time or inclination to make your own, the canned stuff works just fine. One word of caution, when choosing canned pumpkin I highly recommend that you read the label and make sure that you are getting only 100% pumpkin. You don't need all those other ingredients.

Pumpkin Oat Breakfast Bars (make ahead for quick breakfast or breakfast that must travel with you)

3/4 cup pumpkin purée (can be canned)
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter or ghee at room temperature
1 large or 2 small ripe bananas
1/4 cup honey
2 cups rolled oats (not the quick cook variety)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (can use walnuts or sunflower seeds)
2 Tbsp shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup oat bran (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
pinch of Celtic sea salt
1 Tbsp grated orange rind from an organic orange (optional)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dried blueberries, wild

Measure out the 2 cups of oats and pour just enough warm water over them to cover them.
Soak for about 5 minutes while you’re mixing up the wet ingredients.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin, eggs, butter or ghee, honey and banana.
You may want to mash the banana before adding to the bowl if it’s not really soft.
Before adding the oats, drain them well; add the oats, nuts, coconut, oat bran, cinnamon, salt, orange rind, currants and blueberries, and stir until ingredients are well combined.
Spread mixture into a lightly greased (butter, ghee or coconut oil) pan so the batter is no more than an inch or two deep. An 8” x 10” baking dish works well.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until it’s beginning to brown.
If they fall apart when you cut them into bars, you might try baking for about 10 minutes longer.
For very crisp bars, remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut the bars when cool.

If you want to learn more about Erin you can visit her website.

photo courtesy of Waldo Jaquith:commons.wikimedia.com

baking with steel cut oats

My friend Tracy recently wrote in and asked what to do with the leftover steel cut oats she has.  Her family doesn't really like eating oatmeal for breakfast in the summer and she'd like to use up the oats rather than leaving them to sit until next winter.

Steel cut oats are very coarsely chopped oat groats.  They cook up hearty and nutty, are tasty and have a lot of fiber making them a great choice for those who eat oats.  They can also be used for so much more than just oatmeal.  I have used them in chocolate chip "oatmeal" cookies when I was out of oatmeal.  I just substituted an equal amount of steel cut oats for the oatmeal.  The substitution does change the baking time a little so you need to watch them a more closely.  

Another good use for steel cut oats is to grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder to get an oat flour which can then be used in a lot of different recipes.  Oat flour tends to be lighter than wheat flour and has no gluten so it won't rise well.  This flour however is excellent for making cookies, biscotti, scones, muffins, and quick breads.  

My favorite use by far is to create steel cut oat pudding.  I was introduced to this by a friend from England and it is a truly yummy dessert.  It's fabulous all by itself and absolutely wonderful when served with vanilla ice cream.  

Freydis' Fabulous Pudding

1 C. steel cut oatmeal

4 C. water

1 C. milk

2 eggs

1 C. sucanat

2 T. butter

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 C. raisins

Toast the oatmeal in a pan until lightly browned. 

Bring the water to a boil, add the oatmeal, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes until done

Preheat oven to 350 deg F

Oil the inside of a 1.5 quart baking dish

In a large bowl mix together milk, eggs, sucanat, butter and cinnamon

Add in raisins and oatmeal

Pour into baking dish

Bake 30-35 minutes until done

Can be served warm, room temperature or cold.

Option:  Sometimes I vary this by substituting apple pie spice for the cinnamon and chopped dried apple for the raisins.  Delicious!

Enjoy!

photo courtesy of WikiMedia.org

great granola

The kitchen is fragrant with the smells of baking granola right now. Steve and the kids like to eat it as a bowl of cereal, I prefer it as a garnish on top of a bowl of yogurt and fruit, as an added treat to a bowl of muesli, or as a crumb topping for making muffins. One of the reasons that I like to make my own granola is because I can control the flavor and the sweetness; I also believe I save money by making my own.

Bear Naked Apple Cinnamon Granola is $4.85 for approximately 3 cups, Kashi Mountain Medley Granola is $4.56 for approximately 3.5 cups and my homemade version comes out at around $3.65 for 6 cups. Because I want less sugar in my granola it is admittedly less crunchy but we find it to be very flavorful and enjoy it a lot. Taste testings with friends and family shows that they like it too.

The most recent batch is apricot, raisin, walnut, cinnamon. The kids were very eager to "taste test" it as it came out of the oven, I had to fend them off with my mixing spoon so that it could cool properly.

Granola

preheat oven to 350F

3 T. honey

3 T. molasses

1/3 C. oil

4 C. rolled oats

1 C. nuts, chopped

1 C. dried fruit

1/4 C. flax seed, ground

1 t. vanilla

spices, optional (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc)

In a small pot on the stove mix honey, molasses and oil

Heat until just starting to bubble, stirring to mix well

Place oats in a large ovenproof dish

Pour liquid mixture over oats and stir well to coat evenly

Bake for 10 minutes

Remove from oven, stir well, add nuts and return to oven

Bake for 10 minutes

Remove from oven, stir well, add dried fruit and return to oven

Bake for 10 minutes

Remove from oven, stir well, add flax seeds, vanilla and any spices if desired

Let cool completely before storing in a container

Enjoy

gluten-free oats

On a forum that I belong to there was a recent question about whether or not oats have gluten in them. I also have a new client who is concerned about gluten issues. Additionally I am still getting a lot of interest in my articles comparing barley to oats here and here.

As I've mentioned before and want to clarify; barley has gluten, if you have gluten intolerance issues or Celiac Disease you cannot eat it, ever. If you think you have either of these conditions I urge you to get tested as that is the only way truly identify Celiac. If you do not test positive for Celiac Disease but feel that there is a gluten intolerance I urge you to work with someone as you go through an elimination diet.

All of the research I have found indicates that oats do not have gluten in them. However, they are frequently grown near wheat or processed in the same facility as wheat or transported with wheat. This means that cross-contamination is an issue. There are a few brands that are advertised as gluten free and these companies maintain separate gluten-free facilities if they happen to produce gluten-containing foods as well.

Gluten Free Oats LLC http://www.glutenfreeoats.com/

Gifts of Nature - http://www.giftsofnature.net/Home.asp

Bob's Red Mill - http://www.bobsredmill.com/home.php?cat=112

Chateau Cream Hill Estates - http://www.creamhillestates.com/en_order.php

it's not just soup

My recent post about substituting barley for oats has generated a number of inquiries about barley itself so I thought I would address them here.

Barley is a very versatile cereal grain that we get from grass, Hordem vulgare. It is cultivated all around the world and has a wide variety of uses, from animal fodder to cereal to alcohol to malt and more.   Barley contains all eight essential amino acids and is a very rich source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.  It is also a good source of selenium, a trace mineral that is helpful to the immune system and with helping to regulate the thyroid.

Before I go any further I should also mention that barley is one of "those" grains; it contains gluten.  Many more people are being diagnosed with Celiac Disease or are gluten sensitive.  If you have gluten issues of any kind it is best to avoid all forms of gluten; I encourage you to speak with a healthcare practitioner to determine if you think you have any gluten issues.  

Barley comes in several forms.  The most common is pearled which is frequently used for soups or as a substitution for rice in pilafs and stuffings.  Pearled barley is not considered a whole grain because all of the bran coating has been polished off.  Scotch, or pot, barley is the next step up the ladder with minimal polishing but is also not considered a whole grain because although some of the hull remains too much of it has been removed.

Next is hulled barley, sometimes called barley groats, which is considered a whole grain because of the fiber contained in the hull, left after the outer, inedible layer has been stripped away.  Hulled barley requires soaking due to the added fiber, but it gives a lovely texture, or bite, to stews, soups, cereals, puddings, and other dishes.  One of my favorite breakfast dishes is a crockpot cereal made with oat groats, hulled barley groats and brown rice.  

Dry pearled, scotch, and hulled barley can be ground into flour and used in baking.  Barley flour is light and delicate in flavor however you need to be aware that barley is a low gluten grain. Therefore it may need to be combined with other higher gluten grains when using the flour in baking.  Used by itself barley flour makes a wonderful, delicate cookie.

Barley can also be flaked, similar to oats, and used as a cereal or added to baked goods for texture and flavor.  Due to the flaking process this is not a considered a whole grain so the amount of beneficial fiber is not very high.  Flaked barley can also be ground into flour; this is best done in a food processor or blender rather than a grain mill to prevent any clogging.  As with corn, barley can be toasted, ground, turned into grits and eaten as a cereal or side dish or, similar to wheat, it can be turned into a bulgur-type texture.

Last, but certainly not least, are the benefits of barley greens.  Many people like to juice and drink barley grass, similar to wheatgrass, or to use barley greens powders made from dehydrated barley grass.  Because barley grass is made from the leaves, or shoots, of the barley it does not contain gluten however the risk of contamination with the kernel or the risk of not harvesting at the right time is a possibility so barley grass and barley greens should not be consumed by people with gluten issues.

Because of the varieties of textures and it's use in so many dishes I encourage you to try adding barley to your diet, it makes a great change from rice or pasta.

Crockpot Breakfast Cereal

makes 4 servings

place in crockpot:

1/3 C. each oat groats, hulled barley and brown rice
Three cups of water 

1/2 C. dried fruit

Set crockpot on low overnight

In the morning add:

2 T. ground flax

1 T. ground cinnamon

the sweetner of choice (we tend to use either honey or maple syrup)

Enjoy!

photo courtesy of de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:MarkusHagenlocher

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley, 
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp, 
http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/barley-nutrition.html, 
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127#nutritionalprofile
http://homecooking.about.com/cs/vegetables/a/barley.htm,
http://www.barleyfoods.org/nutrition.html

oatmeal smoothie

A recent visit with my aunt brought up the idea for this smoothie.  At the coffee shop near her apartment they were serving them.  We didn't get one but the server told us they were fabulous; oatmeal, milk and vanilla syrup.  I don't know why but the idea of this smoothie caught my imagination and I decided to try to create one when I got home.  This is what I came up with and it's very delicious.  Steve liked it too.

Oatmeal Smoothie

1/4 C. oatmeal

1/4 C. oat bran

1 T. ground flax seed

1 T. coconut oil

2 C. milk

1/2 t. vanilla

heat milk and coconut oil in a saucepan until steamy

pour over remaining ingredients

blend together

Typo alert: the above has been corrected to read 2 C. of milk.  This is for two servings.  If you want to make one serving just cut everything in half.  1/4 C. is 4 T. so a half serving would be 2 T. for the oatmeal and oat bran.

oats or barley, barley or oats?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A question recently posed at a forum I belong to was about the nutritional differences between barley and oats. The poster noticed that barley flakes were less expensive than oatmeal and wondered if barley flakes were a good substitute for the oatmeal. Here's my response:

The biggest difference is that barley is a glutinous grain and oats are not, so if gluten sensitivity is an issue don't substitute the barley.  And, as people who do have gluten sensitivity know, you need to be sure you are getting gluten-free oats because they are frequently grown near wheat or processed in the same plant and this can be enough contamination to be an issue.

Barley flakes tend to be not as soft or tender as oat flakes (oatmeal), but they are still a great cereal, or addition to soups and stews.  I sometimes use mine to substitute for 1/2 the oatmeal in a homemade granola recipe.

They break down like this:

1/2 C uncooked oatmeal has 150 calories, 3 g fat, 4 g fiber and 5 g protein

1/4 C uncooked barley flakes has 80 calories, .5 g fat, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein

These facts are from the back of the packages. To me this would indicate that the 1/2 C measure of barley would be slightly higher in calories, have less fat, more fiber and more protein than the oats but would probably be chewier.  

Be well

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:MarkusHagenlocher

maple syrup

At the grocery store last night I overheard someone talking.  They were looking for Grade B maple syrup and couldn't find it.  They also were wondering what the heck the difference was between Grade A and Grade B.

Having lived in Vermont before and having spent some time in a sugar shack (just tasting mind you, not cooking) I thought I would share a little information about maple syrup.

Maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree.  In the spring when weather warms up the sap starts "running", the trees are tapped and the sugar shacks start boiling to create the syrup.  It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup; the average tree produces about 10 gallons of sap.  Once they start boiling in the sugar shack they don't stop until the sap stops; this can make for some very long days.

There are five grades of maple syrup, Grade A Light Amber is the fancy grade and the one most people use.  Grade A Medium Amber and Grade A Dark Amber are darker, obviously and they have a slightly different taste.  Grade B is even darker and thicker than Grade A Dark Amber and has a more pronounced flavor.  It is more often used for cooking because of the more intense flavor.  The last grade is Grade C, or commercial, which is for flavorings and other commercial uses.

According to Ed, the guy who owned the sugar shack down the way, Vermont maple syrup is better than any other maple syrup because they actually boil it thicker, using more gallons of sap per gallon of finished product, and so it is more flavorful.  

I never learned to drink coffee with maple syrup (which a number of people in Vermont do) but I did get a recipe from my friend Carol for a Maple Oat Pie which is a Vermont specialty.  I've modified the recipe slightly over the years but still call it Carol's Maple Oat Pie and think of her every time I make it (warning, this is not a low calorie food but it sure is good).

Carol's Maple Oat Pie

1 C. sucanat

1 C. butter

3 eggs

1 cup maple syrup
1 cup oatmeal (quick oats)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup crushed walnuts

preheat oven to 325 degrees F

cream together sucanat and butter

add eggs one at a time

add remaining ingredients

pour mixture into unbaked 9" pie shell. 

Bake 325° for 10 min 

reduce heat to 300 and bake another 45 minutes or until set

 

photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Miguel_Andrade

baking substitutions

I love to bake; I've been doing it for over 20 years and have made a wide assortment of baked goods for family, friends, fundraisers and more.  

Over the years as I began to learn more about the health benefits of fresh ground flour I made changes in how I baked.  Then I started grains&more and things have never been the same since.

When I began to teach whole grain baking classes I also began to create recipes of my own.  One of the challenges that I ran into was that some of the people who took my classes weren't ready to switch to fresh ground flour but they wanted to still enjoy some of the recipes I created.  This is a quick overview of a few substitutions you can make to my recipes. Although the flavors may change slightly the recipes should still work just fine.

fresh ground wheat - I highly recommend King Arthur Flour's Whole Wheat as a substitute.  While some of the nutrition has oxidized out all the fiber is there.  Hodgson Mills also makes a great product and is a good substitute if you cannot find King Arthur however the Hodgson Mill product tends to be a little coarser than King Arthur and you'll need to run it through a blender or food processor to make it finer

ezekiel flour - whole wheat flour is a reasonable substitution here, see above

spelt flour - again, whole wheat flour is a reasonable substitution, see above

oat flour - I grind oat groats to make this but you can grind rolled oats in your blender or food processor

brown rice flour - Bob's Red Mill makes an excellent brown rice flour or you can try grinding this in your food processor

corn flour - this tends to be finer and richer than corn meal plus, of course, it is the whole grain.  Bob's Red Mill has a good corn flour.  If you prefer to use cornmeal (which I don't really recommend) you need to grind it in your blender or food processor to make it finer and preserve the texture of the baked goods

flax meal - there is no substitution for this, the purchased flax meal is usually de-germed for shelf stability.  Simply buy flax seeds and an inexpensive coffee grinder to make your own

sucanat - if you cannot find this product on your store shelves use organic evaporated cane juice crystals.  I DO NOT recommend white sugar at all. Sucanat has a very rich flavor due to the molasses and minerals still present.  In some recipes (such as pumpkin muffins) you want that rich flavor so I would add a tablespoon of molasses with the cane juice crystals

coconut oil - in spite of the fact that so many people think this is not good for you it is an excellent choice as a baking fat. However a good substitute is organic unsalted butter.  NOTE:  when using coconut oil only use virgin, cold pressed coconut oil

buttermilk or kefir - a quick substitute is to put 1 T. of fresh lemon juice into 1 C. whole milk and let it sit for at least 5 minutes to sour

photo courtesy of freephoto.com

pancakes

Mmmmmmm....nothing like a nice hot breakfast to start your day.    This morning we had a touch of frost on the lawn (unusual for Texas) which definitely calls for a hot breakfast. I had some buttermilk in the fridge and decided pancakes were the order of the day.  Drizzled with maple syrup, an egg on the side, a clementine with it, this is one of my favorite breakfasts.

It's important to get a good start to the day.  Some whole grain fiber, a little fat, a bit of protein, it keeps you going and helps keep your blood sugar stable all morning.

These pancakes are very fluffy, a combination of the oat flour and the buttermilk.  By letting the batter rest for a few minutes the whole grains soften a bit and soak up some of that buttermilk to help make the pancakes fluffy and delicious.

I'll put up another post about substitutions for those who don't grind their own flour.  And if you're questioning the use of coconut oil I'm here to tell you it's one of the healthiest oils you can use.  A medium chain fatty acid full of good things like lauric acid and caprylic acid.  Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Buttermilk Oat Pancakes

1/2 C. oat flour

1/2 C. brown rice flour

1 egg

1 1/2 T. melted coconut oil

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. vanilla

1 T. sucanat

mix the dry ingredients together

beat the egg

add beaten egg and other liquid ingredients to the dry mixture

let mixture sit for 5 minutes

cook in pan lightly greased with coconut oil

enjoy!