HowTo Make The Best Oatmeal Ever

I began eating oatmeal for breakfast last year, since I was looking for a meal to keep me feeling full, longer. Instant oatmeal is my go-to since it's quick and easy in the mornings. Although the apple, cinnamon and brown sugar flavours are good, they still aren't very filling. These instant oats have also been heavily processed: cut, flattened, cooked and dehydrated. All of these processes significantly take away from the nutrituional value. 

I started to search for different homemade oatmeal recipes, all claiming to produce the best and most delicious bowl. After playing around with the ingredients I have available in my kitchen, I have come up with a combined recipe that truly holds the optimal texture.

Steel-cut oats are the most natural and nutritious option for oatmeal, but take the longest to cook. My main concern with steel-cut oats is their tendency to get really thick and chewy, since they begin as hard kernels. On the other hand, quick oats are way too soft and mushy for my liking. They are thin flakes which have been processed far more than steel-cut, therefore they cook much faster. Even though cooking time is far different for the two types, quick oats can be simmered for a while as the steel-cut continue to cook. So what better idea than to combine the two, to create a perfectly balanced consitancy.

What you'll need: 

- 1 ½ cups of water and/or milk (I combine the two, half and half)

- ½ cup oats: just under ¼ cup of steel-cut oats, the rest quick oats

- pinch of salt

- a splash of vanilla extract, if preferred

- cinnamon and brown sugar, or other toppings of your choice

Steps:

1. Bring the water/milk to a boil on medium heat in a small sauce pot

2. Add all of your oats and stir occasionally for 20-30 minutes, on low heat

3. Add a pinch of salt and vanilla and continue to stir occasionally

4. Remove when your oats have reached your desired thickness, add toppings and enjoy immediately 

(don't burn yourself!)

This recipe takes 20-30 minutes and makes one bowl of oatmeal.

If you have a bit of time in the morning and love a warm and nutritious bowl of oatmeal, I'd highly recommend giving this recipe a try. 

Hope you enjoy,

Madeline

xx