“The oat is the Horatio Alger of cereals, which progressed, if not from rags to riches, at least from weed to health food.” ~ Waverley Root, ‘Food’(1980)
Polar Vortex 2 Morning Glory Oats
We are only 3 weeks into the new year, and already upstate New York has warnings for a second polar vortex. Also, another nor’easter is bearing down upon us. The meteorologists say that it is colder and snowier than it has been in twenty years. Personally, I think that we have gotten somewhat soft. When I was growing up, snow and cold arrived in December or January, and it didn’t leave until April.
With this kind of weather, a hot, stick to my ribs, breakfast is needed to kick off the day. I love steel cut oats, so this recipe in the new cookbook Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon caught my attention.
This oatmeal gets its name from the very popular Morning Glory Muffin. I also love those too, but this is a much kinder to my waistline.
To begin gather your oats, carrots, spices and raisins. Note: I used dried cherries.
In a large saucepan, bring water and milk to a low boil. Then stir in the oatmeal, grated carrots, dried fruit, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the oatmeal begins to thicken, about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in toasted coconut flakes, toasted walnuts and orange zest. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with warm milk and a sprinkle of toasted nuts if desired.
Adaptations I made to original recipe:
- Add in 1/2 cup of toasted nuts
- Toast the unsweetened coconut
- Substitute agave syrup for the brown sugar
- Reduce the nutmeg to 1/8 teaspoon
Morning Glory Oats
By Published: January 22, 2014
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Ready In: 55 mins
“The oat is the Horatio Alger of cereals, which progressed, if not from rags to riches, at least from weed to health food.” ~ …
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/3 cup seedless raisins
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetend coconut flakes
- 1 1/2 tablespoon grated orange zest
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, bring water and milk to a low boil. Then stir in the oatmeal, grated carrots, dried fruit, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the oatmeal begins to thicken, about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in toasted coconut flakes and orange zest. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with warm milk if desired.
