Spiced Banana Steel-Cut Oats
Steel-cut oats are one of my grown-up food discoveries.
Do you have any of those? Things you didn’t know existed until you were living on your own? Some of my others include kale, quinoa, and nutritional yeast.
Growing up, I used to eat oatmeal as a comfort food—regular Quaker oats totally loaded with brown sugar, butter, and cream. But, now that I know more about food, I’ve come up with better ways to make oats taste just as delicious and comforting, but with much healthier ingredients.
I like steel-cut outs because they have a chewier, more toothsome texture than regular oats. They do take longer to cook, but it’s so worth it.
This is basically how I make oatmeal every time; it’s my favorite way to prepare it. And guess what? There’s no added sweeteners, no added fat, and it’s vegan and gluten-free! If you’re not privy to the banana secret to oatmeal, let me fill you in. Adding sliced banana towards the end of the cooking process makes the oats fluffier, and naturally sweetens them. I like to compliment the banana flavor with a bit of cinnamon, and a small pinch of allspice. I also like to add in some flax for the health benefits of the Omega-3s, and the nuttiness.
Another way to naturally sweeten your oats is to add in some dried fruit. I like currants because they’re small. When you add them in at the beginning of the cooking process, they plump up and get all sweet and juicy. I always top my oatmeal with some kind of fruit or preserves, and either nuts or granola for texture. I used strawberries here, but you can use whatever you have—even more banana!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup steel-cut oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk + more to finish
- 1/4 cup water
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp dried currants
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch (1/16 tsp) ground allspice
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1/2 banana, sliced
- 2 tsp slivered almonds
- Fruit of choice, to top
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the oats, almond milk, water, salt, currants, cinnamon, and allspice over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
- At this point, most of your liquid should be evaporated. I like to add in a couple more tablespoons of almond milk, along with the banana, and flax. Now, stir vigorously, breaking up the banana. When t's combined, cover the saucepan and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes until the oats are tender.
- To serve, put the oats in the bowl, and top with the almonds and fruit. I also like to add a couple teaspoons of additional almond milk around the edges, just because I think it makes it taste even better.
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