Oatmeal Help

[htc]

Hi, I am trying to help a friend find an alternative to the flavored instant oatmeal packs (think peachs n cream, etc) We both agree oatmeal is a great healthy breakfast, but there is a lot of sugar in the instant packs, so we're tyring to find ways to flavor the plain oatmeal packs.

I need stuff that's quick and easy that you can do w/ the office microwave. Stuff I've suggested to her: bring dried frut and chopped walnuts or pecans & a small baggie of brown sugar/cinnamon to work. Am I missing anything to give the oatmeal a real fruitty flavor? Thanks!

 

[pdswife]

How about honey or strawberry jam?

 

[purrfectlydevine]

If you like the flavors available, Quaker put out a lower sugar version of 2 flavors.

 

[jennyema]

What about fresh fruit? A banana? Apples? Pears?

And if you can find instant IRISH oatmeal (steel cut) in your store, you might want to try it, IMO it's fabulous.

 

[Ishbel]

Porridge shouldn't be flavoured - it goes against nature! I hate the rolled oats, but real Scots oats are amazing - made with either half milk and half water, or all water... then served with just a tiny amount of cold milk, and light sprinkling of salt... It's what made the Scots what they are today The best oats are from Alford Mill in Scotland. I have 3 grades of their oats in my cupboards all the time - some I use for puddings, some for porridge and some for general cooking use.

 

[urmaniac13]

I would suggest muesli with fatfree yogurt... the only problem can be they are tasty and you could end up eating a little too much!

 

[htc]

what the heck is the difference in oatmeals? I'm assuming the Quaker stuff I get at the store is different than the Irish or Scot oatmeal? I've heard of museli too, isn't that just uncooked oatmeal? I've also heard you can make it at home.

 

[luvs]

the dried fruits and nuts are good stir-ins.
i don't eat much oatmeal, but i know in my microwaved cream of wheat i've added pureed fruit and sometimes just cream and sugar. other times i've just tossed in a little salt.
breakfast cereals are a canvas and there are a plethora of options for them.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Ishbel will probably be able to correct my memory of an exchange between an Englishman and a Scot regarding the use of oats - and tell us who these two gentlemen were ... but here goes with my best recollection of what Alton Brown said:

An Englishman once wrote, belittling the human consumption of oats, "We feed oats to our horses."

To which the Scot replied, "Ay, that is why you raise fine horses, and we raise fine people."

 

[htc]

When making muesli, can I use the rolled oats that are the quick 1 minute cooking oats?

 

[urmaniac13]

htc I hope these info will help you....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oatmeal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli

 

[Floridagirl]

Bircher Müsli

20g Oatmeal
6 tbsp milk
1 Apple
1/2 lemon
1 Orange
1 Banana
20g Walnuts
50ml / 1 3/4 oz cream (for lighter version substitude: yogurt or milk)
1 tbsp honey (actually this recipe calls for acacia honey, it's a very liquid honey)

Soakt the oatmeal for about 90min. in the milk until all liquid is absorbed. Coarsley grate the apple, squeeze the lemion and add the juice to the apple.Mix with the oatmeal.
Sweeten with honey. Peel the orange and the Banana. Fillet the orange and slice the Banana. Mix with the Müsli.
Add the chopped walnuts. Whip the cream and fold under.

and here is a picture of the Bircher Müsli from www.marions-kochbuch.de

Enjoy
Iris

 

[middie]

what about fruit flavored yogurts to mix in ?

 

[urmaniac13]

Yes they are awesome accompaniment for muesli!! yum!

 

[jkath]

htc, have you ever had cooked oatmeal (not the instant stuff in the packets)? It is nothing like the packets and needs no flavoring! It's really good by itself. However, is your friend eating these at home or at work? I'm thinking you've only got a microwave to work with, if it's not at home....!

Something to consider. Try it savory. Add a tiny dash of salt and a bit of butter and the flavor will be quite tasty.

A favorite breakfast of mine is "Bear Mush", made by Arrowhead Mills*, which is similar to a cream of wheat, but much better in texture, nutrition, and it's cooked on the stove. The product is really a nice quality. I add the tiny bit of salt and butter and I love it!
(*I buy it at my local "Whole Foods" market)

 

[Ishbel]

Michael, I've read that quote before, but can't be sure who said it!

HTC - our oats are less processed, ie not 'rolled' through gigantic rollers which take most of the goodness out of the oats - and I know that Quaker oats are available here, too. BUT, most Scots prefer to use what I believe are called 'steel cut' oats in the USA. The Irish use a similar type of oats to the Scots, but I find that Alford Mill produces the best oats. We have to soak the oats overnight and then we cook the porridge in the mornings. It doesn't take long, but I hold my hands up to say that it certainly takes a lot longer than one minute!

Scott's porage (yes, unusual spelling, but that's how they spelled it back in the early 1800s) oats are a popular 'quick' oats in Scotland. I seem to recall that they were taken over by Quaker a few years ago, but they still produce the distinctive Scott's Porage Oats, as well as selling the US Quaker brand.

I use oats for lots of things, Scottish puddings like cranachan, fruit crumbles, oatcakes, oaten scones as well as skirlie (a kind of stuffing).

 

[Ishbel]

Hamlyn's (another Scottish oats supplier) has a Porridge maker of the year competition each year - I think it is called the golden spurtle award (spurtle is a traditional Scots stirrer for porridge).

This is one of their recipes which makes a kind of 'clumpy' meusli. My daughter likes this and makes enough at one time to last through a week of breakfasts!
Crunchy Brunchy
275g (10oz) Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats
25g (1oz) butter
60g (4tbsp) soft brown sugar
30ml (2tbsp) honey
110g (4oz) raisins
50g (2oz) chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 230ºC/ 450ºF/ Gas 8

Melt butter, sugar and honey in saucepan, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Turn mixture onto a greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until well browned and crisp. Leave to cool, then crumble and store in an airtight container.

Serve with ice-cold milk!

 

[In the Kitchen]

Oatmeal

Ishbel, you got my attention again with the oatmeal. I would like to try the Scot's oatmeal as you do but have to seek and find where to get it here in US. The way you eat the oats all the time, sounds like you are healthy. No encouragement needed for you. This country is always wanting 'instant' and never exercise 'delayed gratification'. I am sorry to admit I like things as soon as I can but have realized over years not worth it. Anything worth having requires the time. Stay healthy Ishbel, always happy to hear from you.

 

[Ishbel]

I think if you look for 'steel cut oats', they are available in the USA. I think the Irish ones are more popular over there, though.

Yes, I do try to eat healthily, don't eat very much processed foods and try to exercise - but have to confess, the exercise is the one that often gets side-stepped!

 

[Floridagirl]

In Germany I can buy a lot of oatmeal varieties. The regular ones...you described them as 'steel cut' (in the states I buy those in health food stores or in my "whole food" store, but unfortunately I don't know if they are Irish or from Scotland), the "smooth-melting" oatmeal recommended for baby food, "oat grits" which are peeled, coarsley bruised oat kernels.....etc.

But there is on kind I never could find in the US. Actually I don't even know the correct translation. Maybe someone here can help..I try to explain!
In Germany they are called "Haferfleks" (Hafer is the German word for oats and "fleks" is a modification of "flocken" and means flakes ).
My translation would be maybe "oat flakes" They are made from whole grain oats and look kind of puffed!
Here is a picture http://www.marions-kochbuch.de/index/0775.htm .
Does anyone know this kind of oats? I like them so much. I used them for making my müsli / cereal, made my own granola bars etc. They make my müsli nice and crunchy
Thanks for any ideas.

Iris