The Flaming Pot Holder

The second Monday in February is National Oatmeal Monday and October 29th is National Oatmeal Day.  So depending on your perspective, this blog post is either a few weeks late or several months early!  Either way, hope you like oatmeal as much as we do.  We eat a lot of oatmeal.  We like rolled oats, steel cut oats, granola, oatmeal cookies, oatmeal bars, and even instant oatmeal (nothing wrong with Kirkland’s organic instant oatmeal packets in a pinch).

Our favorite type of oatmeal is steel cut oats, especially in the winter. Unfortunately, they take a little longer to cook so they are usually saved for weekends. But with this recipe, you can enjoy them any day of the week.  They cook in a crock pot while you sleep!  Or for something different, you can make them in the morning and have delicious oatmeal for dinner.

I tend to like oatmeal that has texture and bite to it, while Matt likes it creamy.  This oatmeal turns out creamy, with a tapioca-like consistency.  If you use dried cherries, they make the oatmeal reddish brown (dried blueberries make it an interesting purplish brown color). It’s not the prettiest oatmeal, but it is tasty and hearty.

Update:  I had an aha moment while storing the leftover oatmeal:  this oatmeal is a little too creamy and sticky (for my taste, though Matt seems to like it just like it is).  To change the texture, next time I will rinse the oats a few times in a strainer before I add them to the crock pot.  I do this sometimes with basmati rice and it seems to keep the rice from clumping together. I think the oatmeal would benefit from this step, so time to update the recipe…

Fruity Crock Pot Oatmeal

1 cup steel cut oats (I like McCann’s Irish Oatmeal)

½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, apples, apricots, figs, dates, or blueberries)

4 cups water

½ cup half-and-half (or milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or agave (optional)

2 tablespoon butter or vegan margarine (optional)

¼-½ teaspoon cinnamon

few grates of fresh nutmeg

pinch of salt

Optional toppings:  chopped fresh apple, bananas, shredded coconut, raisins (I think they get too squishy if you cook them overnight), almonds, pecans, walnuts, fresh blueberries or peaches, butter, brown sugar, honey, apple butter (my brother’s favorite oatmeal topping!), half-and-half, maple syrup cinnamon, etc. The possibilities are almost endless!

Rinse the oats in a strainer under running water.  Drain.  Put the oats into the crock pot.  Add the remaining ingredients (except for the optional toppings).  Stir well. Cover with the lid. Cook on low for 5-8 hours. Stir. Serve.  This is great as-is or served with some of the optional toppings. 

Note about the photo:  I’m not much for breakfast foods in the morning (I prefer them around lunch or dinner). So the idea of taking an appetizing photo of brown oatmeal in the morning, before coffee, was daunting and not very appealing.  This photo is bad!  Sorry. But please do not let it dissuade you from making the oatmeal.  It tastes better than it looks (it would have to!).