Recently, my husband and I took a road trip to check out the beautiful Fall colors throughout West Michigan. On our way home, we stumbled upon Blok Orchard – a family run farm selling everything from red peppers to pumpkins to tomatoes. And yes, there were plenty of apples. We sampled Fuji, Jona Gold, Gala, Honey Crisp and countless others. They were all fresh, juicy, crisp and everything that embodies my favorite season: Fall.
In addition to an unlimited pot of coffee, a typical Sunday morning ritual in the Della Croce household almost always involves a warm and cozy bowl of McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oats. There are many brands and varieties of steel-cut oats – Scottish, quick-cooking, etc. Nothing compares to McCann’s sold in the classic round tin of your cereal aisle. Unlike my daily bowl of Quaker rolled oats, McCann’s steel-cut oats are less processed resulting in a wholesome, chewy, and nutty bowl of warm cereal. Steel-cut oats are whole raw oats with the inedible hull removed and chopped with a blade resulting in a larger, chewier oat. Please note: there is no major nutritional difference between the two. It is really a matter of taste and preference.
It’s true: steel cut oats take 20-30 minutes to cook. However, you can make a big batch on Sunday morning and store it in the refrigerator to be warmed up in the microwave on a busy week day morning. Perhaps I am a bit biased because I grew up eating steel cut oats, (thank you Mom), but nothing says leisurely Sunday morning like a pot of steel cut oats slowly simmering on the stove.
Your spoon is waiting.
Steel Cut Oats with Apples, Walnuts and Flax
Ingredients
- 2 c water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbs apple cider (optional)
- ½ c steel cut oats
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 large apple (any variety – diced)
- ¼ c chopped walnuts
- 2 tbs flax seed meal
- Brown sugar or stevia to taste
Instructions
- Bring water, vanilla and apple cider to a rolling boil and add steel cut oats, salt and cinnamon then simmer on low for 20 minutes.
- About 5 minutes before oats are finished cooking, add in diced apple, walnuts and flax.
- Continue cooking until apple is tender and liquid is absorbed.
- If the mixture dries out, add a splash more of water or cider.
- Serve with brown sugar or stevia to taste.
I combined this recipe with https://www.litehousefoods.com/livinglitehouseblog/recipe/instant-pot-apple-cider-steel-cut-oats-recipe. Instead of water I put in apple a cup each of cider, skim milk and applesauce. Also no vanilla. I cooked it in an Instant Pot for 8 min. I also toasted nuts in a skillet and warmed the other half an apple with it.
Turned out great.