I was reading an article on Mark's Daily Apple yesterday about oats. Everything was sounding very familiar and near the end I saw a reference to PaleoHacks. I clicked the link and BAM! It was my oatmeal post here!! He used my recipe to make baked oatmeal. Ha! So that inspired me to edit the pics below to be live instead of clickable links.
Click here for the article from Mark's Daily Apple >> Are Oats Healthy?
We've only made this twice since I posted this in March, but we are gonna make it again real soon and I think we might try it with steel cut oats instead of rolled and still follow all the same procedures. It's a very infrequent treat for us, but we do really like this recipe.
Here's my original post with some updates ↓↓↓
Pre-Paleo, my wife and I ate oatmeal all the time (almost daily). We were all engulfed in the whole 'low saturated fat, high fiber, cholesterol lowering foods' deal. Oh how off base we were.
The case against oatmeal:
high in: carbs, fiber, phytic acid
contains Avenin, which may be similarly (but less) offensive as Gluten
many people, especially those with sensitive insulin response, have a significant surge in blood glucose after eating oatmeal. specifically for those that have metabolic disorders, this may play a role in contributing to health issues depending on the individual.
The case for oatmeal (and why I still choose to eat it):
like potatoes, oatmeal doesn't have much flavor by itself, but can be made to be delicious with the use of some selective additives
if prepared properly, it is not much different than the 'safe starches' from a metabolic perspective
although not particularly 'rich' in nutrients, oatmeal does contain some minerals such as iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese
extremely inexpensive if you're on a budget (sometimes finding inexpensive meals that 'qualify' allows more room in your food budget to purchase the premium quality foods to satisfy your main staples)
Best way to prepare oatmeal: soak/ferment to predigest the oats and reduce phytic acid:
pour 4 cups of raw oats into glass bowl and fill with purified water until oats are covered
add 8 tablespoons of raw whey (or any acidic medium like kefir/yogurt)
add 2 tablespoons organic buckwheat flour (this adds phytase to break down the phytates)
stir thoroughly. cover with paper towel and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours
drain and rinse thoroughly (most of the buckwheat flour will rinse out) and you'll notice that the oatmeal composition has been drastically altered. the oats appear to be 'broken down'
Now you can cook them as normal and prepare as desired. Personally, I add 4 organic eggs, half stick of melted pasture butter (the more butter, the more 'mushy' the end product is. the less butter, the more 'bready' it is, so consider this based on your preferences), 2 tsp vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, a handful of fresh blueberries and/or strawberries, 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, 1 tbsp baking powder, mix it all up, pour the oats into a casserole dish, and bake at 400 for 35-40 min.
The result? 'Baked blueberry oatmeal' that will make your entire house smell like the holidays. The oats are very light and fluffy, and do not cause gas or stomach upset. Qbviously you wouldn't want to eat this in large quantity, especially if you are T2 diabetic. If you're not low carbin it and you need to replenish glycogen or you are looking to get some starchy carbs, this will work. Also, these digest much better since the whey/buckwheat breaks down the oats so well before baking.
Now you've got yourself a delicious 'bready' style treat without the grain issues. We don't make this very often but we love it every time because we can be creative with the fruit variables and change it up each time.
Enjoy!
Would this post possibly sway you to give oatmeal a try? And if so/if not, why so/why not?
Freshly Baked Strawberry Blueberry Oatmeal ▼ ▼
On a plate with pasture butter (it already melted through) ▼ ▼
Bowl style with a bit of fruit, sprouted almonds, pasture butter, and heavy cream ▼ ▼
Cheers!
Jack Kronk :)
