I really don't know why it is that I never actually figured out how to make oatmeal properly all these years! Truthfully I have not been adding enough water (or milk), which explains why it was so gloppy most of the time! Now thanks to my friend from Amsterdam, who at the end of our stay in Barcelona gifted me with a leftover box of Dutch Quaker oatmeal, I have finally learned the trick. Of course I did have to run to the computer to translate the cooking instructions from Dutch to English, but it sure was worth it.
Now this winter I'm enjoying a large, delicious and healthful bowl of oatmeal almost every morning, with a few delicious additions:
Ingredients: For 1 hearty serving or maybe 2 smaller child-sized portions
- 1 cup oatmeal, quick cooking, buy it in the cans so you'll have some containers for crafting!
- 2 cups water (or 2 cups homemade almond milk, recipe here)
- 1 oz chopped almonds
- 1-2 tblsp organic maple syrup, the real thing (grade B)
- 2 tsp coconut oil
Instructions: Add water, oatmeal and almonds to a small pot. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute or so, until water is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and add coconut oil and maple syrup.
Note: You may or may not have heard about the latest info about coconut oil? I've been reading about it lately from holistic health practitioners, and was happy to see that it's new identity as healthy, as opposed to terribly unhealthy, is generally accepted. Yippee! Check out this mainstream article here, which also has some interesting information.
So if you love coconut, go for it, it's downright delicious— instead of butter, as a cooking oil (the healthiest oil for high temperature cooking) on greenbeans, wow, or with a baked sweet potato, yumm. Coconut oil actually comes in solid form, so is most easily used with hot foods.
And while I don't know prices in the rest of the world, here in Israel it's a bit pricey, at my local store 54 shekels for 684ml But truthfully you don't need a lot, and in the end if you invest in a larger quantity, it may not be much more expensive than good olive oil. Invest in a small jar and give it a try......I know I'm absolutely grateful for this new addition to my family's diet!
