Tomorrow Morning's Breakfast

Tomorrow morning we are having Soaked Oat Porridge.   This is at the request of the Little Guy, who asked if he could have it, and then said "Maybe I could have that every morning for breakfast, Mom."

He has no idea how happy that makes my heart to hear him say that. 


There is a whole philosophy of soaking and fermenting foods.  I'm just learning about it all, so I'm not ready to blog about it in detail...but I have had some early success with soaking my grains, and also soaking nuts.   This blog is about soaking oats.  It’s important to soak oatmeal prior to preparation.   Doing so increases the digestibility of oats as it does and it enables the nutrients found in the grain to be better absorbed by your body.   Oats, like all grains, contain phytic acid which can inhibit the proper absorption of minerals zinc and iron.  
(Phytic Acid is the principal storage form of phosphorus in many plant tissues, especially bran and seeds.  Phytate is not digestible to humans, however, so it is not a source of either inositol or phosphate if eaten directly. Also , it binds up and makes unabsorbable certain important minor minerals such as zinc and iron and to a lesser extent, also macro minerals such as calcium and magnesium.)

 Now that you've heard the scientific mumbo jumbo about the benefits of soaking oats, let me tell you how it works out in our everyday lives.   Soaking the oats DOES make them softer and more digestible.   The oatmeal...ahem, the PORRIDGE (because the Little Guy doesn't like oatmeal, but he LOVES porridge.  So we go with that.) is much creamier after soaking.  They just taste better. The fact that my little guy is requesting them as his every morning breakfast says a lot!   And they're better for us.    You'll see in the recipe that you can add any of several different fermenting agents.  I use whey that's leftover from making yogurt cheese - but that's for another blog post...so for now, just know that you can use lemon juice, or vinegar...or whatever you happen to have on hand.

It only takes a moment to start this in the evening, and then it's ready to go the next morning.  I double the recipe and make enough for a couple mornings for the three of us.


SOAKED OAT PORRIDGE

• 1 Cup Rolled Oats (gluten free) Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain, Rolled Oats, 32-Ounce Bags (Pack of 4)
• 1-2 Tablespoons Raw Cider Vinegar, Whey, Yogurt, Lemon Juice or Kefir
• 3/4 Cup Whole Milk
• 3/4 Cup Water
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¼ Cup chopped nuts (optional)
• ¼ Cup Raisins

1. Soak rolled oats overnight in enough water to cover – adding lemon juice, kefir, whey, yogurt or cider vinegar to the water.
2. In the morning, drain oats in colander and rinse them well. Press them down in the colander to drain most of the rinse water.
3. Add oats, milk, and water to a pot and bring to   a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Immediately turn down heat and add remaining ingredients.
5. Stir frequently and continue to simmer until oatmeal has thickened to your liking.
6. Serve with cream, or milk and natural sweetener of your choice.  (we like raw honey.)