Steel Cut Oats

I've been remiss in posting about food, but here's a little something that's become a breakfast staple for me: steel cut oats. They're nothing like the mushy glop of regular rolled oats (the Quaker kind) and because they're whole grain, they can stand the time of a slow cooker. I tend to assemble everything at night, turn the slow cooker on when I go to bed, and breakfast is ready to eat when I wake up. So here goes . . .

I use the "Irish Style" steel cut oats from Trader Joe's, which as you can see, are completely different from rolled oats. I use a ½ cup of oats, which go into my slow cooker. Then I add a big handful of dried cranberries, and dice up about eight slices of dried mango. After that I loosely chop a handful of shelled walnuts, and for good measure, sprinkle in some flax seed for heart health. All into the cooker.

For the liquid, I've found that a Mexican staple called horchata works the best. It's a rice and milk drink (flavored with sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg) that's kinda like drinking smooth rice pudding. I've always seen it in the type of recirculating self-serve dispensers that also house Orange Bang. Kern's makes a plain version; the mango works equally well - they're found in the refrigerated orange juice section of the grocery store.

3½ cups of the horchata gets added (use about three cups if you use less dried fruit), and everything gets mixed up. Then turn the slow cooker on low, and eight hours later - breakfast! It's a hearty meal - this makes two big servings (or one if you're really hungry) and is high in fiber.