TIPical Mary Ellen host Mary Ellen Pinkham shares some of her favorite ways to prepare oatmeal.
- Oats come in regular and instant-oatmeal form. Instant oatmeal is usually fairly creamy, while made-from-scratch oatmeal tends to be a little chewier.
- Most commercial oats are rolled. The oats are cleaned, toasted and hulled, then pressed through rollers to flatten them. Irish oats contain steel-cut oats that have not been rolled and flattened. Irish or Scotch oats are available at most health-food stores.
- Oatmeal is a healthy food. It is low in sodium and can help lower cholesterol. Use artificial sweetener instead of sugar to cut calories.
- Jazz up that morning bowl of oatmeal with a variety of ingredients. Raisins and other dried fruits, nuts, granola, chocolate chips, applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, syrup, and even a little dry cereal are just a few of the items that can be used to add flavor and texture to a bowl of hot oatmeal.
- Use scissors to cut dried apricots into bite-size pieces before adding them to oatmeal.
- Irish oatmeal takes a little bit longer to cook, but the extra effort pays off in extra flavor and a unique texture.
- Cut down on the cooking time of Irish oatmeal by soaking the oats the night before. Bring four cups of water to a boil, and pour in whatever amount of oats will be needed for next morning's breakfast. Cover, remove from heat and let soak overnight. In the morning, cook over low heat for about 12 minutes.
- Roast the Irish oats before boiling to add a wonderful nutty flavor. Heat a dry frying pan and add a cup or so of oats. Stir and toast until the oats are nice and brown. Remove from heat and cook according to the directions on the can.
- Here's a recipe for baked oatmeal that tastes like an oatmeal cookie but with less sugar.
Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients:
3 cups oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup melted margarine
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup raisins
pinch of baking soda
cinnamon to taste
dash of salt
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients together, and pour into a buttered 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl with a little milk if desired.
