Steel-cut oatmeal: carrot cake style

A coworker today said we should ask mother nature for a refund, since Spring has not sprung. Case in point: snow on March 5. The only advantage of such craptastic weather is being able to get some pretty cool pictures in the cold!

Actual snowflake photo. Can you believe I took this with an iPhone?
Love the Snapseed photo processing app!

Another iPhone photo for the win!

As you probably know by now, I'm a huge fan of steel-cut oatmeal. And I've been extra into it this winter. Typically, I like to prepare it plain, then (while its still warm) pour some cold milk over it. Just a handful of dried fruit, walnuts, and/or apple pieces and that's as much sweetness as I need.

Recently, when I've got some time to splurge on the weekends, I've taken to eating it savory, topped with olive oil and an egg of your choice (fried, poached).

But then I saw this recipe for a carrot-cake inspired oatmeal dish and I had to try it.
Pardon the off-color of my photo. Still getting used to taking pics at the boy's place...
It really did hit the spot when you wanted a slightly sweater start to your day. And the spices gave the dish a richness and earthiness that was devine.

Although I found it a bit too sweet for my taste, that was probably due to the fact that I used sweetened coconut (the recipe didn't specify...) But it's really easy to modify this recipe to your sweetness level, so go ahead and experiment to find the right proportions for you.


Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline

Carrot-cake style steel-cut oatmeal, from Annie's Eats
My suggestion to avoid an overly sweet dish is to wait and add the brown sugar a bit at a time (versus dumping it all in) until it's as sweet as you like. Also, unless you want a very dessert-like breakfast, use unsweetened shredded coconut.

The great thing about steel-cut oatmeal (unlike your regular, run-of-the-mill oatmeal) is that it reheats really well. Just add a splash of water or milk to your oatmeal when reheating and it'll help rehydrate the oats.

Ingredients
3 cups water
1 cup low-fat milk (or coconut milk)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter (or coconut oil/another oil)
1 cup steel-cut oats
¼ tsp. salt

3 carrots, peeled and shredded
½ cup shredded coconut (recommend unsweetened)
1/3 cup raisins
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
3 TBSP brown sugar
walnuts, optional
 
Directions
  1. Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer. 
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the oats and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir the toasted oats into the simmering liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the mixture is very thick, about 20 minutes.
  4. Stir in the salt, carrot, coconut, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the brown sugar 1 TBSP at a time until the dish is to your desired sweetness. 
  5. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the oatmeal is creamy, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes before serving. 
  6. Top with walnuts for some extra healthiness and crunch.

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