Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Steel Cut Oats

I recently found out that although my mother enjoys steel cut oats, she fears making them because they're sticky, fussy, have a knack for boiling over, and take forty-seven days to make. These are common fears among the oat eating populace, but it doesn't have to be that way! Rise up, friends, face your fears, and go for this half an hour non-fussy version of steel cut oats. You will survive. And you'll have a fabulous breakfast packed with protein, fiber, iron and other awesome things that will give you super powers such as x-ray vision and the ability to fly.* We're going to make a big batch so you'll only have to do it twice a week. (And by "it" I mean make oatmeal. You can do the other "it" as many times a week as you want. I'm not here to judge, just to make oats. And by "make oats" I mean have sex.)



Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Steel Cut Oats


Here's What You're Gonna Need:

1 cup of steel cut oats (if gluten is a concern, check to make sure the oats are certified gluten free)
3 cups of water

2 medium apples (red or green)
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
a splash of vanilla extract (1/4ish tsp)

For individual servings (optional):
brown sugar
milled flax seed (Adds fiber, omega 3s, a little extra protein and a lovely nutty flavor. Do it!)
slivered almonds


And Here's What You're Gonna Do:

Bring three cups of water to a boil. Add oats and a small pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-medium low (you want a low simmer, not an oatmeal volcano). Do not cover. Cook for about 20 minutes. Stir your oatmeal whenever you get the gumption to so so it doesn't stick.

While you're waiting on your oatmeal, work on the apples. Peel and dice apples into small pieces. Put them in a small pot with a couple of tablespoons of water. Add cinnamon and vanilla extract, slap a lid on it, and put it over high heat until the water comes to a boil. This won't take long. Cut the heat, keep the lid on, and let the apples steam for 5-10 minutes, or until desired state of firmness / mushiness is reached. You can also do this step in the microwave

After 20 minutes, take the oatmeal off of the heat, put the lid on, and let it hang out for at least five minutes or whenever it is you get hungry.

Heap today's serving in a bowl, stir in brown sugar (optional) and milled flax seed, top with apples and almonds and enjoy!

The rest of the oatmeal and apples will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat your oatmeal in the microwave--I usually add a splash of half and half before nuking. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?

*ability to fly not guaranteed.