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So, I've been thinking of a way to incorporate a bowl of oatmeal into my OWL menu. The boxes and bags usually list 1/4 cup of the dry oats to be cooked in 1 cup of liquid for 1 serving. 1/4 cup of the oats runs about 25-27 total carbs with about 4 fiber grams. Might be good for maintenance....
Anyhow, I began looking through Scottish cookbooks for porridge recipes. The Scots have been eating porridge for centuries, if anyone knows how to cook them, they would.
Here's what I found:
1. They use milled oats. That is the oats are ground into different textures. Bob's RedMill "Scottish Oatmeal" corresponds to the Scottish "medium oatmeal". Rolled oats seem to be American in origin (and they are made by steaming the oat, cutting them, flattening them, then drying them out. Depending on how long they are steammed will determine if they are "quick-cooking" or "instant" or "old fashioned".)
2. Most Scottish recipes use 2-3 tablespoons of oats per 1 cup liquid for 1 serving. This cuts the carbs considerably because 2 tablespoons of the oats is roughly 9 net carbs.
3. Most Scottish recipes soak the oats at least one hour (or overnight) before cooking them.
4. Really ancient porridges used fermented grains. That is the grains were soaked in water for 24 hours or more, in order for the fermentation process to begin. This gives the porridge a slightly tangy taste (think along the lines of sour dough bread).
5. The "traditional" way of eating oatmeal is to eat it standing up, while dunking spoonfuls of the hot porridge into a cup of cold cream (in order to cool it down). Sweetening the porridge is considered to be an English affectation according to one source I read.
6. Add a pinch of salt while it's cooking, not during the soaking process.
So, I began experimenting. I used Bob's Redmill's Scottish Oatmeal or the Steel Cut oats. The Scottish Oatmeal has a finer texture than the Steel-Cut oats. I prefer the steel-cut oats. I pre-soaked and didn't pre-soaked. I prefered the soaked oats because the porridge was creamier.
Anyhow, here's what I do:
for 2 servings, soak 2 tablespoons of oats in 1 cup water overnight. In the morning put the oats and the soaking liquid into a saucepan. Set over medium high heat and stir. Bring to a boil, while stirring. I found that stirring the porridge in the beginning of cooking will result in a creamier porridge. Cooking until the porridge has the thickness of a gravy. Remove from heat. Serve with cold cream.
If you eat only 1 serving, refrigerate the leftovers and microwave it the next morning for breakfast.
Oatmeal cooked this way is not as thick and pasty as it usually is. It's texture is more like a creamy vegetable soup or gravy. Along with an egg or some kind of breakfast meat, I find this oatmeal to be very filling and satisfying.
Anyhow, I began looking through Scottish cookbooks for porridge recipes. The Scots have been eating porridge for centuries, if anyone knows how to cook them, they would.
Here's what I found:
1. They use milled oats. That is the oats are ground into different textures. Bob's RedMill "Scottish Oatmeal" corresponds to the Scottish "medium oatmeal". Rolled oats seem to be American in origin (and they are made by steaming the oat, cutting them, flattening them, then drying them out. Depending on how long they are steammed will determine if they are "quick-cooking" or "instant" or "old fashioned".)
2. Most Scottish recipes use 2-3 tablespoons of oats per 1 cup liquid for 1 serving. This cuts the carbs considerably because 2 tablespoons of the oats is roughly 9 net carbs.
3. Most Scottish recipes soak the oats at least one hour (or overnight) before cooking them.
4. Really ancient porridges used fermented grains. That is the grains were soaked in water for 24 hours or more, in order for the fermentation process to begin. This gives the porridge a slightly tangy taste (think along the lines of sour dough bread).
5. The "traditional" way of eating oatmeal is to eat it standing up, while dunking spoonfuls of the hot porridge into a cup of cold cream (in order to cool it down). Sweetening the porridge is considered to be an English affectation according to one source I read.
6. Add a pinch of salt while it's cooking, not during the soaking process.
So, I began experimenting. I used Bob's Redmill's Scottish Oatmeal or the Steel Cut oats. The Scottish Oatmeal has a finer texture than the Steel-Cut oats. I prefer the steel-cut oats. I pre-soaked and didn't pre-soaked. I prefered the soaked oats because the porridge was creamier.
Anyhow, here's what I do:
for 2 servings, soak 2 tablespoons of oats in 1 cup water overnight. In the morning put the oats and the soaking liquid into a saucepan. Set over medium high heat and stir. Bring to a boil, while stirring. I found that stirring the porridge in the beginning of cooking will result in a creamier porridge. Cooking until the porridge has the thickness of a gravy. Remove from heat. Serve with cold cream.
If you eat only 1 serving, refrigerate the leftovers and microwave it the next morning for breakfast.
Oatmeal cooked this way is not as thick and pasty as it usually is. It's texture is more like a creamy vegetable soup or gravy. Along with an egg or some kind of breakfast meat, I find this oatmeal to be very filling and satisfying.
. The carb count was just too high for me. 
What makes Steel-cut Oats so special? Grains are essential to a healthy lifestyle and form the foundation of the food pyramid. Steel-cut oats are inherently full of nutritional value and are high in B-Vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in salt and unsaturated fat. One cup of steel-cut oatmeal contains more fiber than a bran muffin and twice as much fibre as Cream of Wheat. The quality of Irish Oats and the distinctive crunchy texture make McCann's Steel-Cuts a gourmet delight. 
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