Dry-fruits oatmeal. Oatmeal is nothing but oat porridge. There is nothing fancy about it. I remember the first time I tried oatmeal without any additional toppings. It was dull, gooey and bland, it stood for everything I do not like and it was totally out of my taste palette.
But I was not going to give up, I took up the oatmeal challenge because it was the primary breakfast listed on Sean T’s nutrition guide and I wanted to try it no matter what. Like clockwork I used to whip the oatmeal and top it with milk, honey and almonds. Suddenly, it wasn’t so bad!
I tell you, oatmeal grows on you. If you managed to get creative with it then you would actually start to enjoy it. They say oatmeal is a complex carbs(short for carbohydrates). Your body takes longer time to digest complex carbs and hence you don’t feel hungry easily. Although it makes me full, my body doesn’t seem to agree with the slow digestion process.
Or perhaps I have weird digestive system. I like certain things about this very basic, down-to-Earth recipe. Let me break it down. Also, if you had read my About page then you would know that I speak from experience and not from technical perspective. If you are not a fan of Oatmeal then you can try my basic Instant Indian breakfast Dry Idli Upma. I am sure you’d love it!
Oat
- Oats are rich in fiber
- Zero in cholesterol
- Rich in magnesium, for healthy immune system and strong bones
Almonds
- Good fat. You know how there is good(unsaturated) fat and bad(saturated trans fat) fat categories? Like the name suggests this is good for your body. Other good fats include Avocado, Eggs, Dark chocolate, etc
- Again, zero cholesterol
- Rich in Vitamin E, healthy hair and skin
Raisins
- Tasty
- Antioxidant which translates itself into anti-ageing
- Zero cholesterol.
Dates
- Rich in Iron
- Strengthen nervous system
- For bone health
- Zero cholesterol
Man, this dry fruit porridge has no cholesterol, does it? Never realised. I like to call this mini breakfast because I almost always have midday snack with it. Just following the concept of four small meals a day.
Dry-Fruits Oatmeal
Cook Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Servings: 1 person
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Quick Cooking or instant oats
1 1/2 Cup Water plus 2 Tablespoons
1 Tablespoon chopped Almonds
1 Tablespoon Raisins cleaned and rinsed
1 Tablespoon chopped Dates
1 teaspoon Honey or sweetener of your choice
dry fruits oatmeal, blue bg brainsandbeans.com
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
- Pound one tablespoon of almonds in mortal and pastel or dump it in a zip lock bag and pound until coarse with a rolling-pin. You don’t need super strength, They are delicate under rolling-pin but not so under blades of a blender. That whole almonds being chopped by the blades , terrifying noise!
- I always wash raisins with water because of some rumour about added sugars. Yikes!
Method
- Measure one and a half cup of quick cooking or instant oats in a round-bottomed vessel. It is easy to stir in a round vessel. Add one and a half cup of water to it and gently stir.
- Place the vessel on stove, lower the heat to simmer. Increase the flame to medium, approximately after 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the oatmeal is not sticking to the bottom of the vessel.
- When they are bubbling away like a volcanic lava, add the remaining 2T of water and stir. The porridge must be thick now, no water in it.
- Switch off stove. Add the pounded almonds, rinsed raisins, chopped dates and stir. Top the oatmeal with honey or any sweetener of your choice and serve hot.
RECIPE NOTES
- Even though the recipe is made with instant oats, I like to cook it slowly. Cooking it in high heat produces foam due to the starch content in it.
- I don’t like the look of it. So I gradually increase the heat. Of-course foam is inevitable but by slow cooking process it blends pleasantly well with the porridge.
That is it!
Tell me what was your reaction to oats when you first tried it?
Do you have any favourite toppings?
you can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram @ brainsandbeans
Feel free to drop constructive criticism on the comments below!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog via email!!
you can also share this recipe with your friends via the Whatsapp icon below. yay
you can also put it in your Pocket. Not that pocket, you silly. Pocket, the service that lets you to save favourite articles so that you can read later. That one. Find the icon below.
Lastly, Pin this recipe to your breakfast board!
