Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Steel-cut Oats in the Rice Cooker

Recently one of my husband's co-workers shared how she makes steel-cut oats in a rice cooker, so I thought I would pass that along. It makes getting them on the table in the morning a little quicker and easier than fixing them on the stovetop.

In the evening, add to rice cooker:
3 C. cold water
1 1/4 C. steel-cut oats
pinch of salt

Give it a quick stir.

In the morning, start rice cooker on porridge setting. (My rice cooker doesn't have this, so I use the white rice setting.) Let cook for about 20 min. or however long it takes for your rice cooker.

When oats are cooked, add in frozen fruit, maple syrup, honey or brown sugar as desired, and stir.

Makes 3 good servings. I double the recipe for my family. The leftovers are good reheated the next day, too.

I'm happy to get more use out of an appliance that might otherwise only serve one use. What other things have you tried making in a rice cooker?

Early March Menu Plan

Here's what I'm planning to make in the next week or so.

2/28
D - spaghetti & meat sauce, wheat garlic bread, spinach salad
3/1
B - cereal & yogurt
L - homemade tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches, apples
D - beef stir fry & brown rice
3/2
B- steel cut oats, berries
L - veggie burgers on biscuits, apples & oranges
D - chicken, fries & peas
3/3
B - cereal, yogurt, toast
L - sandwiches, carrots, crackers
D - shepherd's pie, spinach salad, rhubarb-strawberry crisp w/ice cream
3/4
B - oatmeal, berries, yogurt
L - beans & rice w/cheese, sour cream & salsa
D - homemade pizza (make batch of bread - crust, cinnamon rolls, 1 loaf, 1 pan of buns)
3/5
B - cinnamon rolls, fruit
L - macaroni & cheese (freezer), smoked sausage, broccoli
D - mesquite chicken on homemade buns, baked beans, peas
3/6
B - steel cut oats, berries & bananas
L - orange chicken, rice, stir-fry veggies
D - leftovers, popcorn, apples & oranges, cheese
3/7
B - scrambled eggs, toast, fruit
L - soup & bread
D - beef stew, cheddar biscuits

I'm trying to vary breakfast and get my kids out of the expectation of cold cereal each morning. Oatmeal and steel cut oats are much cheaper per serving and I think a lot more filling. I'll share how I do steel cut oats in a future post.

What's on your menu?