While you were sleeping: Breakfast!
I’m a huge fan of breakfast, but I also like to sleep as long as possible. As a result, most weekdays all I have time for, after getting the kids out the door for school and walking the dog, is a quick bowl of cereal instead of the slowcooked, chewy steel-cut oats I hanker for this time of year. Sure, it’s the most important meal of the day, but who’s got 40 minutes to make oatmeal?
I’d still be eating those boring bowls of cold cereal if my husband hadn’t learned from a co-worker about a better way to make Irish oatmeal—overnight, in a slow cooker.
Before bed, simply spoon a cup of oats into 4 cups of salted water, cover the crock with a clean dish towel to absorb moisture, then the lid, and set the cooker on low. When you get up in the morning, not only will a steamy bowl of nutritious oatmeal be waiting, but also your kitchen will smell like an Irish bed-and-breakfast.
A search of slow-cooker cookbooks turned up several more recipes that will deliciously kick-start your day. Breakfast need never be cold or boring again.
IRISH OATMEAL
If you halve the recipe, as I did, be sure to use a small (11/2- to 2-quart) slow cooker. Our oatmeal ended up having a little bit of a crust on the edges, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Reheat any leftovers the next day with a little water or milk in the microwave.
1 cup steel-cut oats (I used McCann’s Irish Oatmeal) 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 cups water Raisins, chopped bananas or toasted nuts, optional
Maple syrup, honey or brown sugar, or raw cane sugar, optional
Milk, cream or non-dairy alternative, optional
Lightly grease a small to medium (1-1/2 to 3-1/2 quart) slow cooker.
In the cooker stoneware insert, combine oats, salt and water. Stir well. Place a clean tea towel, folded in half (so you will have 2 layers) over top of stoneware to absorb moisture. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight, or on high for 4 hours. Stir well.
Serve with raisins and/or fruits, nuts, maple syrup, sugar, milk, cream or non-dairy alternative, if using. Makes 3 cups.
—“The Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Over 200 Delicious Recipes” by Judith Finlayson
(Robert Rose, 2010, $27.95)
ORANGE-FLAVORED BREAKFAST BARLEY
Be sure to stir the barley before serving, so cereal is creamy. 3 cups water 1/2 cup whole (hulled) barley, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1 tablespoon grated orange zest Pinch salt 1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
Milk or non-dairy alternative, optional
Raw cane sugar, honey or maple syrup, optional
In stone insert, combine water, barley, cranberries, orange zest and salt. Stir well. Place a clean tea towel, folded in half (so you have 2 layers), over top of stoneware to absorb moisture.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight, or on high
for 4 hours.
Stir well, then garnish with pecans. Serve with milk or nondairy alternative and/or sugar. Makes 3 cups.
—“The Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Over 200 Delicious Recipes” by Judith Finlayson
(Robert Rose, 2012, $27.95) SAUSAGE AND EGG
CASSEROLE