Rolled Oats Made Quick!

With the colder weather, it's nice to wake up and have a hot breakfast. Not only that, but a warm, cooked breakfast is healthier for your digestion than a cold one. Why? According to Chinese medicine, the stomach is like a cooking pot, it needs a nice warm temperature to be able to digest foods with ease. Ever thrown a cup of cold water into a boiling pot? If so, you know that the pot stops boiling, and the same thing happens in our stomachs with too much cold food, slowing down the "cooking" of the meal inside. Whether you struggle with digestive issues or just want to start off right with the most important meal of the day, oatmeal is a good old standby to go with, but many of us are rushing out the door most mornings and don't have a whole lot of time to get a pot of slow-cooked oats on the stove. The solution is simple (and it actually helps make the oats even healthier than they already are!): soak them overnight before cooking them the next morning. Here's the deal: In cultures all over the world, and even in our own (just ask a great-grandparent if you've got one around) people used to soak their grains before cooking them. Soaking grains is important because all grains contain phytic acid, an organic acid that combines with minerals in our digestive tract and blocks their absorption. By minerals I mean the big and important ones like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Soaking all grains overnight before cooking and consuming them allows helpful enzymes and organisms to break down and neutralize the phytic acid. Not only does that increase the nutritional value of your grains but it makes it extremely easy to wake up and have something like slow or rolled oats (not the quick ones you just pour water over and mix which are devoid of most of the good nutrition in oats anyway) because they're all ready to cook in the morning when you wake up. A 15 minute breakfast is ready in 5! Here's what you do....

Warm (but don't boil) 2 cups of filtered water in a pot. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in 2 tablespoons of plain, sugar-free yogurt (sugar-free is important, check the label to make sure there's no added sugars. Stoneyfield makes a good one if you need it). Stir in 1 cup of rolled or cracked oats. Cover and soak in a warm place (the stove-top where you just warmed the water will do) overnight for at least 7 hours and as long as 24 hours. In the morning, add 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and cook the oats, letting them simmer for several minutes to desired consistency. Add your favorite topping like a healthy pat of butter, ground flax seeds, cinnamon, chopped nuts, fresh fruit like bananas or berries or even some raisins. If you need some sweetness, a little maple syrup always does the trick, too. Voila! A hot, healthy and hearty breakfast in just a few minutes!