The Everything Oatmeal thread

[Lou]

I suppose that a reason for me creating this thread and the reason I keep feeding it is some kind of personal bias. I never used to like oatmeal and neither did people in my family. But once I learned how healthy it is I started eating it. I don't think I love it now but I eat it all the time now. and I appreciate all the suggestions and tips that keep coming my way.

also for the most part I'm not performing a drum solo here. Every couple of weeks a new article pops up about how good oatmeal is.

There are so many ways to prepare oatmeal. and so many good additives. Me, myself, I keep trying new things and if nothing else I enjoy the novelty.

 

[silva]

I think I'll switch to farro for a while.
I really need to get to liking barley--I have an almost full bag of purple barley. I used to love barley soup!

 

[KLS52]

It’s definitely not satiating for me. Not sure where the “stick to your ribs“ idea came from lol.
Granted, I can’t always eat a full serving in one sitting but even when I do I’m hungry two hours later or sooner.

 

[KLS52]

I think I'll switch to farro for a while.
I really need to get to liking barley--I have an almost full bag of purple barley. I used to love barley soup!

I love barley soup too but can’t seem to make a good one that’s tasty. It shouldn’t be that hard… Make a soup that you really like and add barley to it.

 

[KLS52]

I love oatmeal when I’m in the mood for it. But after eating it every day for a couple of weeks I usually have to take a break for awhile.

 

[KLS52]

I’m also disappointed that I couldn’t get into the savory oatmeal. When I first tried it I thought I really liked it but then I couldn’t eat it again after that.

 

[KLS52]

Whoa … Not sure why that last post came out in bold.

 

[Tom L.]

Cuz you have a strong opinion about savory oatmeal. (or you inadvertently hit the "Bold" thing, like I almost posted something in all caps a minute ago...)

Come to think of it- I don't much care for savory oat dishes either, although I do eat them now and then for variety; I just prefer the sweeter preparations. I think the last time I had savory oats was when I ordered oat griddle cakes in a Welsh diner during my trip to Europe. I forget whether it was breakfast or lunch. They weren't bad.

There used to be a soup in the "Campbell's" line which had barley, and I liked it as a child, but I can't remember what kind it was. I don't think it was vegetarian. I kind of like barley, but for some reason I seldom have it. I can get it at Price Chopper, one of the major local supermarket chains, but I have to go to a health food store to get whole barley.

 

[KLS52]

Oh I think I could totally do griddle cakes (as in pancakes?) because I would probably put butter and syrup on it lol

 

[KLS52]

Omg…I am so having oat griddle cakes for breakfast sometime between tomorrow morning and Christmas!

Vegan Oatmeal Pancakes - The Worktop

www.theworktop.com

 

[KLS52]

Aha! Not a freak of nature!

If Porridge (oatmeal) Doesn't Fill you Up! | Vegan Forum

www.veganforum.org

 

[silva]

I love barley soup too but can’t seem to make a good one that’s tasty. It shouldn’t be that hard… Make a soup that you really like and add barley to it.

Barley makes that "goo" like okra. I used to make mushroom barley, but the last time I hated it! The texture.
It is the mucusy stuff that's good for you--more so than what oatmeal has.

Barley: Nutrition, health benefits, and more

www.medicalnewstoday.com

I got the hulled purple barley thanks to Dr Greger. I think I'll cook some up with a date or two and cinnamon and see how it is. Need something to change up that goo....

 

[Emma JC]

It’s definitely not satiating for me. Not sure where the “stick to your ribs“ idea came from lol.
Granted, I can’t always eat a full serving in one sitting but even when I do I’m hungry two hours later or sooner.

I eat a lot of oatmeal, as most of you know, and yet I don't eat it alone which is why it does stick to my ribs... there are more 'other ingredients' in my weekday oatmeal than there is oatmeal - I normally do a 1/4 rolled oats and then the following:
tablespoon molasses, a date, soy curl crumbs or lentils, cup frozen mixed berries, banana, few walnuts, ground flax, sprinkle hemp hearts, 1/4 tsp salt, turmeric/pepper, cinnamon, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, sprinkle of cayenne pepper, greens powder, vit C powder

only on Saturdays do I add maple syrup and subtract most of the above except for the banana, frozen berries, walnuts, turmeric/pepper, cinnamon and I do add froz cranberries and have steel cut instead of rolled oats - also have toast/peanut butter for the Saturday oats

both of the above options more than satiate me and part of that is the walnuts which add fat with fibre and the tastiness and bit of spice makes the taste buds happy too - so my suggestion is to bulk up your oatmeal with tasty healthy options - it may look like a dog's breakfast yet it is warming and delicious and filling

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

I think my issue with the oatMeal add ins are the calories. I will add the pb2 because it’s less caloric than peanut butter. Same with nuts/seeds. But come to think of it, if I’m going to snack an hour after I eat, I suppose it would make more sense to add the stuff to my oatmeal instead of snacking on nuts/fruit afterwards lol.

 

[silva]

I have oats at 9 as my first meal, 1/2 dry, 1 Tblsp ground flax, berries, or, raisins and cinnamon. It keeps me well until 11:30 lunch.

I made purple hulled barley in the IP yesterday. 1 part barley to 2.5 parts water in a pyrex, on rack over water, for 25 min, npr
I added 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, cloves (bad decision) and raisins. I'd say it was 3 serving worth. I added a splash of extra creamy oatmilk for breakfast serving, and it was really good! The cloves put it over the top though, and will not use them again. I don't know if it was because it was purple barley, but I didn't get the 'goo' I dislike! Same with oat groats. Maybe because I used the right proportions of water and cook time?
I will make this regular!

 

[Tom L.]

Barley makes that "goo" like okra. I used to make mushroom barley, but the last time I hated it! The texture.
It is the mucusy stuff that's good for you--more so than what oatmeal has.

YES. It's been so long since I had a dish heavy on barley that I wasn't sure I was remembering that right- but barley does do that, at least sometimes. That doesn't stop me from loving okra OR barley.

Still, it would be nicer if it wasn't gooey. I learned from Indian cookery that if you sautee okra and don't get it wet, it doesn't have that slimy stuff- but I'm wondering how you could do that with barley. I suppose it could be toasted without water, but surely it would break someone's teeth if they tried to eat it. I don't know any reason it couldn't be ground into flour, but how would you make something with barley flour and no water (or juice, which would presumably just give you a different-flavor mucus?...)

ETA: @KLS52 Yep- I was thinking of a sort of pancake made with oats, like what I had in Wales. Interesting article you posted- it really goes into how cooking on a heavy griddle is a bit different from cooking on non-stick or other pans.

 

[KLS52]

I’ve never had barley other than his soup so I don’t know this goo that you guys speak of. I don’t recall the barley being gooey in soup.

 

[silva]

YES. It's been so long since I had a dish heavy on barley that I wasn't sure I was remembering that right- but barley does do that, at least sometimes. That doesn't stop me from loving okra OR barley.

Still, it would be nicer if it wasn't gooey. I learned from Indian cookery that if you sautee okra and don't get it wet, it doesn't have that slimy stuff- but I'm wondering how you could do that with barley. I suppose it could be toasted without water, but surely it would break someone's teeth if they tried to eat it. I don't know any reason it couldn't be ground into flour, but how would you make something with barley flour and no water (or juice, which would presumably just give you a different-flavor mucus?...)

ETA: @KLS52 Yep- I was thinking of a sort of pancake made with oats, like what I had in Wales. Interesting article you posted- it really goes into how cooking on a heavy griddle is a bit different from cooking on non-stick or other pans.

See my latest post about cooking 1 to 2.5 water, in IP for 25 minutes? It cooked like any other grain, and did not release that ooze I associate with barley mushroom soup.
Was it because it was just hulled? or Purple? or just that it was cooked right without additional water, like soup
I found it very good for breakfast. I already like oat groats, and farro for breakfast

 

[silva]

YES. It's been so long since I had a dish heavy on barley that I wasn't sure I was remembering that right- but barley does do that, at least sometimes. That doesn't stop me from loving okra OR barley.

Still, it would be nicer if it wasn't gooey. I learned from Indian cookery that if you sautee okra and don't get it wet, it doesn't have that slimy stuff- but I'm wondering how you could do that with barley. I suppose it could be toasted without water, but surely it would break someone's teeth if they tried to eat it. I don't know any reason it couldn't be ground into flour, but how would you make something with barley flour and no water (or juice, which would presumably just give you a different-flavor mucus?...)

I have oats at 9 as my first meal, 1/2 dry, 1 Tblsp ground flax, berries, or, raisins and cinnamon. It keeps me well until 11:30 lunch.

I made purple hulled barley in the IP yesterday. 1 part barley to 2.5 parts water in a pyrex, on rack over water, for 25 min, npr
I added 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, cloves (bad decision) and raisins. I'd say it was 3 serving worth. I added a splash of extra creamy oatmilk for breakfast serving, and it was really good! The cloves put it over the top though, and will not use them again. I don't know if it was because it was purple barley, but I didn't get the 'goo' I dislike! Same with oat groats. Maybe because I used the right proportions of water and cook time?
I will make this regular!

 

[Tom L.]

@silva I don't have an Instant Pot(?)- at least not yet. As it is, I hardly ever use my blender (or my yogurt maker- but that might change because I've become aware of vegan yogurt recipes). I do use my Crock Pot/ Slow Cooker, but I should probably stop being so nervous about leaving it on during the day when I'm at work. I think that's sort of the point of having the thing: put the food in before you leave, and come home to a nice, hot dinner all ready for you! .... which makes absolutely no sense, considering that I leave it on sometimes at night- I guess I'm confident that my fire alarm would wake me in time for me to get out. At the moment, I have no companion animals, so all I'd have to worry about would be me.