Welcome back to the garden! This week our fresh garden ingredient is the apple……….delicious, crisp, juicy apples! Living here in Washington, we are never in short supply of these wonderful wholesome fruits. And with so many varieties, and oh so many recipes, you can be sure you will never run out of options to enjoy these little treasures. So you better keep that slow cooker out from last week, because this week, we are going to fire it up again, for one of our favorite recipes straight out of The Lodge cookbook.This time, we are bringing an old fashioned flair to our garden fare with a warm and filling homespun breakfast, that will fill your senses with that familiar aroma of warm cinnamon and vanilla, mixed with juicy apples and ginger spice . With this quick and easy “go to recipe”, it’s all in one pot, and breakfast is served!
Here is what you will need:
Old Fashioned Apple Cinnamon Spiced Steel Cut Oats
Yields 8 cups, with one cup cooked oats per serving
Shopping List and Ingredients:
Apples- 4 medium sized sweet and tart (Gala, Fugi, Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, or any similar variety)
Old fashioned uncooked steel cut oats (do not use quick cook oats or instant)- 2 cups
Vanilla Almond Milk- 2 cups
Water- 6 cups
Brown Sugar- 1/2 cup (8 TBsp)
Spices- Pumpkin Pie spice- 2 TBsp (or 1/2 TBsp of each of the following: ground cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and nutmeg) and Allspice- 1 TBsp
Cinnamon Sticks- 2
Non stick spray, butter, or Earth Balance vegan butter spread
Step 1: The Oats
Coat your slow cooker with a non stick spray, or grease the inside with the butter of your choice.
Mix all of the spices into a small bowl and set aside. You can play around with the spices to create your own preferences, and customize the flavor profile. I love to add a little extra ginger in mine, and sometimes I like a bit more clove, or nutmeg.
Now that your spice mix is ready, add all of the following ingredients (in order) into your slow cooker:
6 cups of water, 2 cups of vanilla almond milk, and 2 cups of uncooked old fashioned steel cut oats, 2 cinnamon sticks,1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 TBsp of your prepared spice mix.
Step 2: The Apples
Peel and dice two medium sized apples and put them into a bowl, then add 1 TBsp of the spice mix, and toss until coated.
Add the spiced apples into the oat mixture inside the slow cooker, and stir gently.
Cut the remaining two apples into thin slices, and place in a single spiral layer over the top of the oats, then sprinkle with the remaining 1 TBsp of spice mix. Cover, and cook for 6-8 hours on low while you go to bed, and dream of a delicious hearty breakfast….really, that’s it!!!
Step 3: The Wake Up Call
Rise and shine and greet your day with a warm bowl of homemade old fashioned oats fresh from the pot. Mmmmmmm.
*Optional Variation with Bananas for Banana Bread Oatmeal
Follow the recipe as written, but substitute diced bananas in place of the diced apples in the oat mixture. Then at the end before serving, place some sliced bananas on a foil lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with brown sugar, and put under the broiler on low, until bubbly and caramelized. Serve atop the cooked oats with a splash of vanilla almond milk.
*Raw banana slices may also be used in place of the caramelized ones, if a broiler or brulee torch is not available.
As always, plant your questions and comments here in the garden, and “lettuce” know what you think of this weeks garden feast.
Thanks for visiting The Enchanted Garden Goddess. See you next time!
Weight Watchers PPV for 1 cup of prepared oats= 5 PPV
