Risotto with oats? Yes! I’d be skeptical if I were you, but let me tell you—I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I love this twist on risotto. Traditional risotto is time consuming, rich and delicious, but doesn’t have much to offer in the nutrition department.

I’ve learned how to make a baked version with brown rice and lots of vegetables, but it still takes a little too much time to qualify as an easy weeknight meal.

Enter steel-cut oat risotto! Also known as, another way to use those steel-cut oats in your pantry, for something other than steel-cut oatmeal. Like arborio rice, steel-cut oats get nice and creamy when cooked.

Unlike brown arborio rice, steel-cut oats require about 25 minutes on the stove, with minimal fuss. Steel-cut oats are 100% whole grain and are a good source of fiber, so this risotto will stick with you.

The post Steel-Cut Oat “Risotto” with Butternut Squash and Kale appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best, and this oatmeal is one of them. I’m on a seasonally-appropriate apple kick, you see. When I was trying an applesauce filling for last week’s apple tart, I wondered if I could cook homemade applesauce and steel-cut oats in the same pot at the same time.

Their cooking methods and timing are similar, so why not? That was a very good question, and the result was so delicious that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it before.

Why didn’t I think to cook apples in my oatmeal before I added orange zest and a swirl of cranberry sauce? Or carrots?

You really think I would have come up with the concept when I featured my maple cinnamon applesauce on steel-cut oatmeal nearly four years ago. Head smack.

The post Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Savory oats! Have you tried them? I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. I’m accustomed to oatmeal that tends toward the sweeter side. After publishing my “perfect” steel-cut oats recipe, a few of you recommended trying savory oats. Oats are whole grains, after all, so why wouldn’t they be good with savory toppings? Polenta and risotto are creamy like oats, and they’re great with savory toppings.

I cooked some up and stirred in extra salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper and cheese (Parmesan). Then I topped one bowl with a fried egg and both with lightly dressed, lemony arugula. I was skeptical for the first few bites, but now I can vouch for the idea.

I can’t claim that my choice of toppings was the be-all, end-all of savory oats, but I’m offering it as a starting off point. Think of savory oats as an alternative to a stir fry—they’re both cheap, veggie-packed, improvised dinners, perfect for busy weeknights. I keep my pantry stocked with Bob’s Red Mill’s steel cut oats, so savory oats are always an option.

My next savory oats might feature sautéed mushrooms (like this) or sun-dried tomatoes for some extra-savory umami flavor. Sturdy greens (like kale or collards) sautéed with garlic sound epic. What sounds good to you?

The post Savory Steel Cut Oatmeal appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Have you seen the prices that restaurants are charging for bowls of steel-cut oats these days? Six dollars! Eight dollars! Twelve dollars in New York! My goodness. Apparently steel-cut oats are the new overpriced grandpa cardigans of the food scene.

Today, I’m sharing my tricks for making the creamiest, dreamiest steel-cut oats at home. Your bowl will taste like a million bucks. Or, at least ten dollars. I’m concerned that my photos don’t do this oatmeal justice (it’s not easy to make porridge look sexy), but trust me here. We’ll talk toppings later so you can make yours however you’d like.

Steel-cut oats shine in the texture and flavor departments. They are exceptionally creamy and delicious, especially if you toast them beforehand as instructed in my recipe below.

Steel-cut oats are also a fun way to change up your morning oatmeal routine. Unlike old-fashioned or instant oats, they reheat beautifully, so you can make one big batch that lasts all week.

All About Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats are a less refined version of the old-fashioned and quick-cooking oats you already know. All oats start out the same, as an oat groat.

Steel-cut oats are oat groats that have been sliced into smaller pieces, whereas old-fashioned oats are oat groats that have been flattened. They all contain the same pieces and parts, but the difference between slicing and flattening explains why steel-cut oats take longer to cook (around 30 minutes).

Nutritionally speaking, they are pretty much the exact same and share all of the health benefits of oats, so don’t split hairs there. Oats lower bad cholesterol, help stabilize blood sugar levels and on and on.

The post Perfect Steel-Cut Oats appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Carrots are stealing the show this week. This recipe features the same flavors as morning glory muffins—shredded carrots, raisins, orange zest, coconut and walnuts—in oatmeal form. I came across it in Megan Gordon’s new cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings.

In the headnote, Megan calls the oatmeal “porridge,” which always brings Goldilocks and her three bears to mind. I prefer to call it oatmeal, which sounds ever-so-slightly more sexy than porridge, but it’s still just fancied up peasant food. Not that I have anything against peasant food. Those royals weren’t doing themselves any favors with their fine white flour and refined sugar. I’d take hearty whole grains over that stuff any day (am I showing my peasant roots?).

Anyway, back to Megan. She runs a granola business, posts recipes and stories on her blog, contributes to The Kitchn and, somehow, in between all of that, produced a stellar cookbook. The book is brimming with breakfast/brunch recipes, organized seasonally, that incorporate whole grains. When Megan asked me if I’d like a review copy, I said yes (because Megan knows how to make a great breakfast) while kicking myself for not coming up with such a terrific concept.

The post Megan’s Morning Glory Oatmeal appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Though I’ve run across many recipes for steel cut oats on my favorite blogs and inside my most dog-eared cookbooks, somehow the fact that steel cut oats are infinitely better than their old-fashioned counterparts escaped me. Steel cut oats are so creamy that they seem positively indulgent—so decadent that I can’t resist eating tiny bowlfuls for dessert. If you haven’t given steel cut oats try yet, please do. I promise you’ll never look at oatmeal the same way again.

If, like me, you’ve avoided steel cut oats because they require more time on the stove, I assure you that they are worth the effort in spades. The process is largely passive, so you can set the timer and forget about it for a while. I made this big batch last weekend and it has proven to be plenty for all five weekdays thereafter. I just reheat a bowlful with a bit of extra milk and top it with a big spoonful of yogurt. Breakfast is served!

The post Cranberry Orange Steel Cut Oats appeared first on Cookie and Kate.