Recipe review: no-cook steel cut oats

When we make steel-cut oats at our house, it is a monumental project--minimum of an hour from start to finish.  And I never want to cook (or wait) that long for my breakfast.  I was skeptical of this recipe published in Vegetarian Times a while back which claimed that steel cut oats could soak overnight and would be deemed edible by morning.  They are chewier and firmer this way compared to cooking them, but the texture has grown on me, and the simplified procedure won me over immediately.

I haven't modified this except for flavoring; you could experiment even further.  I do like heating some up in a bowl with a little extra milk just to finish softening the oats, and I always top it with some kind of fruit, nuts, and usually yogurt.

PS--If you skip the chia seeds, the oatmeal will be a little closer to crunchy in the morning.  They also provide a complete protein, so it's really worth springing for them.

Vegetarian Times' Overnight Chai Steel-Cut Oats

Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup steel-cut oats
• 1 cup vanilla almond or soy milk (or plain milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon  ground ginger 
• ¼ teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1-2 teaspoons honey
• 1 Tbs. shredded coconut (optional)

Place all ingredients in a Tupperware-ish container or a jar with a lid.  Stir to coat thoroughly.  In the morning, heat half in the microwave with about 2 tablespoons of milk and top with fruit, nuts, etc.  Keeps 4-5 days in the refrigerator.  

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