scottish breakfast

....or, oat groat porridge...

     The list of great things about oat groats is lengthy, starting w/ insane amounts of nutrition, delicious

taste and adaptability, storing well in the fridge allowing you to make enough for the week...  yadda yadda.  

     My friend James Stark introduced me to this recipe years ago when I was working w/ the Regenerative

Design Institute. each night he would soak a big potful and feed it too all of us for breakfast before a long

day of field work and mentoring, the porridge kept hunger at bay till well into the afternoon.  btw:  james

made his groats w/ shredded coconut, bananas and raisins. 

     My sisters four year old is such a fan of oat groats for breakfast, he’ll ask for them by name (every day!). 

her older kids were less convinced until i explained to them the cereal was basically swiss muesli, the

stuff mountaineers eat while climbing the snowy alps, then of course, they loved it.  either way, most kids

won’t eat anything called oatmeal so be creative cause they will enjoy this and you can feel good about it!

1-2 cups raw oat groats (find them in the bulk bins at your local store or co-op)

sea salt

water

optional toppings:  cultured butter, cinnamon, sprouted nuts & seeds, raw honey, milk, dried or fresh fruit

for a traditional looking oatmeal:

soak and rinse the oat groats.  place in a sturdy pot and cover w/ an inch of water, the oats will more than double in size- keep this in mind when choosing the size of your pot!  bring to a boil and skim the top, add salt (1/2 to 1 tsp), turn to a medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then put a lid on it and turn off the heat. at this point you can also add dried fruit, stir it in, put on a lid and turn off the head .  ideally the oats will sit at least an hour, steaming and expanding.  if you like your cereal piping hot, turn the burner on low for a few minutes or spoon out your groats into a bowl, add toppings of choice and enjoy!  tip: i’ll prepare the oat groats over a cup of green tea, then once i turn the burner off, its time for yoga, by the time i finish my practice, breakfast is ready!

the chewy, short version:

soak and rinse the oat groats.  place in a sturdy pot and cover w/ half inch or so of water, the oats will increase in size but not dramatically.  bring to a boil  and skim the top, add salt  and stir, softly boil at a medium heat for 5 minutes, then simmer for another 5 (more or less depending on how chewy you like them, less time = more chewy). turn off the heat and either let them sit for a few minutes or spoon them right into a bowl and enjoy w/ your favorite toppings!

tip: with the short, chewy version, adding dried fruit/spices for the last 5 minutes brings good fortune!