If you followed my year of breakfasts & eating for recovery you know that I started out not liking oatmeal - at all. It was boring and mushy with zero thrill. I knew it was good for me though so I kept eating it and then one day, I woke up and realized I was in love with it. Finally, I had fallen in love with something that was good for me! Beyond being convenient, cost effective and versatile it is fiber rich and nutrient dense making it ideal for anyone in recovery. I personally prefer oat groats to the traditional rolled oat stuff they gave me as a kid. Technically they are the same thing but the groats (or steel cut oats) are less processed, have more texture and a nuttier flavor. Starting the day with them accounts for about 11% of my daily fiber which fuels my brain, is good for my guts and lowers any extra risk of cardiovascular disease I caused by years of drinking, smoking and eating like crap. It is also great for my bones (most alcoholics run the risk of developing osteoporosis) with its high phosphorus content and they have a fair amount of iron. About 20% of women are iron deficient. I know I was and the effects were shitty and noticeable. I got light headed, felt tired and weak, my hands were always freezing, my heart rate was high for no clear reason and my nails chipped all the time. Groats to the rescue! The copper and zinc doesn’t hurt either. These minerals support the immune and nervous systems. So vital.
Okay okay, enough raving about the nutritional benefits. I say all of this to throw a new recipe your way. It’s easy, delicious and I can not stop eating it! In fact I even had this dish for dinner a few nights ago.
Vegan Oat Groat “Risotto” aka Grisotto
1 serving (for all my fellow single ladies out there)
can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled
1/4 cup oat groats
1 1/4 cup veggie stock
1 heaping table spoon nutritional yeast
Soak 1/4 cup of oats in about 1 1/2 cups of cold filtered water and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar over night. Just throw it in a bowl and leave it. This softens them and saves you time in the morning.
Drain and rinse before cooking.
In a small pot add the rinsed groats and the stock ( + salt if your stock is unsalted - don’t go nuts) and cook at medium heat while stirring every so often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. It will come together pretty quickly. Once the groats have absorbed the liquid take the pot off of the heat so it does not dry out and turn into cement. Throw in your nutritional yeast and stir. Viola!
The nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor with none of the negative effects of dairy PLUS it is a great source of B vitamins which we desperately need - especially in early recovery.
This is as versatile as regular risotto. You could add mushrooms or top it off with tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Your imagination is the only limitation really. I had mine for dinner the other night with sautéed greens and a roasted portobello mushroom cap. A++