About Oats Part 2: Ways to integrate oats into your diet

In Oats part 1, we found out that rolled oats and steel-cut oats had better Glycemic Index values compared to instant oats. So, let us focus on these 2 types of oats.

This is rolled oats:

Rolled oats is basically oat groats that have been steamed and flattened. Rolled oats contain both the really tasty, starchy parts (endosperm) + the nutritious parts (bran, germ).

This is why you will see white rava and white rice; but not white oats. The oats will have a slightly tan color and contain all the layers of the grains.

This is steel cut oats.

Steel cut oats are groats which have been chopped into two or three pinhead-sized pieces (hence the names; “steel-cut” comes from the steel blades).

Steel cut oats typically take a long time to cook, but Bob’s red mill has created a quick-cooking version that cooks in 7 minutes…which is pretty awesome!! I loved experimenting with this product.

What can we make with oats?

Let’s start with the easiest way to eat an oats porridge.

Sweet Oats

Oats + Milk + Sugar

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But, that’s for children, isn’t it??

Given this blog’s focus on diabetes-related diet, we should explore more savory options…

I am also restricting this post’s scope to recipes that use the entire grain. I am sure we can make idli, dosa out of oats. But, remember, the smaller we grind the grain, the higher the Glycemic Index climbs. So, consider whole grain recipes like:

A simple Oats Kichdi…

Or Oats Bisibelebath (use oats +quinoa instead of rice)

Or Oats with yogurt, hing, salt, nuts, berries and fenugreek sprouts… It is my mom’s daily breakfast.

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I already have an Oats Bahala Bath recipe on my blog…

So, the possibilities are endless, any South Indian dish that is porridge-y in its consistency is fair game for using oats.

And that for us, South Indians, should be super easy: Sambar sadam, pongal, akkara vadisil, arisi paruppu sadam, etc to name a few ideas…

Ok, let’s zoom out and look for any recipes around the world that use savory oats.

Non-Indian recipe ideas to make savory oats

The Scots have been using Oats before the rest of the world. And rightfully so, they hold a porridge making championship every year called The Golden Spurtle

They have published a bunch of porridge recipes made by past year candidates. They have a fantastic-sounding oats risotto recipe that sounds promising.

Inspired by some savory ideas, I made one with miso, soy sauce and sauteed mushrooms.

I also made one with salted oats, butter and parmesan cheese with chopped vegetables in it.

They both were hearty recipes that was a great option to try on a cold winter morning.

Conclusion

I hope this post gave you some good ideas to explore oats in your weekly diet. If you are already trying, then great…keep it going and post your favorite dishes in the comments below. But, if you haven’t tried using oats yet in savory recipes, I would like to gently encourage you to try.

Finally, for those who are looking to reduce the sugar in the diet, yet are reluctant to try savory recipes, I have published a video pin listing 3 easy ideas to make sugar-free oats porridge. The tips include:

1. Add a small pinch of salt
2. Add sweetening spice (like cinammon, cardamom or vanilla)
3. Add dried fruits and nuts for texture
4. and a bonus tip – don’t add milk, just cook in water.

Check out the video here….

Amazon Affiliate Link

Here’s a link to the Bob’s red mill quick cooking steel cut oats I use.