Saturday 12 July 2014

Overnight Oats with Pumpkin and Blueberries

A few weeks ago I learned about the technique of soaking oats overnight.  The process is easy and results in  chewy though non-sticky oat that seems to be easier on my stomach than traditionally prepared oatmeal. I have Heather from the Soulful Spoon to thank for this method.  She has been a wonderful source of nutritional information and for food ideas while my insides have healed.  Last year I suffered from a bowel infection that left me unable to consume foods with the exception of green grapes and rice. 

I was still having some difficulty with oats, yet wanted to be able to eat them as they are so good for me and I enjoy them.  Hence my willingness to try soaking them.  I have no idea if the soaking removes any good benefits, but it does take away that gooeyness.  It is also recommended for raw buckwheat, which I have done before.

Here are a couple of articles/posts on the subject:
High On Health
Phytic Acid
Pamela Salzman

On to my recipe.

Overnight Oats with Pumpkin and Blueberries

1/2 cup 5 minute oats
1/4 - 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup blueberries
1 tbsp maple syrup
Ground Cinnamon

Soak oats in water overnight.  You can leave these on the counter, thought a loose cover is a good idea.  In the morning, pour the water and oats into a strainer and rinse well with fresh water.  At this point your oats are ready to eat.  They are a bit chewy still.  If you want you can cook them, but it is not required.  Mix in the pumpkin, blueberries and maple syrup.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  i also like to add a tablespoon of raw pumpkin seeds.

Here's another breakfast oat recipe from The Soulful Spoon.


Do you soak your oats or any other grain.

For more food related posts, be sure to visit with Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking Post.  She invites all readers to add a link to their recent food related post.

10 comments:

Cecelia said...

Oh yum! The pumpkin and blueberry combination sounds amazing - I can't believe I haven't tried it before! I shall have to experiment now... (maybe not with overnight oats, though)

Laurie C said...

I love oatmeal, but don't have it that often, especially in the summer. I never would have thought of just soaking them instead of cooking them, but I guess rolled oats really are cooked already when we get them?

JoAnn said...

I've never thought to combine pumpkin and blueberries, but it sounds delicious. I've made steel cut oats in the crockpot overnight, but my daughter makes something like this in the refrigerator.... I think peanut butter and greek yogurt is involved ;-)

Joy said...

What a great combination of flavors!

Joy's Book Blog

Anonymous said...

Hmm I am not so sure about the pumpkin, I'm glad you enjoyed the oats though!

Please drop by and see what I am cooking this weekend,
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

It makes sense that soaking oats would make them easier to digest. Thank you for this great tip!

Beth F said...

I can imagine this no-cook method could come in handy. I'll have to give them a try

Marie said...

Great recipe, Heather. I've soaked oatmeal a lot, but I generally do it in milk/yogurt with lots of fruit. There's no straining involved, just a good stir in the morning. The dairy won't be good for you, but you probably have substitutes you can use. Google "Swiss Bircher" or "Bircher Muesli" or "Swiss Oatmeal".

I've made it with steel cut oats (my favorite), scotch oats, and regular long cooking oatmeal. Haven't tried it with the quick cooking varieties.

I'm definitely going to give this one a try! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I love overnight oats - I soak mine in milk in the fridge and then add fresh fruits in the morning. I've never tried oatmeal with pumpkin before! That sounds yummy.

Tina said...

I didn't know oats could be eaten after soaking overnight. That solves many issues in the morning when I want oatmeal but no timer to cook it. So glad you posted this.