Chia apple oats
/Now the Autumnal weather is most definitely upon us, I wanted to share a very simple recipe that forms the basis of my breakfast almost every day (yep even in the summer months!)
If you are also a reader of my blog over at Including Cake then you may already be familiar with my love of oats! I appreciate that for those that are gluten intolerant, GF oats will need to be used. Even if oats in any form are not an option for you, I wanted to include this recipe as it is likely to make a great breakfast base for any type of flaked grain or cereal. Please let me know in the comments if you do make it with an alternative as I am very curious to try them out too.
This is a light but filling breakfast. The grated apple really fills out the bowl and the chia seeds act to absorb the liquid, thickening up the oaty mixture and bringing everything together. You could of course use more oats than I have stated below, but I don’t find I need to. You will note that other than the coconut sugar on the top (which I don’t often add) I don’t use any extra sweetener as the apple itself does a great job or adding a light sweetness throughout, feel free to add a little agave of you prefer.
You can use any spices you choose. I have a slight cinnamon obsession so I use a lot so feel free to moderate to you own taste. Here I have also used chopped dates, chopped pecans and some coconut sugar for a little indulgence to give the whole bowl an ‘apple pie’ touch. Chopped pear and ginger would also make a great topping.
Recipe: Chia apple oats
Serves 1
Ingredients
¼ cup oats (regular, GF or other flaked cereal)
Up to one cup milk of choice (I use soy milk)
1 heaped tbs chia seeds (use white to visually blend better)
1 large eating apple grated
1 tsp cinnamon
Handful dates chopped
Handful of chopped nuts (I used pecans)
Sprinkling of coconut sugar
Method
Add the oats to a large breakfast bowl and cover with the milk of choice. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes on full power* (900w).
Meanwhile, grated the apple and prepare the toppings. Add the apple, chia and cinnamon to the cooked oats and mix through. Allow a few seconds for the chia to thicken the mixture up and add a little more milk if desired to achieve the preferred consistency (I like my oats quite liquidy).
Add the toppings and a serve immediately.
*Note: I use a microwave for speed and convenience. The time is based on partially cooking the oats so that they retain a nice chewiness and a the mixture is still quite liquidy. You need to have a fairly liquidy mix so that the chia can get to work.
cooked oats with chia and apple premixed (see how liquidy the oat mix still is below)
