Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal!

Runners, it's cold outside (cue the Dean Martin tune).  I love having something to look forward to, and since warm weather is not on the horizon, food is where my mind wanders when I'm looking for a pleasant distraction.  So this week I made a delicious knock-off of everybody's favorite maple and brown sugar oatmeal (the kind in the packet that you used to pour right into your mouth as a kid). 

This is a simple, do ahead recipe full of good carbs and comfort.  I used sucanat (AKA rapadura) because this sugar is minimally processed and retains lots of nutrients.  Coconut palm sugar is also a great choice (you can use regular brown sugar or turbinado as well).  Steel cut oats make this hot cereal hearty and filling after an early morning run. 

Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal 

      Recipe by Maureen Hann

The day before you'll eat, combine in a slow cooker:

2 cups steel cut oats (oat groats)

1/4 cup whole wheat, rye, teff, or buckwheat flour

2 cups water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or whey

Cover and let soak at least seven hours.

Before bed, add the following to the oat mixture:

5 cups milk of choice, water, or a combination

   (I used 1 cup water and 1-32 oz. carton unsweetened coconut milk)

3/4 cup sucanat (ground if you can) or other "brown" sugar

1/2 teaspoon maple flavor

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir well and cook on low for seven hours.  If you have a slow cooker that switches to a keep warm setting after cooking, that will keep the oatmeal nicely until you wake - or just turn off your pot before you run in the morning (if you sleep more than seven hours).

As written, this dish tastes like the bottom shelf of the cereal isle - right where I could grab a box of instant oatmeal for mom's shopping cart as a kid.  Let me know what you think and share away using the buttons below!