Yoga_Journal_-_December_2014_USA

ELENA ELISSEEVA/SUPERSTOCK

Beyond breakfast

WITH EVIDENCE OF OATS’ HEALTH BENEFITS growing, it’s good news that the grain is showing up more

and more in savory dinner dishes and snacks. Researchers have confirmed that eating unsweetened oats

can improve glycemic control and reduce insulin sensitivity, making them helpful in preventing and managing

diabetes, and that they can lower total cholesterol. And eating oats in the evening may be particularly helpful

for controlling next-day hunger: A study conducted at Hebrew University in Israel suggests eating carbs at

night may lead to healthy daytime levels of the hormones that regulate appetite and feelings of fullness—so

a helping of oats at dinner may mean you’re not aching for a snack during tomorrow’s Sun Salutation. For

creative recipe ideas that break the morning-oatmeal mold, try these tips from food blogger Kathy Hester,

adapted from her new book, OATrageous Oatmeals.

Oats are fast becoming the healthy cook’s anytime ingredient. By Kate Gammon

Soup

Get a creamy texture without the

dairy in pureed soups like butternut

squash or potato-leek by adding

½ cup regular rolled oats with your

liquid. Cook 10–20 minutes, and then

blend. For a chunky soup, such as

chicken and vegetable, throw in ½ cup

steel-cut oats in place of barley or rice.

Risotto

Replace rice with steel-cut oats for a

nourishing dinner. As with a typical

risotto recipe, gradually add liquid to

oats, over heat, until just cooked but

not mushy. Flavor with plenty of fresh

herbs, sundried tomatoes, or mush-

rooms, or a dash of nutritional yeast

to balance out oats’ natural sweetness.

Pizza topping

Chewy steel-cut oats make delicious

meat-free “sausage” crumbles. Cook

½ cup steel-cut oats in 1 cup water,

covered, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook

off remaining liquid, 5 minutes. Mix in

Italian seasonings and garlic powder,

press onto a cookie sheet, and bake at

350°F, 10 minutes. Cool and crumble.

Late-night snack

Make a sugar-free granola snack to

enjoy solo or with yogurt. Mix 1 cup

rolled oats with ⅓ cup each shredded

coconut, minced cashews, and golden

raisins, 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds, 2 tsp

curry spice mix, a pinch of salt, and

3 tbsp vegetable oil. Spread mixture

on a cookie sheet and bake at 350°F

54 until lightly browned, 20 minutes.

eat well

FOOD NEWS