I haven’t always loved oatmeal. In fact, when my mom used to serve it to be for breakfast when I was a wee tad, I would look at it askance. It would take me a long time to eat that bowl of oatmeal. Playing with it helped a lot. The mound of oatmeal was an island, the butter was the river where the people got their water, and the brown sugar was their house. As the milk poured over the cereal there was a major catastrophe and the excessive rain (milk) started drowning the house. Then the wind started (my spoon!) eating away at the island until the people had to evacuate as there was nothing left. As I got older the oatmeal started to gradually look attractive. What wouldn’t be attractive about a warm bowl of cereal with butter, cream/milk, and brown sugar on it? Marriage put oatmeal on the back burner again. My hubby strongly disliked the stuff so I didn’t fix it often since I hate fixing one person meals.
And then I found out I was intolerant. This couldn’t have come at a worse time for although I didn’t eat bowls of oatmeal all the time I did use it for other things. Like this bread for one or this smoothie or even Apple Crisp. It was right in the middle of fall and I wanted my apple crisp and my other comfort fall foods! What’s a girl to do? I found a substitute and its even hubby approved!
These quinoa flakes worked great for apple crisp. I still had the buttery, brown sugar crunch on top of the apples, but none of the tiredness or upset tummy afterwards! They are more expensive (around $5 for a small box in my neck of the woods and on vitacost.com), but it takes me awhile to go through a box now that apple crisp season is over. They also worked great in the smoothie. I have yet to try them in the bread, but that bread is certainly worth finding a substitute for.
Grab a box of this ancient grains and give it a try! I don’t think you will be sorry for expanding your food knowledge!