gingerbread steel-cut oats

This recipe was one of those wonderful happy accidents. Last week I decided to make another batch of my Indian Spiced Oats with Coconut Milk but got lazy when looking for the brown sugar and grabbed a jar of molasses that was right in front of me. I never expected the result to be so soul-warmingly delicious! Molasses has such a deep rich flavor that is almost as savory as it is sweet. The thick, hearty, chewy steel-cut oats seemed as if they were just made to be molasses's canvas. I decided to add the classic gingerbread spices (ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) to round out the flavor of the oatmeal and added raisins for a touch of sweetness and texture variation. This oatmeal is just begging for some cold creamy milk to be poured on top (think gingerbread cookies and milk) so hopefully you're a "milk on your oats" type of person. If not, I'm sure it will still be great!




Total Recipe cost: $2.14
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Cost per serving: $0.54
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 35 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 cup	uncooked steel-cut oats	$0.70
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.05
1 tsp	cinnamon	$0.10
1 tsp	ground ginger	$0.10
1/4 tsp	nutmeg	$0.05
1/4 tsp	ground cloves	$0.05
1/3 cup	dark molasses	$0.78
1/2 cup	raisins	$0.31
TOTAL		$2.14

STEP 1: In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Once it reaches a boil pour in the uncooked steel-cut oats. Stir with a spoon and reduce the heat to low.

STEP 2: As the oats simmer on low, stir in the salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Let the oats simmer until it is to your desired thickness (20-30 minutes).

STEP 3: Once the oats have thickened sufficiently, turn off the heat and stir in the molasses. Place one cup of oats in a bowl and top with 1/4 cup of raisins (or portion out all four cups into resealable containers, top with raisins and refrigerate for quick reheatable breakfasts later in the week).

Sorry there are no step-by-step photos but I thought pictures of boiling water would be a little... boring :)