A kitchen without oats is no kitchen at all. With profound nutritive elements, oats are the basis of so many healthy dishes. However, this universal cereal can transcend beyond breakfast and be easily put to use in other meals as well. They are readily available in the market, packed with oodles of nutrients and of course, when cooked right they taste delicious. We bring you 4 absolutely yummy way to eat your oats! 

TOMATO OAT SOUP

 

Ingredients

 1 sachet cream of chicken soup (Knorr)
7 cups hot water
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and pureed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, crushed
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp freshly crushed pepper
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp lime juice
Salt to taste

Method 

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, sauté onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until onion turns light brown.
2. Add pureed tomato, tomato paste, cumin and black pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens.
3. Add hot water, and oats. Stir in the soup sachet and bring to simmer over medium heat for another 12 minutes or until the oat is cooked and the desired consistency is reached.
4. Taste and add lime juice, if desired. Adjust seasoning.
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a swirl of cream and parsley leaves. Serve hot with bread.

OAT MUSHROOM PATTY

Ingredients

¾ lb. of mushrooms, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups of oats
4 cups of water
½ cup of onion, diced small
½ cup of carrots, diced small
¼ cup of soy sauce
¼ cup of yeast
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of thyme
 

Method 

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan.

2. Add mushrooms and onions and cook until soft.

3. Add the soy sauce, yeast, garlic, oregano and thyme.

4. Add the oats, one cup at a time, letting oats sink in, then stirring.

5. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the mixture is thick at the bottom of the pan.

6. Cover and set aside for about 20 minutes.

7. Allow to cool and shape into patties.

8. Place on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 175°C for 45 minutes, turning half way through.

OATS UPMA

Ingredients

Oats – 1 Cup
Finely Chopped Onion – 1
Chopped Green Chillies – 1
Oil – 1 and 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal or Split Black Bean (Gram) / White Lentils – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Sugar – 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice – 1 tsp
Coriander Leaves / Cilantro
Salt

Method

1. Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add urad dal (white lentils) and fry until they turn golden brown.
2. Now add curry leaves and chopped green chillies and fry for a minute. Then add chopped onions and turmeric powder and fry until the onions start to look a little transparent.
3. Add salt and sugar to the the above mixture and fry for a minute.
4. At this stage, add oats to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes or till you smell a nice aroma and oats turn light brown in color.
5. Now sprinkle about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to the above fried oats mixture in the pan and mix well all the ingredients with a spatulla and fry till the oats turn soft. Make sure to not add excess water to the oats upma as the whole mixture can become too soggy and oats upma may not taste as good as it should.
6. Add lemon juice to the oats upma and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves / cilantro. 

 CRISPY OAT APPLE

 

Ingredients

Topping

 1/3 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh or ground nutmeg (optional)
1/8 tsp salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling

6 cups of apples
1 cup fresh cranberries (optional)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp granulated sugar

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray with a cooking spray, a 9 inch deep dish pie plate or an 8 x 8 x 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) baking dish.
2. Place all the topping ingredients (flour, sugars, spices, butter, oats and nuts) in a food processor and process until the mixture is crumbly (looks like coarse meal) and make sure there are no large pieces of butter visible.
3. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
4. Place the apple chunks in a large bowl, along with the berries and lemon zest. Toss with the lemon juice and sugar.
5. Transfer to your prepared baking dish and spread the topping evenly over the apples.
6. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and the topping is golden brown. (If you insert the tip of a sharp knife into a chunk of apple, it should be tender, not mushy).
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes before serving.
8. Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat before serving.