Recipe Guestpost: Cauli Oatmeal

by karen on May 10, 2018

Hi everyone! This is Erica Foote, nutritional sciences and dietetics student at the University of Nevada, Reno. This week, Karen asked me to share a recipe with you all. Not only is it delicious and easy-to-make, but it also helps you incorporate more veggies into your diet before you even head out the door in the morning!

 

If you’ve ever worked with Karen, you may have heard her talk about aiming to incorporate a variety of foods from each food group when planning meals. For savory breakfasts, this concept is pretty easy–throw a handful of diced mushrooms in your morning eggs, or serve toast over a bed of fresh greens.

Incorporating vegetables into sweet breakfasts requires a bit more creativity. That’s where the beauty of this oatmeal comes in…

The secret? Adding a bit of riced cauliflower to the oats as they cook.

I love this recipe because:

  1. It’s versatile. Topping choices are endless, and can be customized according to your tastes and mood.

  2. It (sneakily) allows you to get a serving of vegetables in at breakfast.

  3. It’s satisfying. Between the fiber of the oats and cauliflower, and the protein from the egg whites, this meal gives me the perfect energy boost to start my day off.

  4. It can be pre-made the night before. On mornings when I’m on-the-go, I make this recipe the night before and place it in tupperware container in the refrigerator. In the morning, I add toppings (typically a fruit and some nut butter) and am headed out the door!

I’ll have to admit, making the cauliflower undetectable took several trials-and-errors. I initially decided to make the oatmeal with home-ground cauliflower rice. Lightly put, it was disgusting. I would never put another human being through that textural and taste experience.

Next, I attempted this recipe with refrigerated cauliflower rice: the kind that you can usually find in the produce section of your local grocery store. This yielded a slightly better result, but it still had a slightly sulfurous cauliflower taste.

Finally, I discovered Trader Joes’ frozen cauliflower rice, and never looked back. Not only is its flavor undetectable in oats, but it adds volume and creaminess to a bowl of oatmeal. I prefer its taste and texture to regular oatmeal.

 

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Frozen riced cauliflower

Trader Joe’s brand is my favorite for this recipe. You would think all riced cauliflower would stay the same, but I think it depends on how fresh the cauliflower is at the time of freezing. Also, this brand adds a hint of salt, which appears to go a long way towards a better flavor in this recipe.

  • Rolled oats

Thick, standard, or quick will all work for this recipe‒ just note that cooking time will vary. I usually use standard rolled oats. If you look for other recipes for “cauliflower oats”, you may find that some omit the oats completely, and just use riced cauliflower as a “lower calorie” and “lower carb” option. I would argue, however, that oats deserve their spot in this recipe. Oats are not only a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber, but they also are an amazing complex carbohydrate that will provide you a steady stream of energy throughout your morning.

  • Egg whites

Why not whole eggs? The purpose of the egg in this recipe is similar to that of egg white in a meringue; it’s simply there to provide volume and a thickened texture. I’ve tried whole eggs before, but they just don’t have the same effect.

  • Toppings

One thing that I love about oatmeal is the versatility of topping options. Below are some of my tried and true favorites:

  • peanut butter, raspberries

  • cashews, blueberries

  • walnuts, banana slices

  • chia seeds, strawberries

  • frozen dark cherries, Greek yogurt

  • sunflower butter, apple slices, shredded coconut

  • shredded carrot, raisins, cinnamon, flaxseed

  • pecans, nutmeg, pumpkin puree, dates

  • spinach, white cheddar

  • sun-dried tomato, goat cheese

Now that you have topping combinations in mind, let’s get to the recipe!

  1. Place ½ cup water and ⅓ cup oats in a pan over medium high heat. I typically add the oats into the cold water and allow them to heat up together.

  2. Once the water is simmering, add about ¼ c of the frozen cauliflower rice to the mixture and stir for about a minute.

  1. Next, add 1 egg white (or 3 tbsp egg white, if using carton) to your oats and stir for about three more minutes, or until the oats look done and the egg white is fully heated and incorporated. Stirring is important at this step to ensure you aren’t left with clumps of egg white.

  2. Once oatmeal is fully cooked, remove the oats from the stovetop and add toppings as desired. For the oatmeal shown below, I added some heated fresh blackberries and a drizzle of peanut butter. If you are preparing your oatmeal in advance, it tastes great cold, or can be heated up in the microwave or on the stovetop with a bit of added milk or water. Enjoy!

 Print recipe with nutrition facts

 

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