The benefits of oats
Oats are packed full of antioxidants, and they also contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. Not only are oats good for your heart, they can also help to lower cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar, and fill you up so that you don’t need to snack between meals.
Have you tried baked oats? It’s a great brunch or breakfast idea, and can also be used as a pudding. This recipe is really versatile and can be easily adapted for a multitude of variations so you don’t get bored.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of oats (regular or sprouted)
- 1 tbsp ground sprouted flaxseed
- 1 cup of milk
In an ovenproof dish, simply mix twice as many oats as milk, and 1 tsp of date syrup depending on taste. You can use any milk, diary, oat, soya or nut milk. Then add any flavouring you can think of. Once you have flavoured your oats, give them a good stir, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C fan. These are some suggestions for flavourings:
Cinnamon and berries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- handful of blueberries
Chocolate and Banana
- 1 mashed banana
- handful of dark chocolate chips or 3 tbsp cacao powder
Lemon and Blueberry
- grated zest of one lemon
- handful of blueberries
Apple and Cinnamon
- Grated apple
- 1/2 – 1 tsp cinnamon
- handful of raisins
- 1/2 tbsp chia seeds sprinkled on top
Coconut and Almond
- 1 tbsp shredded coconut or desiccated coconut
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- almond flakes to scatter on the top
What are your favourite flavour combinations?
