Ovesná kaše s karamelizovanými banány a pekanovými ořechy • Domek za lesem • Vaření od píky

Oatmeal with caramelized bananas and pecans

The bowl of warm oatmeal with a wonderful scent of cinnamon, cardamom and honey is the best way to start your day... every day!

Oatmeal is a really fast, simple and satisfying breakfast that will make your day! We enjoy it every week in different variations and this is one of our favorites. Oatmeal with the scent of cardamom together with sweet caramelized bananas, honey and crunchy buttery pecans it's the combination made in heaven!

"Oatmeal is the perfect breakfast."

Why to enjoy oatmeal for breakfast?

I mostly eat warm food, especially for my breakfast. If I had to choose between a steaming bowl of hot porridge and a sandwich, I would clearly vote for porridge... even in the tropic summer. Warm breakfast just works for me and here are some reasons why it might works even for you.

⦁ Warm breakfast has a similar temperature as our bodies, so it's easier for us to digest warm food.
⦁ Some of the nutrients in food are better to absorb , if they are warm as our bodies.
⦁ Warm food, that contains proteins and fiber, help to satiate better and for a longer period of time.
⦁ Warm breakfast warms the body from inside and helps to strengthen our immune system - that's important mostly in the autumn and winter time.

That's quite a lot of health benefits for a few minutes more spent in the kitchen. Above that, to make a warm breakfast isn't as time consuming as you may think. For me, personally, it is much quicker to make something warm than "cold". That's because I have proven simple and tasty recipes for a quick warm breakfast, which I can whip up within 5 minutes. Try my recipes for simple breakfasts.

Health benefits of oats

From the whole group of cereals, oats have one of the best nutritional values.They consist of complex carbs that release gradually so they keep us energized the whole day. Oats also have quite low glycemic index..

Oats are naturally whole wheat food rich in fiber, which is very important for a good gut condition. They also contain a lot of vitamins, like B1 or folic acid and substances such as potassium, magnesium, zinc or iron.

Benefits of soaking oats the night before

So, we know now that oats are really nutrition packed food, but do you know, how to make them even healthier? By soaking of course! If we soak oats in the water overnight, it starts to break down the phytic acidthat affects the absorption of all the healthy substances. You achieve the best result if you soak your oats with something acid, like yoghurt or lemon juice. But it also affects the taste of the oats. The least difference is with using some plain yoghurt.

Another benefit of soaking oats is that it cuts cooking time to half in the morning! And that is the main benefit I think, because we love jumbo oats, but also, we want to spend just a little time in our kitchen while preparing breakfast.

Why not to add sugar in your oatmeal?

I grew up on oatmeal sweetened with caster sugar and I couldn't imagine having a morning oatmeal without it for a looong time. But when I started to cook for myself I realized that I am not really a fan of that sweet taste of oatmeal, so I stopped.

And I am SO GLAD that I did! Simple oatmeal without any sugar just tastes so delicious!Only a few ingredients - oats, water, milk and the most important little pinch of salt makes the most perfect base for your morning oatmeal. You can add your favorite fruit, some spices, nuts and seeds or drizzle some honey on top of it!

How to prepare oatmeal?

If we want to soak oats, we start the night before. To a big pot add 1 cup of rolled oats, 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt and let it soak overnight. In the morning, add 0,5 teaspoon of cinnamon along with 2 whole cardamom pods, cracked with a knife (or use a pinch of ground cardamom seed) and cook the mixture until thickenned.

I love using cardamom and cinnamon in my oatmeal! It just makes your kitchen smell incredible while cooking your breakfast. But feel free to skip them, if you don't have any.

When the oatmeal is thick enough, add a milk of your choosing (any will do the work) and let cook for another 5 minutes until thicken again and the oats are soft. Last step is to add a knob of butter, mix and split into bowls, where it will sit for around 5-10 minutes more. Don't forget to fish out 2 cardamom pods. Meanwhile, it's time to prepare our banana topping!

Roast pecans in a non-stick pan until it smells buttery and nutty. This step is optional but I HIGHLY recommend it!! Stir them in a pan frequently to prevent burning, then put aside. Cut 1 medium banana into thicker slices (try to avoid using overripe banana for this). In the same pan, melt a knob of butter and add in banana slices, let them cook, then flip to the other side to cook too. Drizzle bananas with some honey and let it caramelize a little bit. Transfer them onto oatmeal.

On board, cut your wonderfully roasted pecans and add them on caramelized bananas in bowls. You can also sprinkle oatmeal with some cinnamon or drizzle with more honey for a sweeter morning.

Can I make oatmeal in advance?

That's actually a pretty good idea to make oatmeal ahead of time. In the morning, just add a little bit more milk or water into a pot while reheating. But be aware to not use too much liquid, otherwise you'll end up with a watery oatmeal and it would loose it's tasty creaminess.

TIPS:
- try adding 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds for more nutrition
- or make a version of "strawberry and cream oatmeal" - add 0,5 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead of cardamom pods and cinnamon and add in a bowl some slices fresh strawberries (or in a winter time, cooked strawberries with honey, on top of it, drizzle a few spoons of full fat cream. Yummy!
- for more proteins and fats in your morning oatmeal, just add tablespoon of any nut or seed butter

Recipe

Recipe for 2-3 servings

Oatmeal with caramelized bananas and pecans

Ingredients:

⦁ 1 cup of rolled oats
⦁ 2 cups of water
⦁ 1 cup of milk
⦁ 2 cardamom pods, cracked
or a pinch of ground cardamom
⦁ cinnamon
⦁ pinch of salt
⦁ 1 medium banana
⦁ pecans
⦁ honey
⦁ butter

Instructions:

1. In a pot add 1 cup of oats, 2 cups of water and pinch of salt and let soak overnight.
2. In the morning, add 0,5 a teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 whole cardamom pods, cracked with a knife and let it cook until thickened. Then add 1 cup of milk and cook for an additional 5 minutes until thicken again and the oats soften.
3. Then add a knob of butter and stir in. After cooking, split oatmeal into bowls and let sit for 10 minutes. You can also remove cardamom pods. Meanwhile we make banana topping.
4. Roast pecans in a non-stick pan until it smells buttery and nutty. Stir them frequently to prevent burning, then put aside.
5. Cut the banana into thick slices. In the same pan, melt a knob of butter and add in banana slices, let them cook, then flip to the other side to cook too.
6. Drizzle bananas with some honey and let it caramelize a little bit. Transfer them onto oatmeal. Add chopped roasted pecans on bananas.
7. You can also sprinkle oatmeal with some cinnamon or drizzle with more honey.

Dobry den. Varite vlocky v namaceci vode? Ja proplachuji a davam novou (obzvlaste kdyz macim s jablecnym octem). Nekdo proplachuje, nekdo ne, jine obiloviny vzdycky…mam v tom zmatek :))

Radka Majorová
22/05/2024 at 22:13

Dobrý den, zajímavý dotaz! 🙂 Kdžy máčím vločky s kyselou složkou (ocet, soda, jogurt), tak je dobré je propláchnout. Mě ale přijde že ztratí i spoustu škrobu a kaše pak není tak krémová, takže kaši z kupovaných vloček máčim jen ve vodě se špetkou soli a neproplachuji. Myslím, že ovesné vločky už stejně prošly jistou úpravou, při které se z nich spousta živin odstranila, tak jsem nad tím nikdy nepřemýšlela. Pokud ale dělám kaši z čerstvě připravených vloček z ovsa, tak vodu proplachuji. Kaše ale je krásně hustá i potom, protože škrob zůstane v zrnu. Je to tedy asi spíš na vás, jak vám to vyhovuje a jak se po té kaši i cítíte. 🙂