Creamy Oatmeal

I find that nothing sustains me as much these days as a hot bowl of delicious oatmeal in the morning. The way that the oatmeal sticks to the sides of the pot comforts me that it is sticking in a like manner to my stomach lining. 1 serving takes about 15 minutes to cook up, so it's done about 8 minutes after my pot of hot tea. I think that's pretty reasonable, and I also save time because I don't get hungry again for about 4 hours, which is some sort of record for me.  Plus everyone says oats fight cancer.

Most oats are contaminated with wheat, so if you have celiac disease, you're going to have to tread very carefully here.  I quote Art of Baking:

If you are gluten-intolerant, oats may be bad for you, too.  If you sometimes eat gluten-free oats and you feel bad, and you wonder, “hm, what did I eat that made me feel bad?” it could be oats.  It turns out that even though oats (the gluten-free ones) don’t have gluten, they do have proteins that might behave the same way as gluten on the body of sensitive individuals.  I spent so much time (years) trying to eat oats, but they always made me sick–and I never understood what was going on.  Then I read this article and ones like it, and it all made sense.  Read it for yourself and see if it might be you.
It turns out that folks who are sensitive like I am to the prolamine gliadin, which is found in wheat gluten, are also often senstitive to the prolamine in oats called avenin.  As it turns out, just as there is gluten-sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease), there is also avenin-sensitive enteropathy, which is a sensitivity to the gluten-like substance in oats.  Sigh.  What this means is that many of us gluten-intolerant folks are actually intolerant to oats themselves, not to them being cross-contaminated with wheat.  This is an area that hasn’t really been studied all that much.  But, the toxicity of oats for gluten intolerant individuals is recognized by certain countries, including Australia.

 Sugar Beets Bakery adds:

The use of oats in gluten free diets is controversial. Cross-contamination with gluten is common in traditional oat products. The Gluten Intolerance Group®, the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Canadian Celiac Association approve the use of moderate amounts of “Certified Gluten Free Oats” but the Celiac Sprue Association recommends that oats be avoided. If you plan to use certified gluten free oats, start by using small quantities to make sure that you can tolerant them. We use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats in their certified gluten free controlled facility.

If you prefer chewy oatmeal to creamy oatmeal, choose steel-cut oats. I think they take longer to cook.

Creamy Hot Oatmeal

1/2 Cup rolled oats
1 Cup plain soy milk or liquid of your choice

1. Combine in a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for 5 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed.
2. Turn off heat and cover for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in your favorite stuff: almond butter, sliced banana, dried figs or currants, whatever zany thing your little hungry self desires. For ideas, check out Kath's Tribute to Oatmeal.