Recipe: Steel-Cut Oats with Apples and Pecans (Jillian Michaels)

STEEL-CUT OATS WITH APPLES AND PECANS

"If you've never had steel-cut oats, you're in for a treat. Chewier than rolled oats (which are often labeled "old-fashioned") and with a great nutty flavor, their only drawback is that they take longer to cook than to eat! However, the quick-cooking type makes them possible on any busy morning; and as my friend and colleague Dr. John La Puma says in his book ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine, there is no true nutritional difference between the regular and the quick-cooking types."

1 cup almond milk
1 cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats
2 apples, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 1/2 teaspoons organic maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

In a medium saucepan, combine the almond milk, 1 cup water, and the oats. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

While the oatmeal is cooking, in a small saucepan, place the apples, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of the maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon water. Cook over medium heat until the apples are softened and the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the pecans and cover to keep warm.

Stir the apples and nuts into the cooked and rested oatmeal. Divide among four bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon maple syrup over each bowl and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Calories: 280.5 kcal
Fat: 10.5 g
Protein: 7.4 g
Carbohydrates: 45.2 g
Sodium: 39.7 mg

Source: The Master Your Metabolism Cookbook by Jillian Michaels