Hello everyone! Welcome to another exciting edition of Oatmeal With A Fork.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Ours was a bit maddening! My husband and I are anxiously awaiting a decision regarding his Prescott application. He has made it to the final round of interviewing, which means there are four guys left and two positions available. 🙂 We have both been praying a lot for the best outcome, but we are still very nervous! His last interview takes place Wednesday, so we should know by Friday what the dilly is.
Over the weekend, I came across some info I thought might appeal to some of you. I was prepping some veggies to roast, and when it came to tossing them in sesame oil, I noticed the bottle stated '350 degree smoke point'. I usually roast at 400 degrees, so I did a little research and discovered that exceeding the smoke point on an oil can have carcinogenic effects! I've actually read somewhere that olive oil shouldn't be used in high heat situations, but I didn't realize it was detrimental to my health. I switched out my usual olive oil in favor of walnut oil, which has a smoke point of exactly 400 degrees.
This also varies with oil origin and degree of refinement. This is a chart of the various smoke points of some oils. Grapeseed, avocado, walnut, and macadamia nut oils have some of the highest smoke points, while flaxseed and extra virgin olive oil have the lowest. This is definitely good to know because heating above these temperatures can cause more free radical formation in the body, leading to a greater likelihood of cancer. Yipe!
Bring on the food!
Today's recipe is a cool twist on a new classic....
Overnight oats are a staple at my house! I probably eat them at least 4 times a week for breakfast, and my husband always wants them before he goes to work. Recently, I began mixing in some oat bran for a change as well as some extra fiber, and adding maple syrup for a different sweetness (I usually use honey). That, along with layers of both sautéed peaches and The Veggie Nook's delicious no sugar, no fat, raw granola, is what creates this delicious blend of flavors and textures!
OVERNIGHT MAPLE BRAN OATS
1/2 c. oat bran
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. greek yogurt (I like 2% Fage), or use 1-2 T. chia seeds as a vegan alternative
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2-1 t. cinnamon
8 drops liquid stevia
2-3 t. maple syrup
1 1/4 c. almond milk
Mix all. Let sit in fridge, covered, overnight.
SPICED PEACHES
1 peach, sliced thinly
1-2 T. coconut oil
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. maple syrup
dash salt
Heat oil in a small pan. Add cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and peaches. Stir and saute all for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and place in the freezer for a few minutes to speed cooling.
You can make two smaller parfaits from this, or a single large one for a hungry, hard-working mama! Ahem...
For two, spoon about half of the overnight oats into two glasses (so about 1/4 cup for each glass). Top that with a spoonful of the peach mix, and top that with your favorite granola or the one above (which I highly recommend!). Repeat this procedure using the remaining ingredients.
It's always hard for me to try new variations of overnight oats because, quite frankly, I love my favorite overnight oats recipe, and I want to eat them all the time! This recipe is worth the change-up, I promise, and it's so easy!
Sweet and creamy with a delicious crunch spread throughout.....heaven.
Dawn
What kind of rolled oats do you use? Would you be able to use the steel oats?
Your recipes sound great!!
Lauren
Thanks Dawn! I typically use Country Choice organic oats, and I have made overnight oats with the steel cut...they're just a bit chewier in texture.
Dana
Gotch. Plus I did a little research (dah) and now I get it. Well, I cannot WAIT to make this parfait. It looks and sounds ridiculously wonderful! Thanks Lauren.
Dana
This may sound like a silly question but are you referring to oat bran as in an oat bran "cereal" (i.e. Bob's Red Mill oat bran cereal) or oat groats? (which Bob's Red Mill also has. I use this brand a lot). Anyway, I've never used oat bran before so I'm not familiar (I know, hard to believe). Hmm, I suppose you are NOT referring to the groats, otherwise you would have said "groats". 😮 And perhaps it doesn't matter (?) Perhaps they are one in the same but only in different form? And by the way, LOVE your recipes. Found you through Gabby (aka, Veggie Nook). 🙂
Lauren
Haha, no problem. Oat bran is the outer layer of the groat where the majority of the fiber is. The groat is the entire oat before it's rolled for regular oats that are most common. You could just add extra rolled oats here, but I wanted to beef up the fiber! Thanks so much for reading! 🙂 I hope this helps!
Michelle @ Eat Move Balance
Interesting chart with all the smoke-points. I'm going to print this to help me figure out what to use when I'm cooking over high heat. I had recently started using coconut oil (I thought it was better than EVOO when it comes to heat), but this chart doesn't seem to indicate that. So confusing!!! So, maybe I'll give something else a try . . . .
Lauren
I've read mixed things about coconut oil. The kind I get from Trader Joe's states that it's a 'high smoke point oil', but you're right about this chart. I think there may be something we're missing, such as degree of refinement? I'm still looking into it, so if I figure something out, I'll let you know!
Gabby @ the veggie nook
Oh this looks just amazing! I love overnight oat parfaits 🙂
But my favourite breakfast? Oh man so tough, it's like my favourite meal! Probably good ol green smoothies. Or pancakes with coconut oil and maple syrup, but that's a special treat 🙂
And yes, I remember when I learned that about various oils I was horrified! Now I used coconut, almond, avocado and walnut oils for higher temperatures and save the olive, hemp flax and sesame for low and no heat applications. At least you found out right?
Lauren
Definitely! Now I have an excuse to invest in some avocado oil!
Rachel @ Almonds and Avocados
I LOVE overnight oats! I also have tons of ripe peaches that are begging to be eaten! I'll definitely be making this soon 🙂
My favorite oil to cook with is coconut oil and I have a gigantic fruit and veggie smoothie for breakfast every morning...my favorite breakfast, though, is cinnamon rolls (but, unfortunately, I can't have them every morning) 🙂
Lauren
Oh...*slobber*...I haven't had a cinnamon roll in a long time! I just pinned a 'no-yeast' one that I'm hoping to try soon though!
Alex @ therunwithin
I will be crossing my fingers for him!
Lauren
Thanks girl! I hope you're feeling better!