Extract from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler
Soaking oats before you eat them helps break down natural phytic acid and, as a result, the nutrients are much more digestible, so our bodies can also use the nutrients from the oats much more effectively. I like to soak oats overnight, even when I’m going to cook them. It’s easy and it can be done in bulk, as they can last up to four days in the fridge.
SERVES: 2
PREP: 10 minutes. Plus soaking time
COOK: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of oats
- 1/2 cup of flaked quinoa
- 1/4 cup of shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons of chia seeds, divided
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 and a 1/2 cups of your preferred milk
- Flakey sea salt
- 1/2 cup of berries
- 1/2 a mango, sliced
- Nuts of your choice for garnish
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (optional)
Method
Combine the oats, quinoa, coconut, two tablespoons of the chia seeds, vanilla and milk in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a clean container (or leave them in the bowl) and put them covered, in the fridge overnight.
Just before you want to eat them, bring the berries, the other tablespoon of chia and a quarter cup of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Take them off when the berries have a jam-like consistency, adding a little more water as needed.
Divide the soaked oats into bowls, adding some more milk to reach your desired consistency.
Garnish with mango, the berry jam, and nuts of choice (I love it with pistachios). Add a little maple syrup if you like it a little sweeter.
Tips
If you want to prepare oats for a few days ahead, simply double or triple the ingredients in this recipe. Soak and store them in a sealed container in your fridge and simply add your fresh toppings daily.
You can make this recipe with any fruit, yoghurt, nuts or seeds that you have in your kitchen.
This recipe is an extract from The Small Kitchen Cook by Ashleigh Butler, published by Exploring Eden Books (also on Facebook and Instagram). For each book sold, Exploring Eden Books has committed to removing at least 25kg of CO2 from the atmosphere. Read more here