Makes 8 servings, 1 cup each
ACTIVE TIME: 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 7 to 8 hours (slow-cooker time), 1 hour 35 minutes (stovetop time)
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

Here is an easy way to serve a crowd a hearty breakfast before facing the elements for a day of winter sports. You can assemble it in the slow cooker in the evening and wake up to a bowl of hot, nourishing oatmeal. The slow cooker eliminates the need for constant stirring and ensures an exceptionally creamy consistency. It is important to use steel-cut oats; old-fashioned oats become too soft during slow-cooking.

8 cups water
2 cups steel-cut oats (see Ingredient note)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Combine water, oats, dried cranberries, dried apricots and salt in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat to low. Put the lid on and cook until the oats are tender and the porridge is creamy, 7 to 8 hours.

Stovetop Variation - Halve the above recipe to accommodate the size of most double boilers: Combine 4 cups water, 1 cup steel-cut oats, 3 tablespoons dried cranberries, 3 tablespoons dried apricots and 1/8 teaspoon salt in the top of a double boiler. Cover and cook over boiling water for about 1 1/2 hours, checking the water level in the bottom of the double boiler from time to time.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: Per serving: 193 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 9 g fiber; 78 mg sodium. Nutrition bonus: Fiber (36% daily value). 2 Carbohydrate Servings. Exchanges: 2 starch 1/2 fruit

Tip

Ingredient note: Steel-cut oats, sometimes labeled Irish oatmeal, look like small pebbles. They are toasted oat groats the oat kernel that has been removed from the husk that have been cut in 2 or 3 pieces. Do not substitute regular rolled oats, which have a shorter cooking time, in the slow-cooker oatmeal recipe.

Related Links:

Flemish Beef Stew
www.eatingwell.com/recipes/flemish_beef_stew.html

More Recipe Collections from Eating Well.com
www.eatingwell.com/recipes/collections.php