For a while now I've seen smoothie recipes floating around the internet that include oatmeal in the ingredients. As a self-proclaimed smoothie enthusiast, I found the idea nothing short of heresy. Although I can't deny the fact that oatmeal is a very nutritious food, I just couldn't allow myself add it to my smoothies, which only contained fruit, juice, and yogurt...up until now, I guess.
Since we're now right in the midst of "warm summer mornings," I decided to go for it and make this Breakfast-in-a-Glass recipe from 1959. Okay, okay, so to be fair my original plan was to make Little Y the tester, since she loves smoothies and would be oblivious to the oatmeal secretly lurking within. But I felt up to a challenge today, so I decided to just go for it and see what an oatmeal smoothie is really like for myself. Historical style, of course.
Original Recipe:
For each serving of Breakfast-in-a-Glass put 1 cup milk and 1/3 cup cool, cooked oatmeal in Mixer or other container.
Add 1/3 cup crushed strawberries (fresh or frozen) or other fruit; add sugar to taste and vanilla if desired.
Blend in Mixer or blender...or use electric or hand beater until smooth. Serve immediately.
The Verdict:
The first thing I did was make the oatmeal. I was annoyed by the extra step and too lazy to bother looking up how to properly make oatmeal, so I threw a handful in a bowl, added what looked like enough milk, and zapped it in the microwave for one minute. It came out cooked, so that was a pleasant surprise. I added the cooked oatmeal, milk, and some frozen strawberries to my blender, along with a bit of vanilla and about two teaspoons of sugar. I whizzed that until it looked smooth.
Taste-wise, this was actually not bad. I could definitely taste the oatmeal, but I didn't mind. However, texture-wise this really bothered me. The oatmeal didn't completely blend in, so it was basically strawberry milk with chunks. Not so yummy. That said, Little Y loved it and happily drank the entire glass. I think that if the oatmeal had been completely blended I would drink this again by choice, so I give this recipe four stars on that condition.
Taste-wise, this was actually not bad. I could definitely taste the oatmeal, but I didn't mind. However, texture-wise this really bothered me. The oatmeal didn't completely blend in, so it was basically strawberry milk with chunks. Not so yummy. That said, Little Y loved it and happily drank the entire glass. I think that if the oatmeal had been completely blended I would drink this again by choice, so I give this recipe four stars on that condition.
We make smoothies like these. I soak the oats in milk overnight (equal volumes, usually 1/2C of each) and then put that in the blender with milk, fruit and yoghurt. The overnight soaking makes the oatmeal nice and soft. It blends up well. You can soak it in the blender too, so no extra cleaning up involved...mmmm, now I want one!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's smart! I love ways to make less dishes haha!
DeleteI don't like cooking oatmeal in the summer but don't mind thinking about breakfast the night before. I just blend uncooked oats into my smoothie mixture and leave it in the fridge overnight. You may need to add some extra liquid since there's none in the oats, but you can avoid the extra step and extra heat. Plus, it's ready to go first thing in the morning when you're probably in a hurry anyway.
ReplyDeleteFor each serving of Breakfast-in-a-Glass put 1 cup milk and 1/3 cup ... 2glassblender.blogspot.com
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