Oatmeal Pikelets

A very nutritious cereal

Rolling with the Oats

I boiled up some brown rice and cooked it properly, probably for the first time ever in my life.

And you know what? It was truly delicious. I turned it into a desert with stewed apple, rhubarb, a wee bit of yoghurt and an oh so delicious splash of real Canadian maple syrup. The rice had a most pleasing bite, a hint of firmness going in with a chewy nut flavoured centre. We decided that it was truly worthy of being classified as a dessert for future reference, and I decided, it would eliminate the urge to cook a sticky white, sugary, milk pudding, as much as I love that option. Hm, maybe once a year.

Anyway, I got to thinking about how similar this newfound rice pudding is to our morning porridge. And then I got to thinking about the difference in nutritional value between brown rice and rolled oats. Well, what a surprise! It turns out that rolled oats take the cake. Which is not to say that brown rice is not nutritious, just that oats are better all round.

Higher Fibre- It Lowers Cholesterol and Blood sugars

For a start rolled oats have a higher fibre content and most importantly, it is a soluble fibre, known as beta-glucan which aids with reducing cholesterol and blood sugar. This makes oats a wise choice for those needing to regulate weight, blood pressure and diabetes.

This miracle substance in rolled oats, apparently cleans the blood!

I say apparently because I was a little skeptical that something could purposely clean the blood, so I delved in a bit deeper. Here's how I imagine this cleaning process to look.

The main function of bile, which is produced by the liver, is to pick up fat and break it into digestible molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. The secondary function of bile is to transport waste products like bilirubin (waste from red blood cells) and cholesterol from the bloodstream.

So as the bile is floating about in the intestine looking for fat it gets carried off with the jellified beta-glucan and expelled from the body. Bile levels depleted in the intestine, the liver has to make more. Therefore, the more bile that is produced, the cleaner the blood. And getting it out of there before it can pick up any more fat sounds like a good plan.

Blood sugars are high? Once again, good old beta-glucan to the rescue. The viscous gel it forms restricts enzyme activity and provides a physical barrier which inhibits the absorption of glucose, causing blood sugars to rise more slowly.

Other nutrition

I cook half a cup (40-50g) of wholegrain rolled oats for two of us.

That equates to about 150 calories, made up of 5g protein (incomplete), 3g fat, and 27g of carbohydrate. This includes around 5g fibre.

Rolled oats are also a rich source of minerals like magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and copper and B vitamins like thiamin.

Reaping the benefits

These benefits of course can easily be negated by piling the oats with unhealthy stuff that does the opposite. Use wholegrain oats to maximise the benefits and top only with wholefoods, like fruits, nuts and seeds and not cream and brown sugar. As much as I love that option, I am staying the course. But if I bend a little, I remind myself that it is a treat and not something to eat every day.

Remember though, rolled oats are a high carbohydrate food and portion control should be maintained.

Banana, stewed apple, roasted rhubarb, chia seeds and almond milk. Not a spoonful of sugar in sight and oh so sweet!

Cooking with oats

When it comes to cooking with oats, nothing much springs to mind other than porridge for breakfast. Mighty yummy, and hearty too. Keeps me going for a long time

What would pikelets made from oatmeal flour come out like? And not using milk or eggs?

I read somewhere that chia seeds make a good substitute for eggs as they absorb water and form a jelly similar in texture to egg white. And I had some almond milk in the fridge. But what kind of pancakes do I want? Large flat thin ones, small fat fluffy ones?

I settled on fat fluffy ones

As it happens, the recipe was a success in terms of the fluffiness, the taste test was all good and the chosen topping made it a winner of a dessert! Just as the brown rice had, only with a bigger nutritional bang.

I would like to try some other toppings, most likely savoury.

So go ahead, try the simple recipe and up the health benefits while eating something delicious.