Lately, I've been eating a lot of oatmeal. Especially when I'm on the go, I'll stop by Starbuck's and grab their blueberry oatmeal which is delicious and always hits the spot. I figured it was time to look into coming up with something that I can take on the go. In comes overnight oats, and not just one serving but five for the week. I love the idea of having a couple jars in the refrigerator to grab on the go or simply take out and eat whenever I'm home and in the mood. After a little searching, I can across this recipe from The Kitchn for overnight steel cut oats in jars. Since I had both steel cut oats and buckwheat groats in the pantry, I decided to use the combination. Feel free to use one or the other if you prefer or only have one available (see notes). I've done a Raw Bircher Muesli using buckwheat groats and oats which I love, but cooking the groats and oats and letting them sit overnight leaves them a bit softer, chewier and creamier than my raw version. I really enjoyed this version and would like to try some other variations with grains in the future.
Buckwheat groats and steel cut oats are both top notch grains and make for a perfect porridge. Full of protein and fiber, this will leave you feeling satisfied and ready to go for a few hours or more. Add in some of the optional toppings making sure that at least one of them is fresh and you have yourself one heart healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner for that matter!
You may like to try sliced bananas, chopped almonds, hemp hearts, coconut flakes along with a splash of almond milk and pure maple syrup. Here I added sliced bananas half way through and topped with cinnamon before adding more porridge and topping it off. Nice to have some goodies in the center after you've run out...it's like an overnight oatmeal parfait!
Or maybe some blueberries, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, almond milk and pure maple syrup.
Lastly, how about diced apples, coconut flakes, hemp hearts, coconut sugar with almond milk poured over top with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon.
You get the idea...use whatever you have on hand or suits your taste.
Simple, versatile and ready to go!
Overnight Buckwheat & Steel Cut Oats Breakfast Jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw buckwheat groats (not toasted aka kasha)
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground vanilla or vanilla extract
- pinch of himilayan salt
Optional ideas for topping:
- chopped dates, raisins, apricots or other dried fruit
- unsweetened coconut flakes
- fresh berries of all kind
- coconut, almond, hazelnut or any non-dairy milk
- pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or other sweetener of choice
- nuts and seeds of all kinds
- cocoa nibs
- 100% fruit jam
- nut butter
In dutch oven or large pot, bring water and remaining ingredients to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, give a good stir, add more water as needed, replace lid and let sit overnight. Or you can carefully fill your mason jars (or other containers), cover and let sit overnight. Porridge will be fine on the counter, but if you wish you can place it in the refrigerator and it will still be fine.The next day fill your jars with a mix of toppings for grab & go time or simply top each jar when ready to eat.
I prefer to eat my porridge at room temp but you can heat yours either in the microwave for a minute or two, or use a heated pot of water setting the mason jar in the center until warmed.
This will fill 5, maybe 6, pint sized mason jars. Wide mouth jars are preferred, much easier to spoon out of for eating.
Serves 5 - 6. Will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes:
Feel free to use 2 cups buckwheat or steel cut oats instead of combining the two. If using only buckwheat reduce the water amount to 4 cups.
I like my porridge on the thicker side, adjust water adding more for a thinner consistency. I prefer to add the non-dairy milk at serving to thin it out a bit.
Adjust the amount of cinnamon and cardamom to suit your taste. I'm in love with cardamom at the moment and find myself using a bit more than suggested here.
Bob's Red Mill carries both raw buckwheat groats and steel cut oats. I ordered buckwheat groats from Arrowhead Mills thinking they were raw but they were toasted, it wasn't stated on the front of the package so just be wary. Let these at least be an example of what to look for as they both have different variations.
Enjoy!
