Have you ever thought about adding an egg to your family’s morning oatmeal? I’m not talking about adding a side of eggs with your oatmeal, I mean really putting an egg IN your oatmeal!
If this sounds a bit odd, I thought it was too – until we tried it! So before you think I’m crazy, trust me … it really is GOOD! Not just because it adds a special creaminess to traditional oatmeal, but most importantly because it provides an extra boost of protein and nutrients from our favorite real food friend – the pastured egg!
And incase you’re worried what your kids (or spouse) might think … Shh! It will be our little secret!
How to Add a Boost of Healthy Protein & Nutrients to Your Favorite Oatmeal:
Step 1: Pick Your Favorite Oatmeal Recipe
My hubby and boys love gluten-free oatmeal, so if you’re looking for a tasty GF oatmeal recipe (or two or three), just pop over to my special recipe section devoted to Wholesome Breakfast Porridges for lots of healthy, delicious options. The photo above simply shows my favorite Cinnamon Maple Crunch Oatmeal topped with a splash of almond milk and some fresh seasonal berries for an extra dose of nutritious antioxidants! Yum!
Step 2: Soak Your Oats!
If you’re new to the concept of soaking, then I encourage you to check out “How to Soak Grains for Optimal Nutrition.” This centuries-old process helps to breakdown the anti-nutrients and hard-to-digest components found in oats, while also helping your body better absorb beneficial nutrients.
Step 3: Preparing Your Oatmeal
After you’ve soaked your oats, rinse and drain them. Then refer to whichever one of my oatmeal recipes you plan to make and place whatever the required amount of liquid is into a saucepan.
Step 4: Add A Pastured Egg
Before you add your soaked oats to the saucepan, it’s important to first thoroughly whisk in an egg into the cold cooking liquid, until well blended. I find that adding one pastured egg per one to two cups of soaked oats gives it a nice creaminess without any noticeable taste difference. Next, add your soaked oats to the saucepan and combine well with the egg-cooking mixture. Then, follow the recipe as directed making sure to use low heat (such as medium-low) to slowly bring the oatmeal to a gentle simmer.
Step 5: ENJOY!
Eggs truly are an “Incredible Edible” source of nutrients – One pastured egg has about 6-7 grams of protein (including all 9 essential amino acids), along with many other nutritional benefits such as naturally-occuring vitamin D, A, E, B2, B6, B9, and important minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium and choline. In addition, recent studies have revealed what real foodies have know for years – moderate consumption of eggs does not negatively affect a person’s lipid profile and may, in fact, improve it.
I do this too! http://plusothergoodstuff.blogspot.com/2011/07/scoop-on-oatmeal.html
I usually add it after cooking, but I’ll have to try your way next time!
Hi, Joanna. Glad to see adding an egg isn’t as much of a secret as I thought – LOL! 🙂 I like to whisk the egg thoroughly into the cooking liquid because it really helps the oatmeal to be creamy without any eggy taste or cooked eggy bits happening. Hope you enjoy this option as well. Of course, if you want the full benefits of raw egg yolk, you can always add just the egg white to the cooking liquid and mix in the egg yolk after the oatmeal is finished cooking and has cooled to touch. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
total secret for me but I’m going to try it next time I have oatmeal!
Enjoy! 🙂
How come I’m seeing chunky eggs in my oatmeal while cooking this?? Looks nasty. I followed the directions!
Hi, ValleyGirl! Not sure? Did you whisk the egg in with your cold cooking liquid and then add the drained and rinsed soaked oats before heating? If you add the egg after the cooking liquid and oats are already cooking, or you don’t thoroughly whisk in the egg to the cold cooking liquid before cooking that can result in scrambled eggs rather than a creamy base. We make this at least once or twice a week without any scrambled eggs, but it is very important to whisk the egg thoroughly in the cold liquid first, then use low heat such as medium-low to bring your oats up to a gentle simmer. Hope this helps! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I just started cooking steel cut oats over night in the crockpot. (Last night was my first attempt). Has anyone tried adding an egg to oatmeal cooked this way? I am not sure if it would turn out or if it would be safe to add an egg to something cooking on low heat for several hours.
Thanks!
Dawn, there are a lot of slow cooker recipes out there that use raw egg in them. So I don’t see this as a safety concern. I would just recommend making sure the egg is well incorporating into the liquids so you avoid egg pieces in your oatmeal. I haven’t tried this, so if you opt to give it go, please let us know how it turns out. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
I have some oats soaking and will try this in the morning. I am wondering why you rinse your soaked oats. I’m pretty sure I read that it isn’t necessary or more helpful, so I am wondering if it helps with the texture. I like our soaked oats, but now and then when I have a bowl that wasn’t soaked I sure do love and miss the texture of the whole, unsoaked oats. I wonder if rinsing keeps them from being so mushy????
Yes, I do rinse them otherwise they do taste pasty. Check out this recipe for basic soaked oatmeal: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/soaked-oatmeal-wgluten-free-option/ 🙂