Top o’ The Mornin’ To You! Make Breakfast Glorious with Overnight Oats
Have you heard of morning glory? No, not the flower, nor the Asian green also known as water spinach (which is delicious sautéed with garlic, by the way.) And definitely not the studio album and song by the band Oasis.
The morning glory to which I am referring is a spicy, chewy, nutty, fruity, muffin served at breakfast, ideally with some softened butter and a hot cup of coffee or tea, or for a pick-me-up snack. But there is a way to have all the flavor of the muffin in bowl, and the hearty and scoopable at-another-level oatmeal will be waiting for you in the morning if you take a little time to make it the night before.
First thing is to get yourself a large cannister of rolled oats, or head to the bulk isle in your grocery store and load up a bag of it. Oats are versatile and can be used in a variety of pancake recipes in the place of flour, a key ingredient in cookies, and filler to help bulk up meatloaf. The other items to be sure to have on hand are resealable containers (I hoard yogurt and luncheon meat containers for re-use.) A great way to serve this morning glory overnight oats recipe from The Kitchn is in Mason jars, which, if you are into canning, you’ll already have. Or, if you are like me (the container hoarder) you’ll have jars from pasta sauce lying around waiting to be reborn.
Once you have your ingredients assembled, all you need to do is throw them in a large bowl, pour in some milk (dairy or non-dairy, whatever you prefer), mix, put into containers, seal, refrigerate, then sleep on it while the cold of the fridge waves its magic wand and renders the oats and company into spoonable morning glory.
You will serve this cold, but if you’d like it warm then you can pour in a little heated milk. And expect to get four to six servings depending upon how much you put into each container. If you are feeding just yourself, you have breakfast set for the entire week.
INGREDIENTS
For the oats:
- 3 cups dairy or non-dairy milk
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 red apple, cored and diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
For serving (optional):
- 1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts, or chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
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Place all the oat ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Cover the bowl or divide the oat mixture among Mason jars or any resealable containers. Refrigerate overnight.
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When ready to serve, stir the oats again. Top with the nuts and/or coconut flakes if using before serving.
NOTES
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Feel free to experiment with toppings – sliced banana and blueberries, chopped dried apricots, figs, cherries, or chia seeds, bee pollen granules, turmeric, even a drizzle of olive oil.
