Household Blog

I love oats. It’s one of those pretty amazingly wonderful perfect foods—delicious, comforting,nourishing both inside and out, can be eaten raw or cooked, chewy, crunchy, gooey, you name it. And affordable, that’s a bonus too, only somewhat more expensive if you have to get gluten free oats. And they grow right here in Virginia. If I had to pick a grain to have a crush on, oats would be the one.

Normally in the colder months I opt for hot oatmeal or granola, but more and more in the hot, humid summer months that we get here in Richmond, I try to stay away from cooking much, especially things that steam. We don’t need any more steam down here, no thank you. So cooking passively has been a thing. But shoot, with oats, there doesn’t even need to be cooking at all!

For the summer months, try muesli for your breakfast. With so many enticing fruits in season, who could resist?

Muesli

• 1/2 c. gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 t. plain yogurt
• Water
• Sweetener of choice, to taste (brown sugar, honey, agave syrup, jam, maple syrup, etc.)
• Dried or fresh fruit of choice
• Raw nuts or seeds

The night before, place your oats in a bowl, add the yogurt, raw nuts, and cover with enough water to just cover it all. Mix the yogurt in, then cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight—this ferments the oats, making it even more healthful and easier to digest. The next morning, add in your sweetener to taste and fruit of choice. You can also add in some more yogurt if you like. Mix and enjoy. Easy as… well, actually, much easier than pie.

Stay cool!

The number one question I’m asked by people who are GF-curious is, “I don’t get it—why are some oats gluten-free and others gluten-full??” And after having said, “Gee, I don’t know, I should look into that,” a couple dozen times, it apparently got through my thick skull and I finally looked into it.

And the answer’s a two-parter.

First, (ha! just as I expected!) on its own, oats do not contain gluten, however, during harvest, processing, and packaging, it usually ends up containing gluten, and often a LOT of gluten, through cross-contamination. Think about it: it only makes sense that wheat, oats, barley, corn, etc., would be harvested with the same equipment, from neighboring fields, processed on the same machinery, etc.

And to clarify, the term “gluten,” as we use it here, more specifically refers to gliadin, the troublesome little protein found in wheat that is the bane of those with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance.

Some lovely people have caught on and have started harvesting, processing, and packaging their oats so as to avoid any cross-contamination, and to these lovely souls I am tremendously grateful. I am a big fan of my homemade granola in the morning…

BUT, here’s the kicker: oats do contain a protein called avenin that sometimes can cause Celiac-like symptoms. Many people, such as myself, that have gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease tolerate moderate portions of gluten-free oats just fine, but others do have difficulty with it.

As in most things, there is no cut-and-dry universal answer except this: listen to your body.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting my favorites of the recipes I put together for Agriberry over the warmer months. This was one of my absolute favorites – a taste of sunshine.

Joyful Peach & Blueberry Pie

• 3 c. peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped (about 3 peaches)
• 1 to 1 1/2 c. blueberries
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 T. lime juice
• 3 T. cornstarch
• 1 gluten-free piecrust (thawed if frozen; I use WholeFoods – best I’ve found yet)

Topping:

• 1/2 c. GF flour (I prefer Pamela’s)
• 1/2 c. GF oats (Bob’s Red Mill or other)
• 1/8 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/8 c. sesame seeds
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 t. salt
• 6 T. butter, cut into small pieces

Set oven to 375. In a large, bowl, mix, the peaches, blueberries, sugar, lime juice, and cornstarch. Pour into your pie crust and bake for 30 minutes. While that bakes, use a fork or cutting tool to cut the butter into the remaining ingredients for the topping – you will have loose crumbs. After pie has baked its 30 minutes, remove from oven and lightly spread the crumb topping over the top of the pie, from the center out to the crust. Return the pie to the oven to cook another 30 – 45 minutes, until the juice starts to bubble up around the edges of the crumb topping. You may want to put a cookie sheet a rack below the pie to protect from dripping, and if the topping starts to get too brown, cover it loosely with fool for the last few minutes of baking. Cool 1 to 2 hours before serving – goes great with vanilla ice cream or yogurt!