Leah from SkillIt is back to share a yummy Autumn breakfast with us.
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Autumn Breakfast ~ Overnight Spiced Fruit Porridge
Autumn might be my favorite season of the year. There is something so wonderful about the crisp air, the changing leaves, and soaking up as much sun as possible as the days grow shorter and shorter.
We seem to spend most of September and October outside on the weekends, having fun and working on our yard. I love fall planting because I always get the best deals on end of season perennials at our local nursery. And just this past weekend, we packed in every typical New England experience you could imagine…taking long drives into the country for apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin patches and corn mazes.
I believe that all of these activities and weekend projects require a nice, hearty breakfast. I love starting the day with a hot meal but sometimes I have neither the time nor the energy to make that happen. Always on a quest to find out how I can put my slow cooker to work for me, I hunted around for some breakfast recipes. I thought all I would find were cheesy, greasy casseroles.
Fortunately, I was quite wrong about what you can make for breakfast in a crock pot! Oatmeal, grains and porridges can all be slowly cooked overnight so they’re hot, ready and waiting in the morning.
Steel-cut oats happen to be one of my favorite foods anyway because they’re so good for you. These oats are minimally processed and are high in fiber. After a bowl of piping hot oatmeal topped with roasted coconut, a drizzle of maple syrup and a handful of chopped pecans, I feel like I can tackle all my weekend activities with a smile on my face.
In addition to the recipe I’m sharing here for my favorite variation on steel-cut oats, I have more great breakfast ideas in my upcoming class, Deliciously Slow, starting on November 2nd.
If you have never made steel-cut oats in your slow cooker before, I highly recommend it! They hold up so well to the long, low cooking time and taste creamy and delicious when they’re done. I hope you’ll try this and leave a comment with your favorite oatmeal toppings. I’m sure you’ve tried something we’ve never thought of before!
Overnight Spiced Fruit Steel-Cut Oats
Ingredients
2 cups steel-cut oats
8 cups water
½ cup each dried dates, apricots, cranberries, and raisins
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch or two of brown sugar (optional)
zest of one orange
Directions
Combine all ingredients, except for the orange zest, into a slow cooker of at least 4 quarts. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours overnight.
Before serving, add the fresh orange zest and stir porridge well. Serve with your favorite toppings for oatmeal such as chopped nuts, jam, maple syrup, fresh fruit, milk, and butter. This recipe makes a lot of oatmeal, enough for about 8 servings.
Keep leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. Reheat with a splash of water or milk to make the porridge creamy again.
About Leah Kent
Leah Kent lives a (mostly) handmade, home-cooked life in Rhode Island. A mama, artist, and certified holistic life coach, she started Skill It to bring Home Ec back to life with a modern twist and lots of soul. She is most often found cooking, sewing, or writing and relishes every opportunity to bring people together with food.
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Thanks Leah… can’t wait to try this cozy breakfast recipe.
If you are looking for more yummy food ideas, please visit my Favorite Recipes page.
Blessings and magic,
Donni
