Does anyone here eat oat groats or millet? Would love to here what people do with them and what you think of them

Hi Gayle,

I Have recently started to eat oats and am trying to incorporate them and more nuts and grains into my diet. There is the ususal porridge which I now do using raspberries and mashed banana to sweeten and add flavour. I am now also using it to make granola which is very nice. My favourite dessert with oats is cranachan which is absolutely delicious and very easy to make. I also use oats in my crumble mixes and and I also add it to breadcrumbs when doing coatings for chicken etc. I read that you can also add them to soups but haven't tried that. Hope there's some food for thought there.

Hi Gayle,

I Have recently started to eat oats and am trying to incorporate them and more nuts and grains into my diet. There is the ususal porridge which I now do using raspberries and mashed banana to sweeten and add flavour. I am now also using it to make granola which is very nice. My favourite dessert with oats is cranachan which is absolutely delicious and very easy to make. I also use oats in my crumble mixes and and I also add it to breadcrumbs when doing coatings for chicken etc. I read that you can also add them to soups but haven't tried that. Hope there's some food for thought there.

I eat millet - it is part of Eastern European diet like many other grains. I cook it to serve as a side dish, just like rice. It is especially good with meaty dishes that have a lot of gravy (gulash, beef stroganoff etc.) It is also added to soups where you would normally add pasta - it is excellent in chicken soup.

I also frequently do a casserole-type bake: saute a lot of vegetables with onions, add millet, pour over stock and bake in the oven. If you add meat to that you get something like pilaf.

From millet leftovers one can make cakes...

Buckwheat is another grain you can cook just like rice, indeed I cook it in my rice cooker. As kron said with millet it is excellent with meaty dishes with gravy. And its apparently good for you - roughage and all that.

Alex, you are right, but it is very hard to find good buckwheat in the UK. What they sell in the health food stores is unripe green stuff which turns to absolute mush when cooked.
Proper buckwheat can be found in Russian stores, but the British are mostly unfamiliar with it. I remember horrified gasps of my work colleagues when I brought some with me for lunch ("what is that awful brown stuff you are eating?)

Alex, you are right, but it is very hard to find good buckwheat in the UK. What they sell in the health food stores is unripe green stuff which turns to absolute mush when cooked.
Proper buckwheat can be found in Russian stores, but the British are mostly unfamiliar with it. I remember horrified gasps of my work colleagues when I brought some with me for lunch ("what is that awful brown stuff you are eating?)

Alex, you are right, but it is very hard to find good buckwheat in the UK. What they sell in the health food stores is unripe green stuff which turns to absolute mush when cooked.
Proper buckwheat can be found in Russian stores, but the British are mostly unfamiliar with it. I remember horrified gasps of my work colleagues when I brought some with me for lunch ("what is that awful brown stuff you are eating?)

Kron, I think it looks like brown rice anyway. Depending on where you live you can either get it in the Polish or Ukrainian deli stores. To think I pay pennies for kilo bags! Some people here make pierogi with buckwheat. It makes a welcome change from potatoes and pasta. In a cold climate such as here in Poland you have to have some stodge.
Alex

I always bring it back from home anyway!
And sorry fot multiple posts - something strange was going on with the site yesterday!

Gayle, Jumbo oats or barley oats, wheat flakes are good in home made muesli. Mix them with a little dessicated coconut, some lightly roasted hazelnuts, and dried fruits of your choice I use, apricots, pears, toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds and serve with apple juice instead of milk, or plain yogurt/creme freche. Much nicer than out of a box.

Gayle,
Ever since seeing Merrilees Parker make granola on GFL the week after New Year, I have had some every morning since, with natural yogurt. I think I'm addicted to it! The recipe is:-
150g jumbo oats
50g bran
1 tbspn sunflower oil
5 tbspns maple syrup
variety of nuts of your choice
Mix together then spread on to a no-stick baking sheet and cook at Gas 4
for 30 mins, stirring halfway.

Try it - it's yummy.

Quite a few of you seem to be mistaken- oat groats aren't like oat flakes. They are an actual grain (a bit like brown rice) that have to be boiled before eating. Thank you for your suggestions though

Hi Gayle

You don't have to cook them - although it does take a while before you can eat them the way I prepare them!

Soak them in water for 3-5 days, changing the water once a day. If you use warm water, you will get away with 3 days soaking. I do about 500g at a time and this lasts me for a week or so of breakfasts.

Drain and mix with a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup or honey (according to taste), cinnamon and dried fruit of your choice. If you keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, they won't dry out. This makes a lovely chewy breakfast that keeps you full for ages.