Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats

Now that the mornings are chilly, I've been craving something warm and comforting to keep me warm through my morning commute. On Sundays I always make Bill a large pot of steal cut oatmeal. Steel cut oats stand up well to being stored all week, and usually he pairs reheated oatmeal with fresh berries. For a new twist I decided to bake up our own apple cinnamon toppping. I was able to cook this up in a snap on Sunday afternoon, and the two of us had healthy & filling breakfast for the week!

Ingredients:

• 4 Hubbarstein apples (other good baking varieties include: Cortland, Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh)
  
• juice of 1/2 lemon
  
• 2 tbsp raw turbinado sugar
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 1 cup John McCann's steel cut Irish oatmeal
  

First, make the steel cut oatmeal as according to directions. A double batch (2 cups) will give you enough breakfast servings for a week. For 1 cup of oatmeal, put two cups of water to boil. Add the oatmeal and stir. I recommend keeping the heat on medium/high for a few minutes while stirring the oats occasionally. Lower the heat to a simmer.


Cook for an additional 20-25 minutes, taking care to stir the oatmeal every 5 minutes or so to prevent any from sticking to the bottom of the pot. For the last few minutes (usually it takes 30 to cook completely), stay by the stove side as the thicker oats will stick & burn more easily. Remove from heat and let cool to store in a large Tupperware container.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the apples.


Chop into dice-sized pieces. Toss with lemon juice, turbinado, cinnamon and vanilla. Add contents to a bread pan or other small baking pan greased with cooking spray.


Bake for fifteen minutes. Stir up the apple mixture. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, stirring the contents every ten minutes. Remove and let cool completely before storing.


To reheat simply add a serving of oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 45 seconds. Add a couple of tablespoons of the apple mixture and heat for another 45 seconds – 1 minute until hot. Delish.

Brands I Like

I use John McCann’s steel cut oatmeal because it’s got a great texture. Opt for the one that takes some time to cook – not the instant 3 minute variety. The original oats will hold up better when you’re storing it in the fridge. If you want to make the 3 minute variety fresh each morning, awesome, but pre-packing your breakfast in a to-go container is as easy as grab & go.

Turbinado sugar is also known as cane sugar or raw sugar. Turbinado sugar is a healthier alternative to white, refined sugar. It is lower in calories since it tends to hold more moisture. Turbinado sugar isn't processed as much as white sugar, so it is naturally healthier for your body. This is an easy substitution to make for any baking recipe for healthier results!

Roasted Pork Loin on a Bed of Apples, Leeks & Potatoes

I have a dozen cookbooks & a pile of magazines I often flip through to inspire my weekly dinner menu. Often I'll stumble across something delicious, but before heading out to the grocery store I'll forget to jot down the ingredients. At the market I'll pick up everything I could remember, but ultimately, I usually mix up/ forget/ or invent veggies and herbs a recipe calls for. That's how this Sunday dinner came together.

My boyfriend, Bill, has a set of quintessentially New England parents. This past Saturday they brought over a dozen plus freshly picked apples. Since we already had a homemade cake we were working through, I decided to use the apples in a savory dish.

Ingredients:
+ 3 med/large leeks, white parts and barely green bits coarsely chopped
+ 4 - 5 small or medium apples, cored & thickly sliced
+ 6 red potatoes, thickly sliced
+ 3 lb pork loin, fat trimmed
+ 5 tbsp butter
+ 2 tbsp olive oil
+ salt & pepper
+ thyme (fresh chopped = 1/8 cup; dried = 1 tsp)
+ few springs of fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.



Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a large skillet & saute the leeks at medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add the apples and saute for another 7 minutes.



Meanwhile steam the potatoes (or if you don't have a steamer, just boil but keep a close eye) until they are 2/3 of the way cooked. About 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and toss the remaining 2 tbsp of butter & thyme.

In an oiled baking dish large enough to fit the pork lion. Layer the potatoes, then top with a layer of the apple mixture. If extra of either, line the outside of the dish with the remaining veg and a few sprigs of rosemary. Set aside.



Wipe the skillet clean and heat the olive oil. Season pork with salt & pepper to taste. Brown the pork lion on each side until golden (remember to take the loin out of the fridge to bring closer to room temperature to ensure even cooking).



Once browned, remove pork and place on top of veg mixture. Transfer pan to oven and cook for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let pork rest 5 minutes before slicing. Arrange pork slices over a bed of roasted apples, leeks and potatoes.

This recipe takes advantage of seasonal MA fare, and although takes a little time, can easily feed a couple for 3 nights!