Gluten Free - Wednesday, October 14, 2009 20:04 - 0 Comments

A Gluten Free & Vegan Breakfast: Oatmeal!

My favorite gluten free and vegan breakfast is oatmeal. Not the instant crap. I’m talking about the good stuff – delicious rolled oats with a mix of fresh fruit – and a secret ingredient you never would have guessed. But first…

Oats Aren’t Gluten Free!

Wrong. According to new research (here and here), oats are gluten free! However, you need to find oats that are free of cross contamination. Typically, oats are processed in plants that also produce wheat & gluten foods. This is where the cross contamination happens.

For example, Quaker Oats are “handled and transported in bulk with gluten-containing grains such as wheat, rye and barley” which may lead to contamination.

You can buy gluten free oats anywhere – you just have to look around. Here in Minneapolis, you can find 100% safe oats at Mad Woman Foods and Whole Foods. If you’d rather buy online, The Gluten Free Mall has Oats too.

Now, to the good stuff…

The Best Gluten Free & Vegan Oatmeal Recipe (and a Secret Ingredient)

Ingredients:

• Gluten free oats
• Fresh fruit
• Soy milk
• Apple juice * the secret ingredient!
• Brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add 2 cups of oats to a bowl
2. Add your fresh fruit
3. Add apple juice until oats are soaked
4. Microwave for 2-3 minutes
5. Add a splash of soy milk
6. Stir
7. Optional – lightly dust the top with brown sugar
8. Eat!

My favorite fruit combination is diced apples, raisins and cranberries. It’s spectacular. The apple juice makes the whole breakfast just sweet enough. If you find the apple juice is too sweet, use a little less and add more soy milk.

Besides the taste and the nutritional value of this breakfast, I love it because it’s fast. I can chop an apple in 30 seconds, 2 minutes in the microwave and you’re done.

The perfect breakfast – for Celiacs and Vegans!

P.S. I shot the main photo – That really is my oatmeal.