*This Contest is Closed*
Remain calm.
I know we’ve been MIA for awhile and so this post that not only features 2 RECIPES but also a contest is probably blowing your freaking mind. But it’s going to be OK. Come with us if you want to live… live large that is.
Now most vegans already know Kathy Hester. Even the ones who don’t think they do – do. Kathy is the author of such vegan cookbook classics The Great Vegan Bean Book and The Vegan Slow Cooker. She’s one of those awesome vegans out there making our kitchens healthier in super creative ways. She’s also super nice too. Kathy is just an all around force for good in the universe and she has a new book out that is pretty much going to revolutionize how you look at a pretty humble grain a lot of us take for granted.
Now we love steel-cut oats in our home. They’ve played a pretty big role in our kitchen ever since we started trying to have a baby because oatmeal is a great source of folic acid and iron*. I wish this book had been out then because even in all our oatmeal experiments we never thought of taking oats and turning them into vegan sausage crumbles** but Kathy did. This recipe is just a glimpse into how inventive this book really is. It’s spicy and savory and chewy and actually super easy! Even if you’re not a DIY type – you can make this!
We’re also giving away 1 copy of OATrageous Oatmeals to 1 lucky reader***! Keeping in the spirit of simple pleasures we’re keeping this easy. To enter just leave a comment below telling us how you like your oatmeal and we’ll randomly choose one commenter on this Thursday (9/25/14) to win. Don’t worry if you’re a traditional maple syrup and raisins type or you prefer your oatmeal made into vegan meatloafs. No one is going to judge your comment. You’re in a safe space. BUT Make sure you enter your email correctly because that’s how we’re going to contact you. Seems like a weird thing to say but I gotta say it. Sorry you also have to live in the continental USA to win. Which also is a bummer but these are the times we live in.
But even if you don’t win – you can still enjoy these recipes and pick up a copy of the book for yourself!
Steel-Cut Oat Sausage Crumbles
(from OATrageous Oatmeals page 26)
1 cup water
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
2 teaspoons marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoons fennel seed
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground rosemary
Preheat oven to 350 and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, add water and oats, bringing to a boil before lowering the heat. Cook uncovered or 10 minutes. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Uncover the oats and cook for an additional 5 minutes while stirring to release some of the moisture. Remove from the oats from heat and add the spice mixture, mixing well.
Spoon the oat mixture onto the parchment paper and try to distribute it as evenly as possible. Use a second piece of parchment paper to cover the mixture, flattening it as much as possible.
Bake for 10 minutes, and then remove the pan from the oven. Cut lines into the sausage with a spatula. You aren’t trying to move it; this just make more room for the steam to escape.
Bake for 10 minutes. Then scrape and break the sausage into pieces.
Bake for another 5 minutes until it is easily crumbled. Use as a pizza topping or freeze for another time!
We used it in a version of our stand-by Tuesday Night Dinner recipe.
Simple Vegan Sausage & Peppers Pasta
(This is our recipe – not in the book but I think it shows how awesome these vegan sausage crumbles are)
1 package medium-sized pasta shells, cooked
1 large tomato, chopped
4 medium-sized sweet peppers, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (depends on how garlicky you like it)
1/3 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup Steel-Cut Oat Sausage Crumbles (see recipe above)
In a your largest and deepest skillet, heat your olive oil over a medium heat.
Once your oil is hot, toss in your pasta, tomato, peppers and garlic. With a spatula, carefully toss and mix your ingredients. Then toss in your spinach and basil leaves and toss again.
Once your spinach is lightly wilted, mix in your sausage crumbles and serve.
* Adding more oats to your diet can also be a way to reduce the amount of gluten you’re eating if that’s your thing.
** I could kick myself. This is such a clever idea.
***We’re not even going to make you share.
Pretty simple... Come with us if you want to live. 
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I have oats EVERY weekday morning. Usually I make overnight oats using old fashioned oats with the chocolate PB2, craisins, a touch of cinnamon and salt, chia seeds, and unsweetened almond milk. SO GOOD.
Can’t wait to try this! One of my most favorite ways I have used Oatmeal is to make little oat buns… using old fashioned oats!
Oats with date sugar, apples, butternut squash, cinnamon and raisins
I love my oatmeal all sorts of ways, cookies, as hot cereal, topping on a pie or cobbler, but this sausage thing looks totally awesome and can’t wait to try it!
I like making oat groats (whole oats) like oatmeal. My yoga teacher also is a macrobiotic cook and she had a demo of this for us one time. It takes a boatload of water, constant stirring for an hour+. During the process, you add a lot of raisins (I like a mix of golden and regular) and they get so plump and juicy. What you end up with is a creamy, delectable cooked whole grain -almost like risotto – studded with raisins. Add some cinnamon, vanilla, a little nutmeg and top with pure maple syrup. Yum!!!
This sounds absolutely fabulous. Love, love, love everything vegan!
Almond milk, bananas, peanut butter, chocolate chips, maple. BOOM
My favorite way to eat oatmeal is with almond milk, raisins, brown sugar and a sprinkle of fleur de sel! Yummy 🙂
My favorite way to eat oats is savory. I love this recipe for sausage. I make up a large batch just with water and a bit of sea salt. I’ll heat up some and top it with Bragg’s, toasted sesame oil, cilantro, quick pickle carrots and daikon, fresh tomato, scallions, lemon juice and sriracha. So mummy but without all the sugars.
I’m also going to play around with a steel cut oats pumpkin risotto recipe in my head. I’ll probably take a short cut and use the oats I already made. I’ll use some mushroom broth, pureed pumpkin, garlic, schallots, peppee flakes, herbes de Provence and a dollop of cashew butter for creaminess. I’m not big on pumpkin pie spices but I will use some fresh grated nutmeg. Probably stir in some peas and serve with and apple, walnut and arugula salad.
Muesli from Bob’s Red Mill is my everyday fav. I used to do steel cut oats but I got tired of them boiling over. I could never figure out how to make that stop other than using an oversized pot.
This is going to be the new way I like to eat oats!!! However, currently, my favorite is by getting some cocoa butter hot in a pan, adding the rolled oats and toasting them to a lovely brown, add homemade hemp milk, a pinch of salt, some maple syrup and cook to perfection. Add toppings deciding the mood for the day……..enjoy!
I mix in bananas, blueberries, and mango
I mash a banana, add cinnamon, maple syrup and a splash of almond milk to my oatmeal.
I eat oatmeal every day, even in the Summer! when I don’t have it for breakfast the whole day is ‘off’. Never get tired of it, sometimes I use flavored agave to sweeten… mmmmmmmmmmm!
Always looking for a new way to use oatmeal! I would have never tried a savory oatmeal…but now I will! I use oatmeal as a morning food, adding various tidbits to liven it up! Almond milk, maple syrup, pumpkin seeds, craisins, peanut butter, blueberries and other fruits in season. Can’t wait to make this recipe and share it with friends and family!
I love my oatmeal with a side of cold weather
I never would have thought to turn oats into sausage! I’m simple with my oatmeal – a little pat of EB, some brown sugar, dried cranberries/raisins, and a little vanilla almond milk. But I also just saw some instant pumpkin oatmeal at Trader Joe’s that I have yet to try, but you know, pumpkin!
I have oatmeal every morning. Always with fruit and almond milk mixed in.
Oats — how I love thee — stirred into home made vegan yogurt adorned with fresh berries, a few dried raisins or cranberries and a sprinkle of toasted flax seeds or slivered almonds for some crunch.
Soymilk, peanut or almond butter, chia seeds, and fruit.
In cool weather I love my oatmeal with home dehydrated fruit – peaches or apples are great – or peanut butter and honey if there is going to be a lot of hard work to do. Though I have used oats for other things – notably cookies – this sounds like a great way to break out of my breakfast-only rut 😉
I love my steel cut oats mixed with powdered peanut butter!!
WHOA POWDERED PEANUT BUTTER
Wow – the recipe and some of the comments already expaneded my oatmeal awareness! I have oatmeal on the weekends with cinnamon and whatever fruit is in season. Walnuts if I have them.
I love steel cut oatmeal. I make it in the crock pot with apples and dried cranberries, yum
Omg!! This looks so yummy. Can’t wait to try it!
I eat steel cut oats every morning. Usually with maple agave, apples and cinnamon.
Any way someone is willing to make it for me
unfortunately, i like them the very best in chewy dark brown sugar oatmeal cookies. sigh.
I’m pretty easy when it comes to oatmeal but I sure love it in oatmeal raisin cookies! Thanks for the chance.
Overnight oats!
I love my oats as oatmeal with a little maple syrup on them. I also love them in cookies and vegan meatoaf!!
I add a big spoon of crunchy peanut butter to my oatmeal!
I have oatmeal in the morning almost daily – rolled oats with raisins, flaxseed meal and a splash of cold unsweetened almond milk. I also love oatmeal in baked goods like muffins, cookies, and granola bars.
I like oats as oatmeal or in smoothies.
Steel cut oats cooked overnight in the crockpot- stir in cinnamon, brown sugar, a little vanilla soy milk. Too hot here in South Florida to eat them just yet!
I’m kind of boring – brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh apple slices and toasted pecans.
Oh she glows baked carrot cake oats is our favorite!
I make my favorite oatmeal using vanilla almond milk, cranberries, chopped pecans, unsweetened coconut and a little bee free honee. I then sprinkle ground flax seeds on top and pour a little more vanilla almond milk around the outside. Yum!
I love oats in oatmeal, in fruit crumbles, in lacy leftover-oatmeal pancakes, and in cookies, but I’m gob-smacked by the recipes I’ve seen or heard of from this book. Note to Ron, whose oatmeal boils over – lay a wooden spoon on top of the uncovered pot (spanning from one side to the other & parallel to the burner) and cook as usual. This may warp the spoon, so use one you don’t care about.