Frugal Abundance

Golden Oats Primer, Part 2

This is part 2 of a 2-part series. See Part 1 here.

I almost never do this, but for these recipes, I’m going to. I’m copying the recipes from my Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook directly as written, and sharing them here. I do not intend to plagiarise, I simply intend to share these great recipes with my readers. Since the book is out of print and surprisingly expensive to buy used, I figured I would just share the Golden Oats recipes here, so that people everywhere can have access to these amazing recipes.

Golden Oats

(from the Quaker Oats Wholegrain Cookbook ©1979)

Golden Oats are big, fluffy wholegrain oats to use just like rice.

Wholegrain oats for dinner? They’re delicious! Every grain is firm and separate and naturally full of flavor. They’re as fluffy as rice and higher in protein, too. We call them Golden Oats because of their rich delicate golden color.

You can serve Golden Oats as a side dish seasoned with herbs or combined with your favorite chopped vegetables. Fruit and juice varieties can be served at breakfast or brunch or with dinner entreés such as pork chops, chicken or fish. Or serve them plain under stews, in casseroles, or wherever you’d ordinarily use rice, pasta or potatoes.

Golden Oats are simple to make. Combine oats with a beaten egg, thoroughly coating the oats. Sauté this mixture until the oat flakes become dry and separated as the egg forms a protective seal around each flake. Then the liquid is added and the mixture is cooked and stirred until the moisture evaporates. The oats fluff up and separate becoming full, round and delicately golden brown. And, don’t worry. You will not end up with scrambled eggs and oats.

Basic Golden Oats

This basic recipe is an easy introduction to a new and exciting way to serve wholegrain oats in place of rice, pasta or potatoes. Experiment with it, for example, substitute orange juice for water. Basic Golden Oats take on different flavors and can be served for breakfast, brunch or even dessert.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups Quaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 3/4 cup water or broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine oats and egg in medium-sized bowl; mix until oats are thoroughly coated. Add oats mixture to butter in a 10-inch skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5-minutes or until oats are dry, separated and lightly browned. Add water and salt; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Serve in place of rice or pasta.

Makes 4 servings.

VARIATION: Substitute orange juice for water.

Cinnamon Apple Golden Oats

This sweet and fruity version of Golden Oats is a great addition to a Sunday morning brunch. It is versatile enough to go with baked ham, pork chops or fried chicken. Topped with yogurt, whipped or sweet cream, it makes a distinctive dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coarsely chopped apple
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1-1/2 cups Quick Quaker Oats, uncooked
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Sauté apples in butter in 10 to 12-inch skillet. Combine oats and egg in medium-sized bowl; mix until oats are thoroughly coated. Add oats mixture to apples. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until oats are dry, separated and lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Serve at breakfast, brunch or with baked ham, pork or chicken.

Makes about 2-cups.

VARIATION: Substitute Old Fashioned Quaker Oats for Quick Oats, increasing water to 3/4-cup and decreasing brown sugar to 2-tablespoons.

Golden Oats Medley

This basic medley is just the beginning of many variations for Golden Oats. By changing the liquid, spice or vegetable, you can create your own. Experiment and discover the great versatility of Golden Oats.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper or 1/4 cup green onion slices
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1-1/2 cups Quaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup chicken or beef broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions

Sauté green pepper in butter in a 10 to 12-inch skillet. Combine oats and egg in medium-sized bowl; mix until oats are thoroughly coated. Add oats mixture to green pepper mixture; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until oats are dry, separated and lightly browned. Add broth and salt; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Serve in place of rice or pasta.

Makes 4 servings.

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

For Golden Oats Provençal,  add 1-medium sized tomato, chopped.

For Golden Oats Lorraine,  add 2-crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled.

For Golden Oats Oriental,   substitute 2/3-cup water and 2-tablespoons soy sauce for broth; add one 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained, sliced, if desired.

For Golden Oats Pilaf,  substitute 3/4-cup mushroom slices and 2-tablespoons chopped green onion or chives for green pepper.

For Golden Oats Florentine,  substitute 1-cup chopped fresh (or frozen) spinach or broccoli for green pepper.

For Golden Oats Roma,  substitute 1-cup thinly sliced zucchini and 1-clove garlic, minced for green pepper.

*For Maggie’s Favorite, substitute 1/2-cup chopped onion for green pepper; use chicken broth for the liquid and omit the salt. (This option is not included in the original booklet.)

Golden Oats with Herbs

This recipe makes a flavorful side dish, either seasoned just with herbs or combined with vegetables. Serve wherever you would ordinarily use rice, pasta or potatoes.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups Quaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 3/4 cup chicken or beef broth
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions

Combine oats and egg in medium-sized bowl; mix until oats are thoroughly coated. Add oats mixture to butter in a 10 to 12-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until oats are dry, separated and lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Serve in place of rice or pasta.

Makes 4 serving.

VARIATIONS: Sauté 1/2 to 1-cup mushroom, zucchini or green onion slices or chopped green pepper, spinach, broccoli or tomatoes in butter in 10 to 12-inch skillet. Add oats and egg mixture.

Notes From Maggie:

All of these recipes call for 3-tablespoons of butter or margarine. You can actually use any type of fat–vegetable oil, bacon grease, coconut oil, shortening–the choice is yours. You need at least 1-tablespoon of fat, or you can use up to 3-tablespoons, but if you are watching your calories, then 1-tablespoon of fat is enough to prepare the recipes.

They also call for 1-egg. If you prefer to use liquid egg whites that’s fine. Simply replace each egg with 3-tablespoons of liquid egg whites.

The original recipes call for 3/4-cup broth. I use 1-teaspoon broth powder or 1-bouillon cube plus 3/4-cup water. Then I omit the extra 1/4-teaspoon of salt the recipes call for. The bouillon makes the oats plenty salty enough.

I’ve prepared Golden Oats with both quick oats and old-fashioned oats. Old-fashioned oats taste better. They have better flavor and texture. You can use quick oats if that’s all you have. They will taste good. If you have a choice though, the thicker texture of the old-fashioned oats produces, in my humble opinion, a superior product.

Other variations you might want to try include adding curry powder, hot pepper flakes and raisins, or sauteing a handful of chopped nuts in the margarine before adding the oats, using wine as part of the broth, adding chili powder or cumin or salsa for a southwestern version, or using apple juice for the liquid and adding raisins for a sweet breakfast-type option. Orange juice and chopped prunes would be tasty too. Prunes are amazing cooked in orange juice. You’ve probably got some other ideas of your own too.

Also see the Quaker Oats website recipes:

Three Pepper Oat Pilaf

Golden Oats Pilaf (This recipe forgets to include 1 egg or 3-tablespoons egg white, and 1-cup of broth in the ingredient list. Simply add an egg and 1-cup of broth to the list of ingredients and proceed as directed in the recipe).

If you give Golden Oats a try, please share your experience (good or bad) with other readers in the comment box. This method of cooking oats in underappreciated. It can use all the publicity it can get.