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Overnight “Apple Pie” Oatmeal

Assemble the ingredients for this oatmeal in the slow cooker before you go to sleep, and a heart-healthy breakfast reminiscent of apple pie will await you in the morning. Unless you have a large family, you’ll even have enough left over for another breakfast later in the week.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 8; 1 cup per serving

Ingredients

Cooking spray
2 cups uncooked steel-cut oats
1 very large unpeeled apple or pear (9 to 10 ounces, any variety), chopped
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 cups fat-free milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heavily spray a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Put the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker, stirring well. Cook, covered, on low for 6 to 7 hours.

    Step 2

    Stir the cooked oatmeal before serving.

    Step 3

    Don’t leave any remaining oatmeal in the slow cooker; it may stick. Spoon it into an airtight container and refrigerate.

    Step 4

    To reheat an individual serving, spoon 1 cup of the oatmeal into a microwaveable container and microwave, covered, on 100 percent power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, stirring once halfway through and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons fat-free milk as necessary for the desired consistency (the oatmeal will have thickened while it was refrigerated).

  2. Cook’s Tip on Cooking Oatmeal in slow cookers

    Step 5

    Steel-cut oats are the best choice for oatmeal prepared in a slow cooker because they can withstand the longer cooking time without getting mushy.

  3. COOK’S TIP ON APPLE PIE SPICE

    Step 6

    If you don’t have apple pie spice on hand but do have pumpkin pie spice, that also will work well here. If you want to make your own blend, it can be as basic as combining equal amounts of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. For a mixture more similar to apple pie spice, though, try using four parts of ground cinnamon, two parts each of ground nutmeg and ground cloves, and one part each of ground allspice and ground cardamom. Feel free to adjust the amounts to taste.

  4. Nutrition information

    Step 7

    (Per serving)

    Step 8

    Calories: 318

    Step 9

    Total fat: 3.0g

    Step 10

    Saturated: 0.0g

    Step 11

    Trans: 0.0g

    Step 12

    Polyunsaturated: 1.0g

    Step 13

    Monounsaturated: 1.0g

    Step 14

    Cholesterol: 3mg

    Step 15

    Sodium: 70mg

    Step 16

    Carbohydrates: 62g

    Step 17

    Fiber: 9g

    Step 18

    Sugars: 33g

    Step 19

    Protein: 11g

    Step 20

    Calcium: 228mg

    Step 21

    Potassium: 425mg

  5. Dietary Exchanges

    Step 22

    2 starch

    Step 23

    1 fruit

    Step 24

    1 fat-free milk

American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 4th Edition
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