Tuesday's Real Food Recipe- Baked Oatmeal (sans phytates)

The house is currently a chilly 64 degrees.  Outside my window it's a drizzly snow/rain mix.  I'm cozy in my brand new purple knit sweater (thanks, Mommer and Dad!), but all I can think about is hot tea and hot coffee to warm up my hands so I can actually type correctly!  Thinking about what Real Food Recipe to share today, I can't think of anything more apporpriate than a delicious, warms- the- heart comfort food recipe.  BAKED OATMEAL.  This family favorite is sure to be requested more than any other special breakfast food, and now...it's yours!  But wait, there's more!  This recipe has the added benefit of being "soaked!"  I truly hope you love it as much as my family. 

you're probably thinking, "wait...did you just say, soaked?"  Yes, I did.  this recipe is started on day 1, soaked overnight, and baked the morning of day 2.  You can make it all in the morning and bake right away without changing the recipe.  HOWEVER, the benefit of starting this recipe 12-24 hours in advance is that you have the added health benefit of soaking the oatmeal, which nuetralizes an anti-nutrient called "phytic acid." 

In short, phytic acid (known as inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) binds to important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc and draws them out of your body.   A common and simple way to counteract this is by using fermentation.  If you would like to remove as many phytates from your grains as possible, a general rule of thumb to follow is to add a little yogurt (with live cultures) or apple cider vinegar to the liquid in the bread/grain recipes you are using.  Just mix the liquid in your recipe with 2 tbsp. of APC, yogurt or whey (example: if the recipe calls for 2 cups of water, add 2 tbsp. yogurt, and then fill the remaining two cups with water.)  Mix this with just the flour in your recipe, and let it sit overnight.  Add the remainging ingredients the next day and bake as usual.  It's so simple! 

On to the recipe!

Soaked Baked Oatmeal with apples

Day 1:
combine in a glass bowl- 1/2 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup sugar (preferable Sucanat), 3 cup rolled (old fashioned) oats, 3/4 cup plain yogurt (preferably homemade), 3/4 cup water and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Let sit 12-24 hours.

Day 2: preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Greese 11 x 17 baking dish.  Add to mixture: 2 beaten eggs, 1 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1-2 apples, chopped.  (you can also use raisins, etc.)  pour mixture in baking dish and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.   We love ours best served with plain yogurt.  Just the right mix of sweetness!

sources, and for further reading:
Food-Info.net - What Is Phytic Acid
Cambridge Journals: Phytic Acid
Wikipedia- phytic acid