Oats are one of my favorite grains, and I use it in many diverse ways in my recipes. Traditionally grown in cold, damp climates, it was the staple grain for the Celts. Oats contain a healthy fat content that makes it ideal to help impart stamina and warmth in your body. It is one of the signature whole grains of spring. This whole grain can help stabilize blood sugar levels, regulate the thyroid, soothe the digestive system, and help reduce high cholesterol.
Rolled oats make great cookies, can be used to thicken soups and sauces, and make a great topping for fruit crisps. Oat flour is the best gluten-free flour for baking cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.
Brown rice syrup is made from brown rice, which is a whole grain. a complex carbohydrate, a staple in all of our ancestors’ diets. Brown rice syrup is produced when naturally occurring enzymes convert the starch in the grain into sugar. The process retains the vitamin and mineral content of the brown rice. And, being made from a complex carbohydrate, the sugar produced is maltose.
Maltose is the least reactive sugar there is; it releases slowly into your bloodstream. Unlike white sugar or sucrose, which is released very quickly into the bloodstream and wreaks havoc with all the organs in your body. Brown rice syrup and the maltose it contains will not spike your blood sugar.
Oat Raspberry Bars
2 cups raspberry fruit preserves (Or your favorite fruit preserves)
Wet:
¾ cup olive oil
1 cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup water
1 ½ tsp. vanilla
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. sea salt
Dry:
3 cups rolled oats
2 ½ cups oat flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
- Put the wet ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the wet to the dry, then mix everything together. You should get a firm dough that sticks together.
- Take ⅔ of the dough, and using your hands, press it into an oiled 13 x 9-inch casserole pan.
- Spread the Raspberry Preserves over the dough.
- Take the remaining dough and crumble it over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let it cool before cutting and eating.
Chef Valerie Wilson
