Barley vs Oats

Barley and oats have a range of healthy cholesterol-lowering properties as was discussed in the Barley Risotto post. There is an important difference between barley and oats, it is that the oats are gluten free. Oats are gaining increasing scientific and public interest for their potential antioxidant-associated health benefits as well as anti-inflammatory compounds.

If you cook porridge in the morning, use the ones that take longer to cook. Also you could buy oat bran (an excellent source of fibre) separately and add some to the breakfast or smoothies. Oats are rich in folate but the folate content is the highest in the whole oat.

If you have an unexpected guest and your guest happened to be a vegan, I have a recipe for you that is quick (will take less than 30 minutes), simple (no experience or skills required) and healthy (no sugar, no gluten, no bad fat). My non-vegan degustators got excited too!

Muesli Bites

Ingredients:

1.75 cup oats
1/4 cup Monk Fruit sugar
1.5 tbsp ground cinnamon
50ml/1.6oz coconut oil (melted)
1/3 cup walnuts

Crunchy:
100ml/3.1oz coconut milk

Soft:
1/2 cup peeled and coarsely grated apple

*Silicon square baking form about 20cm/8in

*Food processor

Cooking:

1. Turn the oven on to 175C/338F.
2. Using an electric food processor make a coarse oatmeal from your oats (should take 5-10 seconds). Add the walnuts and pulse twice. Transfer the mix into a dry bowl and combine with all other dry ingredients.
3. Warm up the coconut oil, it needs to be soft for the best result. Add the coconut oil to the mixture and incorporate it using the tips of your fingers as if you were making a crumble . The mix will only remotely resemble a crumble but the technique is the same.
4. For the crunchy version: incorporate coconut milk, for the soft version – the grated apples.
5. Again, using your hands make a consistent and thick mixture.
6. Press the mix at the bottom of the silicon form. To make an even layer, dip a tablespoon in a water and glide it on the surface until it is even.
7. Bake the muesli cake for 20 minutes. Take it out and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Turn the form over on a chopping board and cut the muesli cake into 16 small square biscuits.

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