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+3/4 cups quick oats
1/4 cup stevia
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
50ml coconut oil (warm)
1/3 cup walnuts
Coconut oil spray

Crunchy:
100ml coconut milk

Soft:
170g grated apple (coarse, no skin)

* Silicon square baking form about 20cm

Cooking:

1. Turn the oven on to 175C
2. Using an electric food processor make a coarse oatmeal from your oats (should take 5-10 seconds). Add the walnuts and process a bit more. Transfer the mix into a 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: Add coconut milk. For the soft version: Add apple to the muesli.
5. Again using your hands make a consistently thick mixture.
6. Spray a silicon form with coconut oil and press the dough at the bottom. To make an even layer repeatedly dip a tablespoon in a water and glide on the surface until it is even.
7. Bake the muesli cake at 175C 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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