Rice Cooker Carrot Cake Oats

Recipe by Danielle Lavallee

This simple recipe is an example of how to set yourself up for success when eating for health. It uses three of my favorite techniques for promoting consistency, for adding nutrient density, and for ensuring that there are always healthy food options within easy reach.

To make eating for optimal health easy and successful, I encourage you to:

1. Batch cook.

2. Sneak in veggies at every opportunity.

3. Invest in a few good tools, and then use them often to save yourself time and effort.

Special Equipment Needed: Rice Cooker

This recipe can also be made on the stovetop, but it will require a little more babying to make sure it doesn’t boil over or go dry. While certainly not essential, I am a big fan of Zojirushi rice cookers. You can simply add in the ingredients and walk away. Zojirushis keep food hot without drying out for up to 12 hours, and clean-up is a breeze because all the components go in the dishwasher. I use mine almost daily for cooking oats, farro, quinoa, millet, wheat berries, mung beans, and rice of all varieties. You don't need a fully stocked kitchen, but investing in a few good kitchen tools equals less time and effort. When cooking nutrient-dense meals is quick and easy, you are more likely to be successful in achieving and maintaining your health goals for years to come.

For more info on Zojirushi and my other favorite tools for a plant-centered kitchen, please see: www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/tools-for-a-plant-centered-kitchen

Ingredients for Rice Cooker Carrot Cake Oats:

• 1 cup quick cook steel cut oats
  (I like the Bob’s Red Mill brand. They have very similar nutrition content as regular steel cut oats with less cooking time.)

• 2-3 carrots, grated

• 1 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more to taste)

• 6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

• Pinch of salt

• 3 cups water

Cooking Instructions:

• Grate the carrots with a box grater

• Pit and chop the dates

• Add all ingredients to the rice cooker

• Push the porridge setting and walk away.
  (If your rice cooker doesn’t have a porridge setting, this is a 65 minute cook.)

Time Needed: Approximately 5-10 minutes of hands-on time, 65 minutes of cook time.

Yield: Three large servings.
(1.5 to 2 cups depending on the size of your dates and how many carrots you use.)

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 334 Protein: 6.5 g Fat: 3.5 g Net Carbs: 69.8 g Fiber: 9.6 g Iron: .6 mg
Calcium: 44 mg Vitamin A: 339.6 IU Vitamin C: 2.4 mg Folate: 14.8 IU
Potassium: 462.9 mg Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

This breakfast has the flavors of carrot cake with huge nutritional benefits:

• It is packed with fiber, giving you almost 10 grams to start your day.
  The USDA's recommendations for fiber are 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men daily. Unfortunately, only 5% of Americans hit these minimum daily recommendations, with the the vast majority of people consuming only 10 to 15 grams of fiber a day. New research suggests that 50 grams of fiber daily is actually optimal for reduction of colon cancer. If you need a refresher on why fiber is so critical for our health, please see:
  www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/have-you-counted-your-fiber-lately
  Or better yet, read Fiber Fueled: www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/fiber-fueled
  

• The carrots provide betacarotene and vitamin A for eye health, and they lower the caloric density of your breakfast. Lowering caloric density allows you to eat larger serving sizes, which increases satiety and helps you to stay full longer. For optimal nutrition and weight maintenance without deprivation, sneak in extra veg wherever possible.
  

• The dates are high in antioxidants, fiber, and copper, and they are great for brain and bone health.
  

• The oats provide prebiotic fibers and resistant starch, which are preferred foods for our beneficial gut microbes. Oats also contain both Beta glucan (a soluble fiber known for its beneficial role in helping to prevent insulin resistance, high cholesterol, and obesity) and Avenanthramides (powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents). For more information on the magical power of oats, please see:
  www.thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/oats-andnbspavenanthramides

This recipe gives you three power-packed breakfasts for ten minutes (or less) of work.

To increase the protein and Omega-3 content,
add chopped walnuts or sprinkle with ground flax seed and hemp hearts.
Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

With a little planning and a few good tools,
eating for health can be easy and delicious.
You’ve got this!
🌱💕