INGREDIENTS (8 SERVINGS)

• 8 cups water
• 2 cups steel-cut oats, (see Ingredient note)
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup dried apricots, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

PREPARATION

1. Combine water, oats, dried cranberries, dried apricots and salt in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat to low. Put the lid on and cook until the oats are tender and the porridge is creamy, 7 to 8 hours.
2. Stovetop Variation
3. Halve the above recipe to accommodate the size of most double boilers: Combine 4 cups water, 1 cup steel-cut oats, 3 tablespoons dried cranberries, 3 tablespoons dried apricots and ⅛ teaspoon salt in the top of a double boiler. Cover and cook over boiling water for about 1½ hours, checking the water level in the bottom of the double boiler from time to time.

• Ingredient Note: Steel-cut oats, sometimes labeled “Irish oatmeal,” look like small pebbles. They are toasted oat groats—the oat kernel that has been removed from the husk—that have been cut in 2 or 3 pieces. Do not substitute regular rolled oats, which have a shorter cooking time, in the slow-cooker oatmeal recipe.
• For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.
• People with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity should use oats that are labeled “gluten-free,” as oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat and barley.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving size: 1 cup

• Per serving: 188 calories; 3 g fat(0 g sat); 9 g fiber; 34 g carbohydrates; 6 g protein; 0 mcg folate;0 mg cholesterol; 6 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; 225 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 30 mg calcium; 2 mg iron; 80 mg sodium; 197 mg potassium
• Carbohydrate Servings: 2½
• Exchanges: 2 starch, ½ fruit