Hi there!
My name is Kelsey Goodin you might recognize me as @fortheloveof_pb on Instagram, or from my guest post back in September. I’m back today to bring you a warm, spicy bowl of oats that stars a special ingredient: parsnips!
I had parsnips for the first in college when one my favorite humans (hi Shannon) used to make parsnip fries in the oven. If you hadn’t had parsnips before, they’re like a mix between carrots and potatoes, kind of, but sweeter, and better, in my opinion. I had a six month love affair with parsnips when Shannon introduced them to me, but then forgot about them until this Christmas when I made this parsnip and cauliflower mash. Since then, they’ve been on my mind.
Because parsnips have such a similar texture to carrots, I thought you might be able to make a carrot cake look-alike with parsnips, and I was right! Except I think I might like the parsnip version better. They give a sweeter, milder flavor compared to carrots. And what’s even more exciting is that I didn’t think this oatmeal needed any added sweeteners. Carrot cake oats, for me, always needs dates, banana, or something to cut that carrot flavor, but here I thought the parsnips were much more mellow.
I know this recipe looks kind of fancy, but its really not! The main difference is that I’ve taken to soaking steel cut oats overnight. It really cuts down on the cooking time and keeps them from being so, well, crunchy. Don’t worry, if you don’t feel like soaking your oats, you can also make this the morning of, just expect the cooking time to be a bit longer.
What you'll need:
- 1/4 c. steel cut oats
- a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (optional)
- 3/4 c. milk of choice, or water (or 1 c. if you don’t plan on soaking your oats)
- 1/2 c. peeled, grated parsnips
- A small handful of golden raisins
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. cardamom
- 1/8 tsp. ginger
- a small handful of toasted sunflower seeds (I buy raw sunflower seeds and toast them in a dry pan on the stove top until they turn light brown)
- (optional) roughly 1/8 tsp. orange zest
How to make it:
- The night before, put your oats in a bowl with enough water to generously cover them and a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
- In the morning, rinse your oats in a mesh strainer. Then bring your ¾ c. milk or water to a boil.
- Add the oats, reduce to a simmer, and let them cook, covered for about five minutes (if you didn’t soak your oats overnight, let cook for about 10 or 15 minutes, until they’ve thickened some). Then, add in the parsnips and raisins.
- This is the point where I toast my sunflower seeds, if I’m feeling fancy. Just heat them in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking occasionally until they turn light brown.
- Once your oats have absorbed most of the liquid, go ahead and add in all of your spices, vanilla, and orange zest. I usually just zest the orange over the pan with a microplane and aim to take off a 1 inch by 2 inch patch of the orange. If you don’t have an orange, feel free to skip that part.
- When you’re happy with the consistency of your oatmeal, remove from heat and serve. Top with your sunflower seeds (and maybe some sunflower seed butter 😉 ) or any other toppings you like!
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