Blueberry Oatmeal, Gluten-Free

As someone who can’t have gluten, oatmeal was a thing of the past. There are many opinions on why it’s unsafe for those of the anti-gluten persuasion to consume oats, from theories that they are inherently glutenated to concerns of cross-contamination due to being processed by facilities that also mill and transport wheat products. The “inherent gluten in oats” theory has for the most part been debunked*, and recently, companies have been producing gluten-free oatmeal. You can find rolled, fast cooking, or steel cut, all safe to eat. This makes me very, very happy.

Gluten-free oats are still difficult to find in grocery stores, but you can easily find them online:

Bob’s Red Mill
Gluten Free Oats
Cream Hill Estates
This is the cheapest I’ve ever seen them!
Gluten free oat Matzohs?

My personal favorite is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free steel cut oats. They’re the thick, wonderfully textured oatmeal that I’ve loved since I was a kid.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask the manager of your local grocery to carry them. Print out the page from the Bob’s Red Mill website and take it with you. Often, you’ll be surprised at how responsive management can be at carrying stuff their customers really need.

Gluten-free Blueberry Oatmeal

I made my way down to the farmer’s market this morning and picked up some organic blueberries that I thought would be amazing in oatmeal. I was right.

1 cup water
3/4 cup fresh almond, soy, or rice milk (or whatever you enjoy – I hear hemp milk is good)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup gluten free oats
2 tablespoons agave nectar
handful of fresh blueberries

Add liquids and salt to a pot, bringing to a small boil. Add oats and cook for fifteen minutes, until as tender as you like them, adding more water or milk if necessary. When the mixture is a texture you prefer, remove from heat, add in agave and berries, and stir for a minute to incorporate juices and sugars.

Enjoy, because this is pretty damn close to breakfast heaven, if you ask me.

* Note: there is still speculation that gluten-free oats contain a very minuscule amount of gluten. An R5 ELISA test looks for gluten at the molecular level, and there is generally a level deemed “medically insignificant.” We all know that the medical profession isn’t exactly 100% on par with their estimations of cause and effect, so if you are exceptionally sensitive to gluten, please be wary and experiment with care.