Yahoo Lifestyle The Mexican Way to Make Oatmeal 10x Better
When I was a kid, I regularly went to bed super excited to wake up and eat breakfast in the morning. Now, getting up is harder but the thought of a good breakfast does make it a whole lot easier. Lately, I've been having a make-myself-pancakes-even-on-a-weekday moment but my forever breakfast staple is without a doubt a bowl of oatmeal.
While I love and appreciate oatmeal for exactly what it is, I will never pass up oatmeal that is made to taste like another food I love. It's why I will scarf down peanut and jelly oats, banana bread oatmeal and cookie dough overnight oats. Never once did I dream I could have one of my favorite Mexican drinks in breakfast form, but that all changed when I saw an oatmeal from recipe developer Inés Anguiano appear on my social media feed. According to Anguiano's genius recipe, adding chopped almonds and rice milk can take oats from a humble source of morning energy to an exciting breakfast that tastes just like horchata, the beloved Mexican beverage.
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What is Horchata?
A creamy beverage originating from Mexico, Spain and the Latin Americas, horchata is typically made by combining a grain like rice with ground almonds, water and a medley of various spices like cinnamon and vanilla. Horchata is creamy, sweet, spiced and a super refreshing balm to drink when you're eating spicy foods but it really goes well with anything you want to eat.
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Why Make Horchata Overnight Oats
All the flavors of horchata—almonds, rice, cinnamon and vanilla—give overnight oats a whole new groove. In Anguiano's recipe on Bon Appétit, the duo of almonds and rice milk adds nuttiness, gentle sweetness and so much depth to the oatmeal. And because the rice milk is so light in body, it allows for the raw oats to absorb the perfect amount of moisture to become edible without making the grains too mushy. Nuts and cinnamon are common oatmeal toppings, so if you think about it, horchata oatmeal is really only a slight (but much needed) step up from the "traditional" oatmeal we're familiar with.
Related: I'm a Food Editor—Here's How I Make The Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal Every Morning
How to Make Horchata Overnight Oats
In a medium bowl, combine old-fashioned oats with rice milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, kosher salt, chopped almonds and ground cinnamon. Transfer oats to an airtight container, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or overnight. Serve with a sprinkle of puffed rice cereal, more chopped almonds and ground cinnamon.
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What I Thought about Horchata Overnight Oats
Unsurprisingly, I found this oatmeal to be delicious. If I closed my eyes, it tasted like the giant cups of horchata I always get from my go-to Mexican food truck in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The rice milk-soaked oats were pleasantly tender yet chewy, while the puffed rice cereal and chopped almonds provided a great textural contrast. Every spoonful was nutty, sweet, spiced, creamy, exciting and in no way could I find one thing about the oats that I disliked. I wanted to drink the milk! Maybe I'm a little biased because oatmeal is my love language but horchata oatmeal would satisfy anyone, even people who don't dream of breakfast.
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