Vegetable Oats upma

Upma is one of my favorite food from my childhood. It is still one of my comfort foods. It always brings back memories of coming back home from school and opening a hot box of upma and devouring it :) Often I have tried to get Anjalie to eat a wider variety of grains including oats. Like many 3 year old she too turns her nose up at it. That is, until she tried vegetable oats upma. Additionally, I am extra happy since she gets to eat more veggies as well. Did I say it is very quick and easy to make as well? It is also very rich in protein and fibre compare to rice and helps us feel full longer. So for someone watching their calorie in-take like me this is a God send! Compared to many wheat-related products, like semolina, oats has lower fat and higher protein. For diabetics oats is lower in glycemic index than rice. However choosing oatmeal instead of rolled oats (used below) is a better option. For more info look below at the references

Refer: http://skipthepie.org/cereal-grains-and-pasta/oats/compared-to/wheat-flour-whole-grain/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/334600-rice-oats-nutrition/

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=32

Need I say more? So without much ado, I go to the wholesome food recipe...

You will need:
Rolled oats - 1 cup
Red Onion - 1/2 chopped
Ginger - grated - 1/2 tsp
Mixed vegetables - 1 can drained
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1 and 1/2  cups
Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tblsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
For adult version (optional):
Green chillies -  2 chopped (only for adults)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds + cumin seeds

Dry roast the oats in medium flame for 2 min or microwave it for 30 Secs at a time. Heat oil in a kadai. (For adult version, splutter mustard and cumin seeds and add green chillies.) Add chopped onions. Saute well. Add ginger. Stir well. Now add the mixed veggies, turmeric and salt . Mix well. Add the water . When the water comes to boil add roasted oats. Allow it cook till all the water is absorbed. Turn off the stove and add lemon juice and coriander leaves. Lightly fluff with a fork and mix well. Serve warm with chutney of your choice. Children may like to eat this with plain yogurt. If using oatmeal, to make the upma, reduce the water amount to 1 cup. You can always add more if you need to by sprinkling over the upma until the oats are well cooked. Too much water will lead to a gooey paste instead of upma consistency.

Note: depending on the brand and quality of oats you may need more or less water than given here.

Sending this to HITS – Diabetic friendly hosted by Sowmya and HITS page by Sangeetha