Raw Oatmeal?

So I bought a couple pounds of raw oatmeal thinking it would make a good breakfast cereal, and I just finished chewing this morning (started eating it 30 minutes ago or something).

Can I soak this stuff first or should I leave it in my bowl of soy juice overnight?

Any other suggestions for use?

Yes soak first!

As far as the rest of your inquiry, I'm not sure on the soy juice. All the info I have on Raw Oats is from Raw Vegans who don't use soy. They use water for soaking.

I just eat it raw most of the time. If I want a change I will put it in soy milk or mix it with peanutbutter. I guess you could mash a banana in with it.

I soak 1/2 cup before I go to bed every day I plan on doing a morning ride...I like it soaked and unsoaked though...if you soak it it tastes a bit like regular oats but if not it has a bit of a nutty taste

Soy "juice"? You mean soy milk?

A 'raw' alternative would be to make nut or seed 'milk' (soak nuts or seeds or a combo ---overnight for larger, harder nuts like almonds, a couple of hours for sunflower seeds or sesame seeds), to deactivate the enzyme inhibitors and activate the enzymes, then put in a blender with about 2x as much water (more or less to taste). You can sweeten with some dates. Blend up, then strain through cheesecloth or a nutmilk bag.

Thanks for the raw nut juice alternative, and yeah I meant soy 'milk'.

I am going to get some ready this weekend for next week at work (I have decided to say screw fitting in and have dedicated a large portion of my desk cabinets at work to food and food preperation, I gotta eat all the time!)

What do you think about blending up a quart or two of that nut milk over the weekend and bringing it in to the office fridge for the next week, or should I store it at room temp. to get more enzymes?

What do you think about blending up a quart or two of that nut milk over the weekend and bringing it in to the office fridge for the next week, or should I store it at room temp. to get more enzymes?

Definitely refrigerate.

At room temp, you wouldn't really get more enzymes, just bacterial growth (one can make nut/seed 'cheeses' by taking the solid stuff that you strained the 'milk' from---but not with any added sweetener---and letting it sit at room temp for 24 hours or so, but you have to watch that you don't get harmful bacteria, and can't leave it too long.

And I'm not sure how long nut milks last, but it seems like maybe 3-4 days (maybe longer, but not much...my recipe books would say, but it's Friday, and I'm too pooped to get up and walk over to my bookcase! I can check later for you, if you'd like).

So I bought a couple pounds of raw oatmeal

Oregonisaac, did you mean "raw" to mean "uncooked" or truly "raw" as in raw food? Oatmeal flakes are paritally cooked (steamed) even though they are labeled "raw."

You could buy raw oatmeal already flaked for you from an online rawfood site (they have granolas and such, too), but it's expensive, of course.

For making your own raw, you would have to start with oat groats, which is what oatmeal is before it is in flakes. It will look like wheat berries:

http://www.itsagreysworld.com/images/grains.gif

You would have to soak these (soak and sprout, if desired, but some raw foodists just soak) and then blend with water/juice/nutmilk, etc. and season for "raw oatmeal."

OR, some raw foodists buy a flaker and flake their own oats:

http://www.cover-yur-basics.com/flaker.jpg

http://www.cover-yur-basics.com/flaker.html - you can find various grain mills on line which also grind and have a flaker attachment, which might be more cost effective in the end, depending on your dietary goals!

I guess it is actually oat groats yes, just like in the picture. And dang are they hard to chew!

I have not tried soaking overnight though, I am going to try that right now and let them soak until 9AM tomorrow.

That flaker is really neat, might have to look into that some day, honestly I don't mind the groats with a little "milk" of some kind and some fruit, I think I just need to up the soaking time.