Gluten Free Oatmeal

In my marriage, I've always gotten up and made breakfast. It just seems like the way it should be. I like breakfast, and it takes me a lot less time to get ready in the morning. So, I've always been the breakfast guy. Several years ago, Aubrey and I ate oatmeal for breakfast pretty regularly. Oatmeal is especially good on cold mornings, and it provides a nice steady stream of energy throughout the morning.

Then Aubrey was diagnosed with celiac disease, and we had to stop eating oatmeal. Oatmeal itself isn't problematic for people who have a gluten intolerance, but it is often harvested or processed on equipment that also handles wheat or the other grains that contain gluten. There is a sufficient amount of cross-contamination that occurs that renders oats completely off-limits for people with celiac.

We've spent the last few years searching for gluten-free hot cereal alternatives. And we've found some that are okay, but nothing has served to adequately replace the warm, rich texture and flavor of oatmeal. Most gluen-free cereals are extremely sensitive so they can be undercooked or overcooked very easily. Often they come out thick and sludgy. If they sit too long, they form a concrete-like mass. So, our breakfast menu for the last few years has been in constant transition as we try to find a good staple breakfast food again.

Then, Aubrey got a gluten-free e-mail bulletin touting a company that sells gluten-free oats. We immediately went to their website and bought a bag. This company is dedicated to gluten-free oat farming. All of their equipment is used only for oats, which prevents contamination with other grains. The oats laboratory test at a level low enough for gluten that most people with celiac are able to eat the oats without problems.

The bag of oats arrived yesterday, and I made oatmeal this morning for breakfast. It was like inviting an old friend over for a morning visit (and then eating them). When Aubrey came downstairs, she remarked that she could smell the oats cooking. They were delicious. Rich, creamy, sweet. All the things I remember about oatmeal. I could tell that Aubrey was happy to have oats again. It may seem like such a little thing, but after being entirely restricted from oats, it was a small victory for Aubrey to have them back.