Before whole oat groats can be eaten they need to be soaked in water for 8 to 12 hours, rinsed, then soaked again for another 8 to 12 hours. After soaking rinse once more and air dry for about 30 minutes, then place in container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Soaked groats will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It sounds like a laborious project, but in reality it takes up about 2 minutes of actual work. 1 1/2 cup of oat groats makes about 2 cups or 4 servings.
When ready to eat, the oats can be flavored with fresh fruit, raisins, almonds, dates, cinnamon, and sweetened with agave extract or pure maple syrup. Serve with almond milk.
On a cold day, warm the oats and almond milk on the stove, but do not allow mixture to overheat or boil.
