Chai-Spiced Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

So I have a confession: I love baked oatmeal. For realzies. Baked oatmeal is where it’s at, peeps.
If I could only have one thing for breakfast for the rest of my life, it would be this.

the morning sunlight in my kitchen makes for wonderful pictures – most of the time! sometimes I get lucky with gems like these; that glare is kind of distracting, but I couldn’t see it at the time!

If that didn’t get your attention, I don’t know what else will! If you’ve read this post, then you know how much I love cooking and eating breakfast.

I start most mornings with oatmeal, but lately I’ve been pressed for time. All this snow in Southern Ontario means a longer walk to school in the morning, which means I have to leave earlier. So, I’ve found that making a big batch of baked oatmeal on a Sunday means that I only have to reheat leftovers throughout the week to have a perfect breakfast everyday. Which cut my prep time by 15 minutes. Holy time saver, dude!

Also, I’m totally in love with the baking dish you see in that picture. It’s bright and colourful, yet still classy. and it cleans soooo easily. Kitchen Stuff Plus in my version of heaven (that’s where I bought this beauty .) They have a whole collection of this wonderful bakeware, so you know I couldn’t walk out with just one… watch out for more of these fantastic pieces in future posts!

Ready for the recipe?

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• 2 1/2 cups (gluten free) oats
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup Almond Milk**
• 1 cup Water
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed or pureed in a food processor
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 3 large apples, peeled and diced
• 3/4 cup pecan halves ***

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. melt 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil in the microwave and then drizzle it into a large (2 quart) baking dish. spread it around with a spatula to evenly coat (alternately: lightly spray with cooking spray)
2. Combine the dry ingredients (oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (almond milk, water, mashed bananas, maple syrup, vanilla).
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. It will be very liquid-y. Stir in the diced apples.
5. Spoon into the prepared baking dish; smooth the top and gently press down. Evenly distribute the pecans and gently press down.
6. Bake in the preheated oven (uncovered) for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges. Let cool slightly, then serve.

* feel free to use whatever kind of sugar you want – brown sugar, white sugar, RAW sugar, or even more maple syrup, this recipe is very forgiving

** you can use whatever proportions of almond milk to water that you want, as long as it totals 2 cups of liquid… 2 cups of water, no almond milk; 2 cups almond milk, no water… whatever floats your boat! 🙂

*** you can completely omit the pecans, or sub them for another kind of nut; I would reccomend walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts. Go nutty with the nuts, they add a wonderful crunch on top!

My favourite way to enjoy baked oatmeal is with a big scoop of raspberry banana ice cream on top. Then it tastes like an apple crumble dessert 🙂 It’s also delicious with coconut whipped cream, and fresh berries!

Enjoy!

Chunky Monkey Muffins

I love muffins… a lot. They make breakfast simple, and they’re a perfect snack. After my morning run today, I was craving banana bread. But not just any banana bread, the banana bread that my grandma makes… loaded with butter, eggs, and white flour. Okay, I wasn’t really looking forward to those parts of the recipe, but I knew that I could make banana bread that tasted just as good and was waaaayyyy healthier. So I set to work on this recipe 🙂

The view on my morning run

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Normally, a recipe isn’t perfect on the first try. But somehow, these turned out amazing. They’re soft, fluffy, nutty, and have the perfect amount of sweetness. Best of all, they’re vegan, whole grain, and naturally sweetened.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup oats (ground into a flour)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 ripe bananas (pureed with 1 tablespoon hot water)
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (or 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar, with enough water to make 1/3 (liquid) cup)
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients:                                                          
3. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients:                                              
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, then add the wet. Stir until combined, and there are no lumps  
5. Fold in chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. Scoop into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.                                                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

xx kat