Thursday, April 20, 2006

Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal

I'm sure most of you are like me, and don't have the time and luxury of being able to sit down and eat a full breakfast every morning. I'm lucky if I'm able to eat a solid meal in between working and going to school full-time.

But everyone knows how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I'm always on the lookout for something healthy that can be grabbed and eaten on the run.

Living in the middle of Amish country, baked oatmeal is like pancakes. Any restaurant worth its salt will have it on the menu. Normally, I can't stand it - sickeningly sweet, loaded with sugar and oil, and way too soft for my liking. So when E came up with a healthier version, cutting out a lot of the fat and sugar, I knew she was on to something. I took her recipe, switched a few things, and came up with this. Think of it like a really soft granola bar, loaded with flavor and plenty of whole grains, enough to keep you feeling full until lunch.

Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Bars

Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Bars
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain Mix (or substitute oats)
1/4 c flax seeds
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
3/4 c soymilk
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 c dark molasses
1/2 c applesauce
2 eggs (or egg substitute)
1 c crushed pineapple, drained (or fruit of your choosing)
Splash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine all wet ingredients, stirring well. Add to dry ingredients, combining thoroughly.Place into a greased casserole dish, and bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. These are excellent both warm and cold.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi christiane! i clicked here from the vegetarian group e-list. never saw your food blog before -- your pictures are fabulous! you can be sure i'll be visiting again.

Alanna Kellogg said...

Interesting -- and with the only sweetness from the molasses and fruit, wouldn't be sweet at all. Have never heard of this so thanks for the background, too! Alanna

Special Sauce said...

The gingerbread version rocks the free world, and with some tweaks, it can be converted to a fruit/nut version (my personal favorite, but I'm biased). And it really does keep you full all morning (much, much moreso than a bagel or a bowl of cereal) and doesn't get all creepy like a regular bowl of oatmeal can. The best part of all is that one batch can last all week.

Anonymous said...

Very creative! And they look delicious.

Michele said...

Mmmmmm!!!!!!!

Erin Eats said...

Ohhh, this made my mouth water, I love anything that has a whole grain texture to it, so I'm definitely going to have to bookmark this and try it soon.

Dori said...

I have seen and tried baked oatmeal with berries from Dr McDougal's books before. I tried it once and decided it was okay, but not something I've craved. I love your gingerbread version!! THe seven grain cereal mix is a huge plus... your picture is inviting and I have all the ingredients for this on hand. I'll be making this soon. Thanks!

leedav said...

This looks so tasty! I generally eat meusli but I'm gonna have to try this.

kickpleat said...

i love finding new breakfast foods and this one looks amazing! thanks for posting :)

Anonymous said...

What size casserole dish did you use to bake the Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Bars? I'd like to try them, but the size bowl can make a big difference in the baking time.

Chris

Anonymous said...

Mouth...is...watering.

You have a fabulous blog. The pics are amazing!

keep it up! :)

Anonymous said...

ohmygoodness this looks AMAZING! I'm tempted to leap (yes, leap) into the kitchen and make it right now (but alas, I'm missing a few ingredients, so that probably wouldn't work too well...)

anyways, just wanted to say that you should DEFINITELY try out that bread recipe, it's so tastey especially dipped in some good olive oil or with soup.

now, if you'll excuse me, i will continue to drool over this baked oatmeal...

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know if these can be baked ahead of time and then warmed up in the over right before eating? I want to make them for a weekend away at the cottage, and I'd rather make them at home first...
Thanks!