Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas

I am not a fan of oatmeal.  But I really do want to like it.  The thought of a warm bowl of oatmeal on a cold winter morning seems really appealing but honestly I have never liked those oatmeal packets.  They are lacking in flavor and a mushy bowl of oatmeal really is not appetizing for me.  But after making this baked oatmeal my thoughts have completely changed.  If you are not an oatmeal fan this is the dish to change your mind!  My only complaint is that it bakes for 35 minutes and rests for an additional 10 minutes which is too long for me to wait in the morning.  I don't like waiting for breakfast but this is really worth the wait!  I made some minor changes to the original recipe.  I replaced the butter with oil and reduced the quantity.  I omitted the nuts and reduced the amount of blueberries.  You can change up the fruit in this to whatever you think will taste good.  I've also made it with strawberries and bananas.  Next I'm going to try it with apples!



Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Bananas
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Note:  Using the butter gives a lot more flavour.  I usually use oil to cut down on fat and just b/c I'm too lazy to melt the butter.

1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil) or you can use the original 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla bean paste Halal Vanilla Powder or Extract
1 1/2 -  2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
3/4 cup blueberries, divided

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk, egg, oil and vanilla bean paste.

In your baking dish arrange the bananas in a single layer.  Sprinkle half the blueberries on top.  Give the oat mixture a stir and spread in an even layer on top of the fruit.  Give the egg mixture a quick whisk to make sure the vanilla bean paste hasn't settled at the bottom.  Pour the egg mixture on top of the oats.  Sprinkle the remaining blueberries.  Bake for 35 minutes or until oatmeal is set.  Let cool 10 minutes and enjoy!