Baked Oatmeal with Apples, Raisins, and Pecans

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled or quick oats (do not use steel cut)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.67 cup unsweetened plant milk
• 0.5 cup dates (chopped then measured, stems and pits removed)
• 0.5 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup diced apple (preferably a tart variety like Pink Lady or Granny Smith, peeled or unpeeled)
• 0.25 cup raisins (other dried fruits work well too so long as the pieces are small)
• 0.25 cup chopped pecans (walnuts are also good or another nut or seed)

Steps

1. 1

   Line an 8 inch square or round cake pan with parchment paper or a preformed parchment paper liner.

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (175 ℃).

3. 3

   Place oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you achieve the texture of a coarse flour.

4. 4

   Remove the processed dry ingredient mix from the food processor, placing the mixture in a small bowl and set aside.

5. 5

   Without cleaning the bowl or blades of the food processor, place the chopped dates, plant milk and apple sauce in the food processor and process until ingredients are combined and dates are broken up into specs. You can process this mixture until completely smooth if you prefer, but it's not necessary.

6. 6

   Add the mix of dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the food processor.

7. 7

   Pulse until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.

8. 8

   Carefully remove the blade from the processor while leaving batter in the bowl. Use a silicone spatula or your fingers to scrape off batter that sticks to blades.

9. 9

   Add diced apple, raisins and chopped pecans to the batter in the bowl.

10. 10

    Use a silicone cake spatula to fold the apples, raisins and pecans evenly into the batter.

11. 11

    Spread batter evenly into the parchment paper lined cake pan and bake in preheated 350 ℉ (175 ℃) oven for 30 minutes.

12. 12

    This recipe makes up to four servings but can easily be polished off by two hungry individuals, so think two to four servings depending on preferred portion sizes.

13. 13

    Apple raisin pecan baked oatmeal can be served hot right out of the oven but it's also delicious after it's cooled down or chilled. Note that the texture will be more firm after the casserole has cooled.

14. 14

    To store, cool to room temperature, cover or place in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can warm up your baked oatmeal before serving it again but it's also good cold.

15. 15

    For a cool creamy balance, top each serving with a spoonful or two of plain unsweetened plant based yogurt or homemade simple lemon cashew cream. You can also add a sprinkling of chopped nuts, toasted shredded coconut or finely minced crystalized ginger.

Notes

A tart apple variety like Pink Lady or Granny Smith provides the best flavor contrast against the sweet dates and raisins. The peel can be left on or removed based on personal preference. If you prefer not to use parchment paper, the pan can be lightly greased with oil or plant-based butter.

Nutrition per serving

• breakfast
• baked oatmeal
• vegan
• wfpb
• oil-free
• sugar-free
• apple
• casserole