Baked Banana Maple Oatmeal with Cherries

Caramelized bananas, cherries, healthy oats and flax-seed… what’s not to love?

My goal with breakfast is that is will be hearty enough to last me until lunch, yet healthy and easy to make. This recipe does it all! I’ve adapted the original recipe from fellow blogger Kath Eats to make it gluten-free and to give it a little more staying power.

This recipe is super forgiving in that you can use what you have on hand, and customize it to your tastes.

First I mixed the wet ingredients. One egg, beaten, one small banana, mashed, 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk, and a teaspoon of maple extract. 

Extract is where you can really change the flavor of a recipe. I love maple flavoring. It pairs really well with bananas and makes you feel like you’re eating something more indulgent, like pancakes.

Now it’s time to mix all of your dry ingredients: 2 cups rolled or quick cooking oats (I have used both successfully so it’s really what you have on hand), one tsp salt, one tsp gluten-free baking soda, and two tablespoons flax-seed meal.

I love to add flax-seed meal into recipes where I can. It adds some extra fiber, healthy fats, and potassium. 

Now incorporate your dry ingredients into your wet, and add some fruit of your choice. I have found that blueberries work very well in this recipe. I found cherries in my freezer, which made the baked oatmeal taste like cherry pie. Cherry pie for breakfast? Heck yea!

Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray, and lay down some banana slices along the bottom. Pour your oatmeal mixture in, and lay on the remaining banana slices.  Bake at 375 for 26 minutes.

Once it’s done baking, sprinkle a tablespoon of brown sugar all over the top, and broil for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Now pour yourself a big cup of coffee, cut yourself a square, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups certified gluten-free oats (rolled or quick cooking both work fine)
• 1 1/2 cups non-fat milk
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 2 tablespoons flax-seed meal
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 small banana mashed
• 1 small banana sliced
• 1/4 cup frozen cherries
• 1 tsp gluten-free maple flavoring
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions:

1. preheat oven to 375
2. Mix all dry ingredients (except sugar) in a small bowl.
3. Mix all wet ingredients in a medium size bowl.
4. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix well.
5. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.
6. Line a few banana slices on bottom of pan, pour in oatmeal mixture, and line top with remaining banana slices.
7. Baked for 26 minutes.
8. Increase oven temp to broil. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar on top, and broil for 2-3 minutes.

Makes four (big) servings:

About 295 cal, 7 grams fiber, 6 grams fat, and 12 grams protein, per serving. 

*** It also reheats really well, so now I have breakfast for most of the week! Happy Monday!