I had weekend company recently and didn’t have time to get anything special for breakfast.  I figured I would just use something I had on hand….scrambled eggs and toast or something along those lines.  When they got here, they talked about how they were trying to eat healthier, so that got me thinking in a different direction.

I am a huge fan of oatmeal.  I have made many types of granola over the years and enjoyed eating it for breakfast every morning for decades.  As I have gotten older, I have had to look for ways to enjoy oatmeal without as much sugar and fat.  This is my new favorite. By baking the oatmeal, it retains its nutty taste and texture, no gloppy oats here!  With just a small amount of sweetener and butter, you get wonderful flavor in a breakfast that is delicious and very good for you.  Its great for company because you can throw it together quickly and pop it in the oven to cook…no standing there minding the stove.  I use steel cut oats (Irish oats) along with my old fashioned rolled oats.  It gives it a nice chew and a more nutty flavor.  This is a breakfast that stays and will carry you through your morning as well as any egg dish.

You can vary your sweetener and spices to suit your taste and fruit as it is available, but frozen berries work really well in the dish.  My guests loved this and I had no leftovers.  My guys like it too and I make for them even when we don’t have company!

This recipe makes 4 generous servings.

You’ll need:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (do not use quick oats)

1/2 cup steel cut oats (Irish or pinhead oats), increase old fashion oats to 2 cups if you don’t use these.

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/3 cup raw sugar or maple syrup

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

2 cup milk (low fat is fine)

1 egg

3 tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 cup of dried fruit, chopped or ripe bananas sliced

1 1/2 cup berries (your favorite) fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 375F/190C

In the bottom of a greased 8-9 square baking dish (or equivalent volume), place your chopped dried fruit or sliced bananas. Sprinkle about 1 cup of the berries over them.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, walnuts, raw sugar (if using), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Spread the oat mixture over the fruit.

In the same bowl you mixed your oats in, combine your milk, egg, maple syrup (if using) and half of the melted butter. Whisk until it is frothy. Pour this over the oats.  Top with remaining berries and the rest of the melted butter.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Its great as is or serve with additional sweetener or (my favorite)-a small dollop of nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt.  Enjoy!