Baked "Oatmeal"

I haven't eaten oats in YEARS, which is so sad because oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfasts. But it absolutely wrecks my guts—even more so than other grains.

Did you know certain foods—like oats, corn, dairy, rice—can cross react with gluten? This means that the protein structures in these foods are similar to protein structures in gluten, and your body treats them in a similar fashion. For example, gliadin antibodies can partially bind to casein proteins. This is something to be aware of if you have Celiac or Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity and are only experiencing limited improvements on a gluten-free diet.

Anyway, we often eat grain-free oatmeal alternatives, often called "n'oatmeal" when fixing for some cozy comfort breakfast. My stovetop recipe packs in lots of veggies, but I was craving something else this week, so whipped up this baked "oatmeal" which has absolutely no oats or grains.

I didn't have any eggs on hand, so used flax eggs instead to bind everything. I liked the finish product (already made this recipe twice), so will keep using the flax eggs moving forward!

BAKED “OATMEAL” INGREDIENTS  

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed

6 Tablespoons water

3 cups (loosely packed) unsweetened coconut chips*

1/2 cup Brazil nuts

1/2 cup walnuts

4 pitted medjool dates

1 small spotted banana (you want it ripe)

1 cup homemade or store-bought coconut or almond milk***

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups blueberries or raspberries (I used frozen)

*note I used chips here, not shredded. You’ll most likely want to use LESS if you’re using shredded coconut

**feel free to use any nut/seed combo.

***you can use any dairy-free milk here, just don’t use canned coconut milk as the texture is much thicker

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ground flaxseeds with water in a small dish. Let sit until all water is absorbed, about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, dump coconut and nuts into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Add dates and banana, pulse until well combined. Leave the mixture a bit chunky; we’re not looking for smoothie consistency here. Pulse in the almond milk, lemon juice, flax "egg" mixture and cinnamon. Finally, add the blueberries and pulse a couple of times until mixed in. You want to blueberries to remain whole. You can do this part by hand if you prefer.

Add mixture to a 9x9 glass baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until top is browned and slightly crisp.

Serve as is, or with a bit of milk and sliced fresh fruit.