Yup, this is what I had for breakfast this morning. I wouldn't call myself a vegan by any stretch of the imagination (cheese and ice cream are still huge crutches for me on that front), but I have been playing around with a lot of vegan recipes as of late: I definitely have my toe in the water as the health benefits of eating whole/plant based are too strong to deny. So, I have been spending a lot of time pursuing blogs and websites for killer recipes - all of which I share here when I find the great ones (and believe it or not there are a lot!). This gem is packed full of wholesome goodness, feels like you are eating dessert and the best part - I made it the night before so when I woke up breakfast was already made! Who could ask for more?
I adapted this recipe from one I found on Oh She Glows - one of my new favorite recipe blogs. Check her out, she has a lot of GREAT stuff!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups lightly packed shredded carrots
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a 10-cup/2.5 qt. casserole dish. I used an 8" x 11" rectangular casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: shredded carrot, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla
- Add in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder baking powder, and salt.
- Finally mix in the oatmeal, raisins and pecans to the mixture and stir until combined.
- Pour mixture into square baking dish, sprayed lightly with non-stick spray. Press down on the oatmeal with a spoon so the oats sink into the milk.
- I let this set on my counter for about an hour while I baked my dinner, and let the oats soak up the milk.
- Bake, uncovered, for 32-37 minutes (I baked for 35 mins.) until lightly golden along edge. The oatmeal will still look a bit soft or wet in some spots when it comes out of the oven, but it will firm up as it cools.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with whipped topping, a drizzle of maple syrup, or some non-dairy yogurt. When the baked oatmeal is fully cool, it will firm up enough to be sliced into squares.
- Leftovers should keep for 3 days or so in the fridge or up to 2 weeks in the freezer. Enjoy it warm, at room temp, or chilled straight from the fridge.
