Baked Oatmeal

Egg-free breakfasts have been the hardest part of the elimination by far.  We are SO reliant on them, making scrambles, hashes, fried eggs, etc nearly every day.  So although I'm not typically a big oatmeal fan, I was starting to feel desperate.  I had a bunch of strawberries and blueberries on hand that were about to go bad, so I thought an oatmeal bake might kill two birds with one stone.  The recipe I based it on was a bit more complicated than it needed to be, plus it used milk, nuts and eggs.  But with a few swaps and some simplification, it ended up being super easy, allergen-free, and remarkably tasty!  We ate it warm from the oven and it had a nice gooey interior with a crunchy crust.  I also froze 2 portions, so I'm hopeful that it will also make a good emergency breakfast if I'm in a bind.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp flax meal
• 3 Tbsp water
• 3/4 cup canned coconut milk (make sure to stir it up so you get the cream as well as the watery part)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup coconut flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups fruit, cut to bite sized if necessary (I used half blueberries, half strawberries)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 if planning to bake right away.
2. Start by making your flax egg.  Combine the flax meal and water in a small dish.  Stir and let sit while you prepare the rest of the liquid ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract.  Stir vigorously as you add the coconut oil to get it well combined before it starts to re-solidify in the colder ingredients.
4. Add the flax egg, stiring to combine.
5. Add the rolled oats, coconut flakes, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Stir until everything is well combined.
6. Use a little coconut oil to grease a small baking pan (mine was about 5"x5".  Sprinkle half the fruit on the bottom.  Add oat mixture and spread out in pan.  Top with remaining fruit. 
7. If baking right away, bake for 42-45 minutes, then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
8. If baking the next day, refrigerate until bake time.  When ready, place the casserole in the unheated oven, then set to 375.  Start a timer for 52 minutes.  Leaving it in during preheating time will help bring the mixture to room temp.  Allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.