Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal

I am making a concerted effort to refrain from making the blueberry crisp from a few posts back. That crisp was so delicious I ate the entire thing in two days, by myself. If I knew it could even adequately sustain human life, it's all I'd eat. A healthier substitute had to be created. 

In full confession, bashfully, I made this oatmeal bake yesterday and by tonight it will be completely gone. All me, yep. This is not a surprise, I knew it would happen. My blueberry gluttony apparently knows no bounds (it's a wonder that I don't need to be rolled around everywhere like the giant blueberry girl from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory), however, this time I was smart and made something that's both irresistible and healthy. 

Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts

My blueberry maple baked oatmeal can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert....or yes, dinner I too suppose. That's what I did (shhhh! omg and it's my lunch today too, don't tell). It's minimally sweetened and full of the nutritional goodness of old-fashioned oats and wild blueberries. Flaxseed and walnuts make an appearance for good measure, as well. No butter and just one tablespoon of oil. 

So give it up to a breakfast/dessert/dinner(..../lunch?) you don't have to feel guilty about. Even if you do eat half the thing in one night...like me. 

Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts

Not to mention it's done in 30 minutes flat. 

Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts

Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Bake


Blueberry Maple Oatmeal Bake
By

Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts. It’s a wonderful, wholesome, and delicious breakfast or dessert. Notes: Feel free to use any flour, milk, oil, and nuts of your choice. This is a very adaptable recipe.

Ingredients
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats, dry
  • 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
  • ¼ heaping cup of flour (I used whole wheat white)
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsweetened, plain coconut milk
  • 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp. maple extract (optional)
  • ¼ cup whole walnuts
  • 2 cups frozen wild blueberries
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F and coat a square 9x9 inch or round 9 inch baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a food processor, add the oats through and including the cinnamon. Pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the milk through and including the maple extract. Slowly pour into the dry mixture while stirring.
  4. Fold in the blueberries and then spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish.
  5. Add the nuts to the food processor and pulse until chopped. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the oatmeal and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving hot.

    7. Prep time:
    Cook time:
    Total time:
    Yield: 4-6 servings
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts
Produce On Parade - Blueberry Maple Baked Oatmeal - Healthier than a crisp, this adaptable blueberry oatmeal bake is flavored with sweet maple syrup and speckled with toasted walnuts

German Word of The Day

Oatmeal --> Haferflocken (halfer-flocken)

Good Deed of The Day

Did you know at Martha's Vineyard they hold six lemur races a day from August 21-24th? Yuck. Lemurs are an endangered species and no animals should be crammed into tiny crates then forced to race, solely for the pleasure of screaming onlookers. Seriously? People have no other means of entertainment? Let's try and stop that. It reminds me of the mice races at our state fair. Even as a kid they made me sad. It makes sense now why I seemed to be the only one disturbed by this.  

Quotes To Remember

Hello.

Today, I'm sharing a couple quotes that I hope will inspire solicitousness and help to instill a benevolence towards those that surround us. Kindness, graced upon all living things, is an absolute moral imperative and every once in a while...a reminder is warranted. 

Produce On Parade

Life. It will always be full of surprises, no matter how heedful one instinctually is. Bask in the warmth of happiness, but open yourself to the weight of inexorable tragedies and sorrows. There's lessons and insight to be gained, but only if you allow them.

And that is the truthest of truths. Stay on your on your toes, my friends. 

Wishing you happiness and peace,

               - Katie

Vegan Pot Au Feu

I had never heard of Pot Au Feu until watching the "Create" channel. We seriously only get four channels at our house and Create is one of them, lucky for me. Rick Steves and I are BFFs. Anyway, Hubert Keller was on and he was making a giant, whole vegetable and animal meat dish. My furry friends being cooked up for me to eat, I could do without but the rest of the dish; carrots, baby potatoes, celery, and cabbage...well that all looked right up my alley. 

“It was a shrewd calculation. An estimated 12 percent of millennials say they are “faithful vegetarians,” compared with 4 percent of Gen X’ers and 1 percent of baby boomers, according to one study.”
— Sam Tanenhaus from The New York Times
Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.

This recipe is inspired by Chef Keller and his Pot Au Feu. It's a classic french dish that is traditionally served with mustard, salt, and bread. It's essentially whole vegetables and a protein simmered in a broth with spices and herbs. I used tempeh as a protein instead of adorable cows.

Pot Au Feu is shockingly quick and easy to make since the vegetables need really very little prep and as far as ingredients go, it's quite simple. While simmering, it filled the whole house with a comforting, savory smell that made my mouth water. 

Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.

Although, I did exhibit a bit of unfortunate planning. You see, it's been raining for a week straight up here in Alaska and I knew this would be the perfect meal to warm my wet and chilled bones. A great introduction into early fall. Except....yesterday it was hot! Exceptionally hot. So hot that on my lunch break at a nearby lake, I had to leave early because I'm pretty sure I was experiencing heat stroke. 

Either way, this vegan Pot Au Feu was a no-frills, delicious dish. Hearty and filling. 

Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.

You see that rutabaga there on the bottom right? I (not thinking clearly) threw that bad boy in too. Don't do that. It was unapologetically bitter. 

Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.
Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.
print recipe
Vegan Pot Au Feu
by August-20-2014
This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat. Pot Au Feu was enjoyed by royalty and peasants alike. It’s very easy, quick, and exceptionally adaptable. Note that vegetables like rutabaga and brussels sprouts should be avoided because they can turn bitter when cooked this way. Adapted from Chef Hubert Keller.
Ingredients
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced
  • 2 springs of fresh parsley
  • 2 springs of fresh thyme
  • 2 springs of fresh oregano
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
  • 2 celery stalks, cut in half
  • 2 large carrots, cut in half
  • ½ kohlrabi, peeled and halved
  • ½ small head of cabbage, halved
  • 1/2 lb. mixed baby potatoes, whole
  • 1 8 oz. package of tempeh, quartered in triangles
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • ¼ cup stone ground mustard, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Once the onion is prepared, cut off a small chunk of the bottom and stuff in the whole cloves. Place the onion halves and clove stuffed bottom in a large pressure cooker or soup pot.Prepare the leeks by first slicing them in half down the middle and washing in between each leaf very well to remove all the dirt. Then, chop off the roots and remove one outer leaf. Gather the fresh herbs in a small bundle and wrap the leek leaf around the herbs to create a bouquet garni. Slice the remainder of the leeks, leaving about an inch of the green tops to discard. Place the herb bundle and sliced leeks in the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and heat over high until simmering. Don't worry if the broth doesn't cover all the vegetables. Cover with the pressure cooker lid and bring to pressure. Then turn to low and maintain pressure. Cook for about 10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender, but not falling apart. If using a soup pot, bring almost to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with stone ground mustard, coarse salt and bread if you like.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6
Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.
Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.
Produce On Parade - Pot Au Feu - This is a vegan spin on a simple vegetable dish from France, using tempeh instead of animal meat.

German Word of The Day

Peasant --> Bauer (yep, like Eddie Bauer) 

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article from the NYT about us Millennials. Seriously, it's very interesting and inspiring,