Oatmeal – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

SRC: Chocolate Baked Oatmeal

May 4, 2014August 28, 2014 Sarah

Hi friends! It’s another SRC day. Every month I am always SHOCKED at how quickly it’s SRC time again. It means time is passing quickly… both for blog stuff and real life stuff. My first full semester working as a librarian has already come to an end, and we’ve been living in Nashville over 7 months now! Crazy stuff. But you know what isn’t crazy? How wonderful my Secret Recipe Club assignment for May was. [Betcha didn’t see that transition coming, now did ya? :)]

This month I was assigned to Food Ramblings, written by the lovely Elizabeth. She has tons of recipes on her blog, ranging from the indulgent to the uber healthy. My kinda girl! That’s exactly how I cook, so I had SUCH a hard time deciding what to make. As I was browsing through her archives basically everything sounded good to me. Maybe I was just hungry. 🙂 First, I really wanted to make this polenta with roasted tomatoes and spinach, I decided to wait until the summer for that–I’m sure it’ll be unbelievably delicious with fresh farmer’s market tomatoes. Then, I thought about making cheese and broccoli quinoa casserole, and finally landed on Chocolate Baked Oatmeal. It was only when I was writing this post that I realized it fell on Cinco de Mayo and I should have made something Mexican. Oh well, it was delicious. Though the baked oatmeal tasted rich and fudgy, it’s actually a pretty healthy breakfast. Well, as far as having chocolate for breakfast can be considered healthy. 🙂

Elizabeth’s original recipe called for making this baked oatmeal in muffin cups, which is SUCH a good idea. So why didn’t I do that? Ben. I asked his opinion and he thought it would be easier to just make a big pan of it. So that’s what I did. I also was nearly out of regular size muffin liners, and I never have luck greasing my muffin tin. She also used strawberries and peanut butter chips in her baked oatmeal, neither of which I had. So I used bananas and cinnamon chips and OH MY GOODNESS was that an awesome combination. I usually am not a banana oatmeal kinda girl but you can’t even taste it in this, especially if you mash up the banana really well. The cinnamon chips just add SO much flavor and little bursts of sweet cinnamon goodness. Later in the summer you can bet I’ll try that chocolate, strawberry, and peanut butter combination though… it sounds incredible, like a jacked up peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Before this, I was a newbie to chocolate baked oatmeal–usually I just make this plain version from my summer camp counselor days, and add my own toppings, but from now on I will be tempted to make this delightful chocolate version. Hope you enjoy as much as we did, and be sure to check out Elizabeth’s blog for more yummy recipes!

one year ago: Club Soda Waffles
two years ago: Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
three years ago: Salsas for Cinco de Mayo

Chocolate Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Food Ramblings]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk [I used skim]
1 large egg
2 medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup cinnamon chips, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray, or line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg, bananas, and maple syrup. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in half of the cinnamon chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan and top with remaining cinnamon chips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. [If baking in a muffin tin, bake for 20-25 minutes]. Serve warm, adding milk or yogurt if desired.

Time: 45 minutes.
Yield: 6 servings.

Please check out all the other fabulous recipes from my SRC pals here:

Linked up with: Weekend Potluck.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears

January 8, 2014January 11, 2014 Sarah

If you like cranberry sauce, then you’ll love these oats! Steel cut oats are a special treat for me. They take too long to make on a weekday morning before work [who has time to babysit at the stove for 30 minutes?], so they’re reserved for the weekend in my mind–and I always make extra for leftovers. 🙂 But I digress. This past Saturday, I whipped up these easy Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears, and let me tell you… they were something amazing!

I’ve only made steel cut oats a few times in the past and these were by far the best–tender with just a little bit of chewiness. These steel cut oats were the most flavorful oats I’ve ever tasted, and the prettiest too! See that pink? I cooked fresh cranberries in with the steel cut oats to achieve that gorgeous color, added some cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to cut down the tartness of the fresh berries, then topped off with some easy, juicy caramelized pears. The subtle sweetness of the pears plays so well with the tart cranberries, I love it. I first experienced that unique flavor combo over Christmas when my mom, sister, and I were making brunch for the family and we all helped throw together the pear cranberry compote. Divine! [Everyone loved it, so I knew the flavor combo was a winner.] This breakfast may be a bit time consuming, but it’s totally worth it. If rich and indulgent oatmeal is a thing, this would be it, because, duh, caramelized pears! Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Mexican Cornbread Pot Pie
two years ago: Lasagna Soup
three years ago: Whole-Wheat Cornbread

Cranberry Steel Cut Oats with Caramelized Pears [adapted from S. John & Sandra Ross and Martha Stewart]
click to print

Ingredients:

for oats

2 cups water
5 ounces fresh cranberries, washed
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup pear cider [or milk, water, cranberry juice, apple juice/cider, etc.]
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

for pears

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 Anjou pears, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

Add water, cranberries, and sugar to a pot and bring to a boil. When berries begin to burst, add steel cut oats, pear cider, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook for 25-30 minutes until oats are softened, stirring occasionally.

To prepare pears, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When bubbly, sprinkle in sugar gradually. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add pears, carefully flipping to fully coat in sugar-butter mixture. Cook until just soft, about 2-4 minutes [depending on how thin you slice them], then gently fold in cloves and cinnamon.

Top cranberry oats with caramelized pears to serve.

Time: 40 minutes.
Yield: 4-5 servings.

Linked up with: What’s Cookin’ Wednesday.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Maple Berry Overnight Oats

May 8, 2013May 6, 2013 Sarah

Now that it’s getting warmer out, I’m needing some interesting cold breakfasts. After a morning run in the heat, curling up with a hot bowl of oatmeal sounds like absolute torture! There are so many cold breakfasts that are actually good. Cereal is delicious but kinda boring, and in my opinion, things like yogurt and granola bars are only tolerable so many times before I get sick of them. They’re better for snacks or lunch, I think. Smoothies are one of my favorite breakfasts, but I just don’t want to get the blender out everyday, you know? Enter: overnight oats.

I first tried overnight oats a few years ago and felt kinda ‘meh’ about them. But recently, I decided to give them another chance. I went with the amazing flavor combination of maple berry, and let me tell you… this is pretty much the best creamy, sweet, cool breakfast ever!!

Overnight oats, like the name implies, are made the night before you want to enjoy them. Oats are mixed with milk and yogurt so they get all soft and delicious. With the addition of vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup, along with the sweet pop of fresh berries, they just taste SO good!! I can’t wait to experiment with other kinds of berries as the summer goes on.

Enjoying them on the porch is optional, but highly recommended. 🙂

Maple Berry Overnight Oats [from Tartlet Sweets]

click to print

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons plain or vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons maple syrup [or to taste]
1 1/2 cups sliced berries

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together oats, milk, yogurt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Sweeten with maple syrup to taste. Divide between two bowls or Mason jars. Top each bowl with about 3/4 cup berries. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or about 8-12 hours. Serve with additional milk as desired.

Time: 5 minutes plus overnight.

Yield: 2 servings.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

June 18, 2012 Sarah

So, I realize that hot breakfasts seem like a thing of winter and cooler weather, not days of 90 degree heat and 80% humidity. Not to me! I spent two summers in college working as a camp counselor at Camp Tecumseh, so I woke up to a hot breakfast six days a week, enjoyed in the freezingly cold air conditioned dining hall. It was glorious. Well, some breakfasts anyways. French toast, bacon, hashbrowns, coffee cake, fruit salad. Rubbery eggs… not so much. You can bet that the onlyonlyONLY reason us counselors looked forward to sleep-out nights was getting to sleep in a little later while enjoying breakfast in bed, aka sugary cold cereal, powdered doughnuts, and apples.

By far, the breakfast that Camp Tecumseh is known for is their baked oatmeal. I’ve shared the basic recipe before, but this time I’ve jazzed it up… made it a little more flashy, a little more flared.

This version combines juicy, sweet strawberries with the tropical coconut to make a phenomenal baked oatmeal that will really wake up your morning [and wish you were at the beach… sigh.]. I used coconut milk and coconut flakes to double the nutty fun of my new favorite flavor. If I had had coconut extract, you can bet that some of that would have been included too!

I mixed up the fruit and oat mixture the night before, then baked it in the morning while I was getting ready for the day. After I finished doing my hair, breakfast was ready with time to spare. If your mornings are a little more rushed, this Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal can always be baked ahead of time and heated up in individual servings in the microwave. Since no additional toppings are needed, this is a great breakfast to take to the office instead of the usual yogurt and granola… and if you’re in the air conditioning, as most of us are this time of year, hot breakfasts don’t have to be avoided in the summertime.

What have you been eating for breakfast lately? I need some new ideas, cause I can’t eat this oatmeal everyday!

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries, divided [fresh or frozen, I used frozen]
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flakes, divided [sweetened or unsweetened, your choice]
1 1/4 cups coconut milk [I used lite]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Place 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, and egg. In a small bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, chia seeds, and 1/3 cup coconut flakes. Fold dry ingredients into the wet, then pour in coconut milk and stir until just combined. Mixture should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Pour over strawberries in pan, then top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons coconut flakes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Time: 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.

Breakfast, Oatmeal, Recipes

Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal

January 16, 2012January 26, 2016 Sarah

For two summers in college, I was a camp counselor at Camp Tecumseh, a fabulous YMCA camp in Brookston, Indiana. It was a tough job–hot days, late nights, kids everywhere, no privacy, little time off, an hourly pay rate of pennies [no joke–but not counting room and board :)], but it was also well worth it because it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I worked with 12-14 year old girls and absolutely loved getting into my girls’ lives–being part of their summer fun and also teaching them about faith and the role of God in life.

Every week and even every day at Camp T was different, and little was predictable short of the overall camp routine–and a big part of that routine was certain meals that we would eat every. single. week. Some, like mass-produced grilled cheese and hamburgers got old pretty quickly. Other things, like oreo pudding [that my co-counselor and I would smuggle outside onto the porch every Sunday night with our 8-10 campers, to eat with our hands. Mmmhmm. This was the first night of camp, mind you, so this was a great way to get the girls to bond ~~run off in terror~~.] and baked oatmeal, served every Wednesday morning with regularity, were more welcome to us counselors.

I found this recipe on Camp T’s website after I came home from week 10 and was detoxing from camp food/ and getting back into the swing of normal life, where I was somewhat shocked to learn that tye dye and bandanas were, once again, not fashionable. Who knew?

But this recipe was my saving grace and allowed me little glimpses back into the days where I dressed up for Friday theme dinners and spent mornings teaching beading and basket weaving. Now, seven years later, I am still transported back to my summers at camp whenever I pull a batch of this simple, steaming baked oatmeal out of the oven. I love topping my baked oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins, because, you guessed it, that’s how the Camp T cooks served it.

And truth–it would be blasphemous to serve it any other way. But you can enjoy your sweet, filling, comforting dish of baked oatmeal with whatever toppings your little heart desires… walnuts? bananas? pecans? blueberries? … but as for me, I’ll take each bite nostalgically holding to tradition, reflecting on my days of camp and wishing I could be there for just one more campfire, one more night in our cozy cabins, one more night with my amazing counselor friends… one more, one more, one more… I’m so grateful that I had the summers at Camp T that I did, and am equally grateful that I have this recipe today as a reminder of my time!

Did you go to summer camp as a kid? What was your favorite part? Your favorite meal?

Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal

Servings: 6-8
Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients:

Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal: a classic recipe that the whole family will love! You'll enjoy it again and again and again!

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups skim milk
raisins, for serving
brown sugar, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together oil and sugar until well combined. Add egg and mix well. Fold in oats and baking powder, then stir in milk, being aware that all milk may not be necessary. The batter should resemble runny cake batter. Pour batter into a greased 9×9 cake pan or a 9 inch pie pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown. Serve with raisins and brown sugar.