oats – Page 10 – The Pajama Chef

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

October 1, 2010September 14, 2015 Sarah

So, I’ve had a huge problem over the past year. A lack of pumpkin. I have a ridiculous obsession with pumpkin. So this has been a very hard year.

You see, there’s been this canned pumpkin shortage… maybe you’ve heard of it… but basically, bad weather ruined the pumpkin supply last year and the providers just ran out of it before the holidays. It was very sad. Grocery store shelves were bare of that canned orange goodness. I hardly purchase any canned products at all, but I love my pumpkin! I have literally been in mourning over this pumpkin shortage, checking store shelves weekly since early August Thankfully though, I have good news–the pumpkin shortage is over! Hallelujah!

A couple weeks ago, a trip to the store yielded 4 cans of pumpkin-y goodness. I wanted to buy more, but didn’t want to be selfish. So I’ve been adding pumpkin to anything I can find. Yogurt. Muffins. Tacos. And oatmeal.

The first time I made pumpkin oatmeal I just stirred a few spoonfuls into it while cooking. Then, I saw a recipe on Iowa Girl Eats for Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal. I knew I had to try it. I ended up adapting the recipe slightly, but the original premise is the same: delicious pumpkin pie in oatmeal form. If you haven’t had baked oatmeal before, it’s almost like a cross between a creamy oatmeal cookie and a soft granola bar–thick, chewy, and delicious. We had it every week when I worked at Camp Tecumseh, and it was the best breakfast around! And this version is pumpkin-y, spicy, and sweet. It smells so good, and is so easy to whip up in the morning. Even my Quaker Oat only husband gobbled up this breakfast. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal

Servings: 2-3
Time: 40 minutes
Print

from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats [not quick cooking]
1 cup pumpkin
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
cooking spray
brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 5 cup baking dish or the equivalent of smaller dishes.. I personally used two 1/2 quart baking dishes (1/2 quart=2 cups… had to look that up!) and one 1 cup baking dish, so my cooking time will be based on that number. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, pumpkin, milk, egg, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt. Stir together and then spoon into baking dishes. Bake for 15 minutes, remove and sprinkle with brown sugar (I used about 1 tablespoon–unpacked–per baking dish. Then turn oven up to 400 degrees and bake for 10-15 minutes or until set in the center.

Let cool for a couple minutes before enjoying plain or with milk or yogurt.

This recipe can also be prepared the night before and either cooked in the morning or heated up in the microwave. Very versatile!

Breakfast, Granola, Recipes

Tropical Granola

September 8, 2010September 13, 2014 Sarah

Even though school has started, I’m not quite ready for summer to end. Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, but in actuality summer goes until September 22. So, to celebrate [and keep the feeling of summer alive as long as possible!], I decided to make some tropical granola. Because nothing is more summery than the tropics! 🙂 And, I have 10 pounds of oats from Costco to use up.

Sarah with 10 pounds of oatmeal. — 10 pounds! Gotta love bulk shopping.

Homemade granola sounds scary, but is actually really easy. I may never buy store-bought granola again. Feel free to mix and match based on your tastes and what’s in your pantry, and the seasons of course. I have some great ideas for wintery granolas…. yum!

Tropical Granola

Time: 60 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ
.81 ounces wheat bran [totally optional–I had a sample and just threw it in!]
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
2/3 cup coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon ginger + more for sprinkling
1 ripe banana, mashed
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white
1 1/2 cup dried fruit [I used about 3/4 cup chopped mango and 3/4 cup cubed papaya]
1 cup mixed nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. [Don’t follow my example with the Creamy Lemon Bars.:)]

In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In a 2 cup measuring cup, mash banana and then mix in applesauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and spread mixture into the prepared pans.

In a small bowl, whisk egg white until fluffy and frothy. Drizzle egg white over the granola mixture in the pans.

Pop pans in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and flip granola so it cooks evenly on all sides. You may also want to rotate the placement of pans in the oven based on how your oven cooks. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until your granola is crisp but not burned. I baked mine for 25 minutes and felt that it was too dark [at least the pan on the top rack], so next time I’ll probably take it out sooner.

Place pans on cooling racks to cool. Once granola is cool, mix in dried fruit and nuts and enjoy! I love mine as a topping over greek yogurt. Yum!

What are your favorite ways to enjoy granola?

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Cran-Oat Muffins

August 27, 2010June 4, 2015 Sarah

I love muffins. They’re just so easy and fun to eat. And they’re cute too. And yummy. On that note, I made muffins the other night.

These were great. Not my favorite muffins ever, but pretty darn close. [That title is reserved for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins which I will be making in the fall when pumpkin returns to the grocery stores… I can’t WAIT!] These muffins remind me of fall. Delicious spices, sweet-tart cranberries, and the texture of oats. Incredible.

Cran-Oat Muffins

Servings: 20
Time: 30 minutes
Print

from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours, adapted by OvenLove and me

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups unsweetened natural applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour [I used 3/4 cup all-purpose + 1/2 cup whole wheat]
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin tins with either paper or foil muffin cups, or if you’re fancy, use silicone muffin tins or cups. I would love these!

Or this:

Anyways… let’s get going on those muff muffs!

In a medium bowl, use a whisk to combine eggs, applesauce, oil, and buttermilk until combined. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated… for some reason I had troubles with that.

Then, using a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin pie spice. Remove 1/2 teaspoon of the dry ingredients and toss with the cranberries to coat. Mix oats and cranberries into the bowl. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups [I got about 20 muffins out of this batter].

Then, make the topping by stirring together the brown sugar, pecans, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Top each muffin with a teaspoon of topping and press down gently into the batter so it sticks. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes:

If I were to make these again, which I do want to do because they were delicious, I would probably decrease the amount of granulated sugar to 1/2 or 2/3 cup. I just thought they were way too sweet, especially with the brown sugar-based topping. Also, I’d increase the amount of cranberries to 3/4 cup. I wanted more! My husband agreed with the cranberry idea, but didn’t find these too sweet at all, so it’s all about personal taste I guess!