Baked Oatmeal

I know I have been posting with a vengeance but I have to catch up one way or another with all these yummy recipes. I have had to tweak my diet quite a bit since my gall bladder has decided to quit working. So some of these recipes I have found healthier ingredient options for. This is one of them and it still tastes JUST as good as the original. By the way, if none of you have ever tried baked oatmeal-- it is such a delicious way to eat your oatmeal. You just make it up the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight with saran wrap. Then get up in the morning, take the saran wrap off, set it in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. It will warm up as the oven warms up so it won't crack your dish. So I'll give you the original dish and the additional options on the side so you can take your pick.

Baked Oatmeal

2 1/4 c. quick cooking oats *use if you are making and baking right away
(or 2 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats) *use if you are making and baking in the morning
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar (1/3 c. brown sugar or 3 T. pure maple syrup)
1 t. baking powder
3/4 c. raisins (or cranberries)
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced (or peaches or strawberries or blueberries)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (I use 3/4 c.-- I like it crunchy!)
1-2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
3 1/3 c. skim milk (3 1/3 c. soy milk if you prefer)
1/2 c. butter (1 t. safflower or coconut oil w/ 1/2 c. applesauce)
4 egg whites (1 mashed banana)
1 t. vanilla extract
milk, yogurt, cream, sugar, and/or fruit for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8" square glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, apples, walnuts, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix well.

In a medium bowl, combine milk, butter, egg whites, and vanilla and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended.

Pour into the baking dish and bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes depending on what consistency you want to end up with. I like mine well set with a little crunch around the edges, but so it is still moist inside, just a tad over 50 minutes. Cool slightly.

Serve topped with milk or cream or sugar or yogurt and fruit, whatever you want. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.