Oatmeal Brunch Casserole

found here

Not long after my husband was diagnosed with Diabetes, my sister gave us this cookbook.  I have been trying to go through my books and bookmark recipes I'd like to make, and one from here immediately caught my attention - 'oatmeal brunch casserole'.  I love oatmeal, and have posted several different ones on the blog, so bear with me.  Plus, it's good for you!  I just wish I could get my kids to eat it in some form other than a cookie.

Oatmeal Brunch Casserole- BHG Easy Diabetic Meals

for 2 servings - (my changes are in italics)

1 cup fat-free milk

1-1/2 tsp. margarine or butter *Smart Balance 50/50

1/2 cup regular rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped apple or pear *omitted

3 Tbsp. dried tart cherries or golden raisins *dried blueberries

2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. brown sugar

1. Lightly coat a 1-quart casserole with cooking spray; set aside.  In a small saucepan bring the mild and margarine to boiling.  Slowly stir in oats.  Stir in apple, dried cherries, dried blueberries, walnuts, vanilla, and salt.  Cook and stir until bubbly.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.  Pour into the prepared casserole.

2.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 munites.  Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Bake about 5 minutes more or until bubbly around edges.  Cool slightly.  If desired, serve the warm oatmeal with additional milk.

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This was good, but a little too sweet (even for me!) with the dried blueberries.  Next time, I would reduce the sugar or use the cherries, or a combination of dried fruit.  Also, it was kind of a lot of work for first thing in the morning.  I'm a grab and go kinda gal.  All this measuring of tiny amounts was not fun for me so early.  Can you guess I'm not a morning person?!

I decided to give the recipe another go, but mo'betta style.  (aka 'fast and easy' - and I'm only talking about my cooking here. haha)

This time I used my overnight oats 'recipe'.  The next morning I took my oats out of the fridge and added walnuts and brown sugar (I was out fruit!) and heated it for about 10 minutes at 350.  You'll start to smell the walnuts and the brown sugar will get nice and golden.  This was delicious and so much easier than the first version!  You may want to add a little more milk before heating, depending on the consistency you like your oatmeal.  The walnuts and flax seeds get nice and toasted in the oven, so there is no need to do that step ahead of time.  It's not exactly the same 'casserole' consistency, but it's still a good, baked oatmeal.

So there you have it, a quick and easy way to get a hot, healthy, filling and yummy breakfast!  Of course, you have to remember to prepare your oats the night before, which I forgot to do last night!

Also, just an FYI - it's probably not a good idea to stick a cold glass dish from the refrigerator straight into a hot oven.  If you are using glass, like I did, you can let it sit out a bit to get to room temp or put the dish into a cold oven and then start the oven preheating (which is what I did b/c I didn't want to wait!).  I've heard of glass exploding in the oven, which does not sound like a good way to start my morning, so be careful!

I'm linking up today with Tuesdays at the Table, Hearth and Soul Hop, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday,  Tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, From Mess Hall to Bistro, Tasty Tuesday,  Tasty Tuesday (For the Love of Blogs) & Let's Do Brunch!