Since I can't exercise post-surgery I'm baking a lot less but still getting cravings. I decided to finally give some of the vegan oat-bake recipes a try. I have been really pleased by the results! I plan to keep this up especially since they are so easily made the night before and portion out in the morning.
The first was a
banana-berry bake. I combined a couple different recipes, below is what I ended up with. Here's
a link (Instagram and has sound so be prepared to pause/mute) which gives an idea of what the final product will look like but her ingredient ratios/amounts listed seem wrong and I don't see a need for greasing with coconut oil, things came out of the pan just fine. Also coconut oil tastes and smells gross to me.
2 bananas
60g rolled oats
150mL plant milk (I use unsweetened cashew milk)
3 teaspoons Chia seeds*
300g frozen berries
Stir Chia seeds into milk, set aside
Preheat oven to 350F
Smash bananas in dish to cover the bottom (I used an 8x8 Pyrex)
Layer oats on top
Pour in milk/Chia mixture
Sprinkle berries on top in even layer
Bake 25-30min, let cool, store in fridge overnight.
This came out soft and porridge-like which was a fantastic cold breakfast for a hot summer morning, we're going to keep this up for sure. But I also want to try it again after baking a bit longer and havi
ng it crispy and hot for dessert or when it's cooler in the mornings.
*Chia seeds are optional but add a nice bit of fiber and texture. It's also amazing how much cheaper they've gotten in the last 10 years or so, I remember when a bag was about $20/lb so we'd never get them. Last weekend we got some in the bulk section of the grocery store for $3/lb!
Second was a Carrot Cake Oat Bake, I combined these (again, Instagram and noisy, sorry)
two recipes, picture below. I loved the "cake" part in both recipes however I fell off the wagon when I saw both of those vegan frostings. So I said fuck it and made a half batch of
this cream cheese frosting which was
still too much frosting but oh well I tried.
Even without the frosting this is more of a treat but is still so much easier to make than a normal carrot cake while satisfying a craving. I'll definitely do it again.