Vegan Apple Pecan Oatmeal Bake

 

My breakfast conundrum never seems to cease!  That was until now.  I am always working on expanding my options and now I have found one of the perfect answers to my daily battle of what to eat for in the morning. This, my friends, is it!  I am officially obsessed with oatmeal bakes.  They are convenient, can be made in advance, are totally and completely versatile, take just a few minutes to whip up, are great on-the-go, taste oooh so delicious, are definitely nutritious,  and they are soft, chewy, and keep you full!  No need to battle the hungry horrors in the morning..just pack a square or two of these little guys and you are good to to start off your day.

I prefer to cut mine into 9 squares and usually bring 2 or 3 to work with me to snack on throughout the day.  I tend to be much more of a grazer when it comes to eating because my body feels better being replenished throughout the day on little healthy options than big meals only a few times a day.  I find when I eat little snacks throughout the day I am more alert, eat less, and make healthier decisions because I am not forcing my body to wait until "meal time".  They all tease me at work because I pack a ton of stuff to eat with me everyday.  Every morning I waltz in with my re-usable Trader Joe's bag in tow, which lately has been packed with oatmeal bake squares, hummus, cucumber slices, whole wheat pretzels, a smoothie, an apple, a banana or two, a bag of nuts, tea bags, sugar in the raw, a sammy, and well, you get the idea.  I know I know, that's a whole lotta food!  It's not that I end up eating it all throughout the day, but I really like having the variety to choose from.  Which is another reason why I love these oatmeal squares...there are SO many different ways you can prepare these.  And I can't wait to show you all the different types I try.  You may be seeing a lot of these in the near future. :)

Vegan Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bake

Ingredients:

• 2  cups uncooked quick-cooking oats
• 1/2  cup packed brown sugar (I love Trader Joe's brand!)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup cranberries (or craisins)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tbsp milled flax seed
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2  cups soy milk (or any other dairy-free milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 apple, grated
• 1  tablespoons Earth Balance, melted
• 2 tbsp apple sauce
• 1  Ener-G "egg"
• Cooking spray

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, cranberries, pecans, and baking powder; set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the soy milk, vanilla, grated apple, Earth Balance, and "egg". Add soy milk mixture to oat mixture; stir well. Pour oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. 
• Top with more pecans (optional) 
• 1/2 way through top with more craisins (optional)
• Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Yields: 9 servings 

Note: This recipe was adapted from one that uses milk, butter, and an egg where I substituted soy milk, Earth Balance, and an egg replacer.  Feel free to sub the original back in the amounts listed if you prefer!

Adapted from: Sweet Pea's Kitchen