Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats

Oatmeal is quickly becoming my breakfast obsession for the winter of 2012-13. I really don't remember what I did before I discovered the awesomeness that is steel cut oats. They're so versatile and I've been finding myself making all sorts of oatmeal concoctions in the slow cooker, on the stove top and now baked up in a warm and delicious casserole.

This, my friends, is what comfort food for breakfast looks like.  I decided to change things up a bit because I've been obsessively cooking with pumpkins and apples since September, so pears were my fruit of choice this time 'round. I combined fresh pears with cinnamon and Sucanat and the result was an ooey gooey fruit explosion tucked away under a hearty oatmeal topper.

Baked Cinnamon Pear Steel Cut Oats
Serves 4 - 5

2 large pears, chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c steel cut oats
2 c almond milk (or soy milk, coconut milk, dairy milk)
3 tbsp Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch sea salt

Preheat your oven to 400 and grease a medium-sized casserole dish.

Place the chopped pears in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the Sucanat and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Mix until the pears are well coated and pour into the bottom of the casserole dish.

Sprinkle the steel cut oats over the pears.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, the remaining cinnamon, Sucanat and vanilla. Pour over the oats and pears.

Cover your dish and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Ooey gooey goodness.

Top your oatmeal with your fave toppings such as maple syrup, chopped walnuts, coconut or raisins. My favourite way was to top it with some plain non-fat Greek yogourt drizzled with just a teeny weeny bit of maple syrup or honey.   

Store the leftovers in your refrigerator and re-heat in the microwave for a quick, CLEAN and healthy weekday breakfast.

What's your favourite oatmeal topping?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Make-Ahead Breakfast Strata

Hi! Sorry things have been quiet around these parts. The closer Christmas gets, the busier I seem to be.....I'm sure you can all relate, right?!

One of the things I've been busy at is menu planning. We're hosting our annual Christmas party on Saturday and our theme is the '80s, so I've been trying to come up with some '80s-themed food to serve. I'm thinking fondues, black forest cake, cake rolls and whatever other fun things I come up with this week!

Are you hosting any meals this holiday season? For me, it's all about planning ahead. I write my menu out, re-write and amend it as the date gets closer and then work away dish by dish when the big day finally arrives. Things that can be made ahead are always favourites because it helps to alleviate all the things that must be done at the last minute.

This breakfast strata is something that I often make when we're hosting a breakfast or brunch. My mom used to make something similar to this for Christmas morning, so I have a sentimental attachment to this dish, plus it's easy to throw together, can be customized with any veggies/meats that you like and can be made the night before ---- {WIN!}

Now you don't need a special occasion to make this; I made it this past weekend and now we have leftovers for breakfasts and/or lunches for the first part of this week.....and who's kidding who, Derek will be lucky to get even a bite. :-D

Make-Ahead Breakfast Strata
Serves 6

8 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 1/2 c baby spinach
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 large tomato, thinly sliced
2 c cheese
7 eggs
1 1/3 c milk
salt & pepper to taste

Choose a medium-sized casserole dish and spray with non-stick spray.

Layer your ingredients starting with half of the bread cubes, followed by all of the spinach, the mushrooms, tomato, 3/4 c of the shredded cheese and the remaining bread.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Pour your egg mixture over the entire casserole making sure to soak all of the bread. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the entire casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

About an hour and half before you are planning to eat, pre-heat your oven to 375. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes prior to serving.

The assembly looks something like this:

Make sure you let the casserole 'rest' before serving.

I usually give it 5 - 10 minutes before diving in.

I'm sure that you can cut it into lovely little wedges when you're serving it to guests, but we don't get too fancy and just scoop out big ol' portions at our house.

YUM!

Will you help me with my '80s menu? If you have any great dishes that were popular in that decade, give me some inspiration!!!

What's your favourite dish to serve for brunch?

Have a great day,

Andrea

xoxo

Warm You to the Soul Winter Vegetable Casserole

I don't know about you, but I am starting to tire of this cold wintery weather. The only thing that I miss once spring arrives is the warm comforting food that I make in the winter to warm us from the inside out. I just love root vegetables and chilis and stews and all the hot steamy bowls of heart-warming meals we have from December through to March!!

My grandma made a delicious vegetable casserole last week and I decided that I was going to put my spin on it and see what I came up with.

Warm You to the Soul Winter Vegetable Casserole
~ inspired by Grandma L.

2 large red skin potatoes, sliced
1 med butternut squash, peeled and sliced
2 leeks, white parts only, sliced
1 c. celery root, peeled and sliced
2 c. vegetable broth
3/4 c. unsweetened original almond milk (regular milk would work)
1/3 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
Topping:
1/4 c bread crumbs
2/3 c. walnuts
3 tbsp of Earth Balance, melted (butter would work as well)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a large casserole dish.

Mix potatoes, squash, leeks and celery root in a large bowl.

Doesn't that mix look divine???  

Next, in a large pot heat the vegetable broth, milk, half of the melted Earth Balance, rosemary, nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Whisk it all together to ensure it is well mixed.

Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until sauce has thickened - make sure you stir constantly because it will stick to the bottom.

This sauce thickens very quickly and it gets really thick, so if it gets too thick for your taste, just add a bit more almond milk.

This is the kind of creamy sauce that I like...yum yum!! It looks good enough to eat with a spoon!

Once the sauce has thickened, add it to your vegetables and mix well.

Pour the mixture into your casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your topping.

Add walnuts, breadcrumbs and remaining butter. Mix well.

After the casserole has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove and sprinkle on the topping.

Reduce heat in oven to 350 and bake an additional 40 - 45 minutes. Insert a knife into the middle of the casserole to ensure all of the veggies are soft. If not, you might need a few more baking minutes.

Once done, remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Doesn't this look fantastic??

This casserole is so delicious.I loved the taste and aroma of the rosemary and the crunchy walnuts just put it over the top. If you aren't a nut fan, you could probably doing a breadcrumb crust that would be just as fabulous! The smell in the kitchen was so mouthwatering, I could hardly wait the 5 minutes before digging in!

I was a little concerned about whether or not Derek would like this dish because he tells me that he likes his food "plain" and that I don't have to make things "fancy" for him (this is the guy that would eat a steak and microwaved 'baked' potato for every meal, so you can appreciate what I put up with ;-) Anyways, he absolutely loved it, so it is yet another keeper in my recipe vault. 

Between you & I, it wouldn't have been a heart breaker if he didn't like it ~ I would have been quite happy to eat the whole thing myself <sigh> ...I have issues :-)



Hope you had a happy & productive hump day...now we can all look forward to the weekend!

Andrea