A vegan, egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free filling breakfast suitable for the entire family.
- ½ cup canola oil [120 mL] (or any kind of vegetable oil)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 cups old fashioned, rolled or large flake oats [330 g] (quick cooking oats would also work)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup fortified soy milk [240 mL] (or other fortified plant-based milk)
- ¼ cup brown sugar [50 g] (or chopped dates, honey, maple syrup or agave nectar)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce [120 mL]
- ½ cup raisins [70 g]
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 apple (peeled and diced)
- ½ cup cooked red lentils [90 g] (drained well of liquid)
- ¼ -1/2 cup fresh/frozen berries [weight varies]
- additional fresh fruit (e.g., mashed or chopped banana pieces, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, diced pears or apricots)
- ¼ cup additional dried fruit [weight varies] (e.g., chopped dates, apricots, currants, figs, cranberries or prunes)
- ½ cup chopped nuts [weight varies] (e.g, walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, pine nuts, almonds or hazelnuts)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
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Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
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Rinse a half cup of red lentils with water in a small pot. Drain the excess water, then refill the pot with about 2 cups of water. Heat the pot on a medium stove fire setting until pot contents are on a gentle boil. Turn down the fire and let cook with a gentle bubbling boil for about 10-15 minutes. Drain the cooked lentils well and set aside in a small bowl.
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Prepare the flax egg: mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water in a cup. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before whisking the mixture quickly for about 2-3 minutes.
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Mix all the base ingredients together (either the night before or the day of – see my additional notes in the article) and then add in at least 3-4 additional optional ingredients from the list!
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Bake in an 8 x 8 pan for 30 minutes. Remove immediately at the 30 minute mark and let cool slightly before serving.
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Portion into serving bowls. Eat the baked oatmeal by itself, or with a ½ cup of fortified plant-based milk poured over it, like a cold cereal!
Before baking, add a bit more fortified plant-based milk (if the mixture is looking very dry), and stir it in to mix well.
Don’t let the baked oatmeal overcook! Take it out exactly after 30 minutes.
I usually combine all the ingredients together the night before and let it sit in the fridge (this helps to soften the oats and also makes breakfast the next morning easier!). Then in the morning, when I’m preheating the oven, I just add in fresh chopped fruit to the mixture before baking it. That way, breakfast is ready in just about 30-40 minutes in the morning!