banana protein muffins (gluten free)

let's be honest right up front: these muffins are not attractive.  in fact, they're pretty ugly as far as muffins are concerned . . . but this is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover" or in this instance, "please don't judge my unattractive muffins before you taste them!"

i found a variation of this recipe on instagram and i was intrigued because it incorporated banana, greek yogurt, almond meal, and coconut sugar.  those ingredients got me inspired.  i ended up making a bunch of changes, but still keeping the original essence of these muffins.  i created my own version which i'm calling "banana protein muffins" because they're packed full of protein thanks to the yogurt, two types of nuts, flaxseed, and powdered peanut butter.

i like that this is a mini recipe and only makes 6 muffins.  that way you don't have to commit to having a ton of muffins sitting on your kitchen counter looking at you.  i know they're ugly, but gosh, they sure are delicious!

banana protein muffins

prep time: 5 minutes

baking time: 25-27 minutes

yields: 6 muffins

adapted from dessert for two

ingredients:

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup oats

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup coconut sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line six muffin cups with paper liners.  in a food processor, combine the peanuts, cashews, oats, and flaxseed meal.  pulse until finely ground.  add the mixture to a large bowl along with the powdered peanut butter, mashed banana, yogurt, and sugar.  mix well until combined.

scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups and bake for 25-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.  allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and allowing them to finish cooling on a wire rack.

enjoy!

love, laurie

honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola

we like having granola on hand around the house to snack on and to put onto yogurt.  i threw together a batch of this granola over the weekend so that we would have it to snack on during the week.  i was originally intending to make this batch into granola bars, but they didn't want to stick together so it just became loose granola.  oh well, still tastes the same!

honey pistachio cashew cranberry granola
total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
yields: approximatley 3 cups
adapted from table for two

ingredients:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions:
in a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, cranberries, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.  in a sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and the honey together until it comes to a boil.  remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together until all is evenly coated.  pour out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and allow to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

enjoy!

love, laurie

buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate (vegan + gluten free)

this weekend was packed.  on friday night after work, we headed over to a family friend's house to help out with a few chores such as moving boxes, cleaning furniture, and doing some touch-up paint on the outside of her house.  on saturday, we ran some errands and then met up with my parents to cool off a local water park since we were in the middle of a heatwave.  on sunday, we spent the majority of the day outside at a work function for ryan.  luckily, in the midst of all of that, we carved out a little time on sunday morning to have a peaceful breakfast in our pajamas on the back porch.

we had a very ripe banana sitting on the kitchen counter that needed to be used up, so we found a good use for it in some pancakes.  it has been a long while since the last time we made buckwheat pancakes, and we had some buckwheat leftover in the pantry, so we pulled it out and put it to use.

these pancakes are exactly what sunday morning pancakes should be.  mashed banana acts as the base and combines perfectly with buckwheat, oats, and dark chocolate.  oh my goodness, these pancakes were so good!  we were both so impressed by how tasty they were.  (guess what?  they're vegan and gluten free too!)

buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from yammie's noshery

ingredients:
1 large ripe banana
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

directions:
in a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork.  add the milk and vanilla.  stir with the fork until combined.  add the buckwheat, oats, baking powder and salt.  stir just until combined.  fold in the chocolate chips.

heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.  cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 3 minutes until they are dark and cooked throughout.  serve warm, topped with additional chocolate chips, sliced banana, and warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

carrot cake oatmeal (vegan + gluten free)

every spring i crave carrot cake.  it's a classic dessert that is so full of flavor and it always makes me think of the spring because we typically have it around easter.  easter was so early this year that it didn't really feel like spring, but now that the trees and flowers are starting to bloom, it now feels like carrot cake season.

carrot cake isn't just for dessert.  we've made carrot cake pancakes in the past, so it was about time that we incorporated carrot cake into breakfast somehow again.  thus, carrot cake oatmeal!

this oatmeal is absolutely delicious.  it has such great flavor from the carrots, coconut, raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon.  it isn't too sweet which makes it perfect for breakfast.  the best part is that it is vegan and gluten free too!  it is super easy to throw together, which makes it the perfect treat to kick off a spring morning.

carrot cake oatmeal
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 15 minutes
yields: 2 servings

ingredients:
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, coursely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups water or non-dairy milk
1 cup old-fashioned oats

directions:
in a skillet melt the coconut oil over medium heat.  add the grated carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes.  add the brown sugar, coconut, raisins, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon.  saute until the carrots are tender.  meanwhile, bring the water/milk to a boil in a sauce pan.  stir in the oats and reduce the heat to medium-low.  cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the oats have absorbed the water.  remove from the heat and stir in the carrot mixture.  add more cinnamon to taste.  serve warm.

enjoy!

love, laurie

apple cinnamon oatmeal smoothie {vegan + gluten free}

even though it's not really apple season, i bought a humongous bag of empire apples at the grocery store recently.  we've been juicing them, eating them with peanut butter, adding them to salads, and putting them in pancakes.  however, there are still several apples left.  i'm starting to think that they are multiplying on my kitchen counter.

yesterday i was looking for a way to use up another apple before the remaining apples go bad.  what haven't i done with these apple yet?  put them in smoothies!

peeled, cored, and diced, these apples went right into the blender along with oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, cashew butter, cinnamon, and almond milk.

the result was an awesome smoothie that tasted just like apple cinnamon oatmeal.

this glorious smoothie could be anything you want it to be.  it's not sweet so it could definitely be a breakfast smoothie, yet you could treat it as dessert if you wanted.

it's good for you since it's packed with protein and fiber.  it's thick, creamy, delicious, and really filling.  hey, this smoothie is vegan and gluten free too!

apple cinnamon oatmeal smoothie
total time: 5 minutes:
yields: 1 smoothie

ingredients:
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups almond milk
1 medium apple
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon cashew butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon agave nectar
5 ice cubes

directions:
combine oats and almond milk in a blender and let sit for a few moments so that the oats can absorb the milk.  meanwhile, peel, core, and dice the apple.  add the diced apple to the blender along with the chia seeds, flax seeds, cashew butter, cinnamon, agave, and ice.  blend until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

chai spice oat waffles

the long three-day weekend was wonderful.  we thoroughly enjoyed being able to sleep in, spend some time with our families, and relax around the house with leko.  it was really hard to convince myself that i actually had to go to work this morning.

we had no where to be on sunday morning.  after we finally got ourselves out of bed, we headed downstairs for a lazy and slow sunday morning breakfast in our pajamas.

cold january weekend mornings call for a warm comforting breakfast.  these waffles were the perfect thing.  oat flour gives them a great texture, buttermilk gives them a great flavor, and the chai spices make them so delicious.  they are so easy to whip up and they make the whole house smell wonderful as they are cooking too!

chai spice oat waffles
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: 2 large servings
adapted from annie's eats

ingredients:
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

directions:
preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.  grind oats in a food processor until very fine.  in a large bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and spices.  stir to combine.  add the milk, egg, and vanilla.  whisk well.  stir in the melted butter.  pour enough batter into the waffle iron to just barely cover the waffle grid.  cook 4-5 minutes, or until the waffles are golden brown.  once cooked, transfer the waffles to a cooling rack while you prepare the remaining waffles.  serve warm, topped with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

triple apple oat muffins

i needed to throw together a quick treat for a co-worker's birthday this week.  i was short on time, so i decided to whip up a batch of muffins.

it just so happened that we had a bowl full of fresh apples sitting on our kitchen table.  we also had a fresh container of apple cider in the fridge as well as some homemade applesauce in there too.  thus, triple apple oat muffins!

these muffins have such an amazing apple flavor.  how could they not?  they are really packed full of apple goodness!  they have diced apples, applesauce, and apple cider in them.  it's not possible to get much more apple favor than that!

the muffins have pieces of apples in every bite and they are wonderfully moist.  the oats give them a little something special too.  they are the perfect fall treat!

triple apple oat muffins
prep time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
baking time: 20 minutes
yields: 12-14 muffins
adapted from annie's eats

ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 medium apples
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup old fashioned oats

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat.  swirl occasionally until the butter is a deep golden brown color, be careful to to burn it.  once browned, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

peel, core, and dice the apples.  add the apples to a skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the apple cider, 1/4 of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg.  cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened (about 8-10 minutes). remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, vanilla, applesauce, egg, and remaining 1/3 cup of the apple cider.  mix in the cooled melted butter.  in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, allspice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.  add the sifted dry ingredients all at once to the batter along with the oats.  mix just until combined.  use a spatula to fold in the cooked apples.

scoop the batter into the cups of a greased muffin pan.  top with a few oats.  bake for 20 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.  allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies

i needed to make a quick dessert to take into work this week for a co-worker's birthday.  (it seems like it's always someone's birthday in our office!)  i knew that i had oats, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips in the pantry, so i decided to make a batch of cookies with those ingredients since i had them on hand.  the result was a delicious cookie with great flavor.  it was a huge hit with my co-workers too!

oatmeal cranberry white chocolate chip cookies
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 12-14 minutes
yields: 18 cookies
adapted from cooking classy

ingredients:
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  beat in the egg.  add the vanilla and mix well.  in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  add the flour mixture to the butter, along with the oats.  mix until incorporated.  fold in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.  roll the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  use a flat-bottomed glass to gently press the cookie dough balls into disks.  bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly golden.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

enjoy!

love, laurie

oatmeal yogurt chocolate chip pancakes

pancakes are always a good idea.  you simply can't go wrong with pancakes in our house.

these pancakes are loaded with oats, yogurt, and chocolate chips.  the oatmeal gives these pancakes a nice texture, while the greek yogurt makes them nice and fluffy.  and the chocolate chips?  well, they make them just a little bit naughty.

oatmeal yogurt chocolate chip pancakes
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from damn delicious

ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

directions:
combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  in a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, milk, and egg.  add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  stir in the melted butter.  fold in the chocolate chips.  heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle for medium pancakes.  cook for 3 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 2-3 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  once cooked, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancake batter.  serve warm with warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

coconut mango oatmeal

we love fun breakfasts on weekend mornings, but sometimes we need a break from all of the pancakes and waffles that we make. the other morning,  i was in the mood for something tropical for breakfast, so i got the idea of making a tropical-style oatmeal.

i made a batch of oatmeal and mixed in some honey, diced mango, and roasted coconut chips.  instead of regular milk, i made the oatmeal with almond milk.  so, it was dairy free and vegan!

the coconut mango oatmeal was so good, we absolutely loved it.  it had such a great flavor, and just a little bit of sweetness.  it was super easy to make and only took a few minutes.  a perfect breakfast for a dreary cold morning.

coconut mango oatmeal
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 5-7 minutes
yields: 2 servings

ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup roasted coconut chips
1 mango, diced

directions:
bring the almond milk to a boil in a sauce pan.  stir in the oats and reduce the heat to medium.  cook for 5 minutes, until the oats have absorbed the almond milk.  remove from the heat and stir in the honey, coconut, and mango.  let sit for 2 minutes, until the coconut chips have softened.  serve warm.

recipe note:
the roasted coconut chips are unsweetened.  if you substitute sweetened shredded coconut for the roasted coconut chips, simply omit the honey, otherwise the oatmeal will be overly sweet.

enjoy!

love, laurie

oatmeal cookies with coconut, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips

i've mentioned before that i teach college courses at a local university.  last week i had to keep my grad students late after class since we had a ton of presentations to get through in our very large over-enrolled class.  i felt bad for them for having to stay so late, so i baked a batch of classic chocolate chip cookies and took them into class for my students.  they went wild over the cookies, and absolutely loved them.

one of my undergrad classes happened to hear that i baked cookies for my grad class, and they were jealous.  so, to keep the peace, i baked a batch of cookies and took them into class for my undergrad students.  instead of making chocolate chip cookies again, i made oatmeal cookies with coconut, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips.

oh my goodness, these cookies were so incredibly good!  ryan came home as the cookies were cooling on the kitchen counter and of course he had to dive right into them.  the combination of the oats, coconut, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips was awesome!

somehow class is just so much more fun with a batch of cookies!  (i hope they don't expect me to bring cookies to every class now!)

oatmeal cookies with coconut, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 20-22 minutes
yields: 20 large cookies
adapted from our best bites

ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips

directions:
preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until combined.  add the egg and egg yolk and beat well.  mix in the vanilla.  in a separate bow, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  add half of the sifted flour mixture to the batter and beat just until combined.  add the remaining flour mixture and beat.  mix in the oats and the coconut.  fold in the dried cranberries and chocolate chips.

line a baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop 3 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheet for large cookies (be sure to space apart the cookie dough balls since they will spread as they bake.)  bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown.  once baked, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

mini oatmeal flax seed muffins with chocolate chips

for mother's day brunch this past weekend we made two different types of mini muffins.  in addition to our mini banana walnut muffins, we also made mini oatmeal flax seed muffins with chocolate chips.

these muffins are hearty muffins . . . and they are (mostly) healthy for you too!

they remind me a little bit of bran muffins.  they have a mixture of white whole-wheat flour and all-purpose flour.  they are loaded with oats and ground flax seed meal too.  there is also just a hint of coffee in them which adds a great flavor.

to make them just a little bit naughty, we added big chocolate chunks to them.  these muffins were super easy to make, and they were ready in no time.  they were a great addition to our brunch menu!

mini oatmeal flax seed muffins with chocolate chips
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 16-18 minutes
yields: 12 mini muffins
adapted from pastry affair

ingredients:
1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed meal
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon decaffeinated instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in a large bowl, sift together both flours.  add the flax seed meal, oats, sugar, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt.  stir to combine the dry ingredients.  add the milk, oil, and egg to the dry ingredients and mix well until all of the ingredients are evenly combined.  stir in the chocolate chunks.

spoon the batter (approximately 1 tablespoon per mini muffin) into a well-greased mini muffin pan.  optional: sprinkle additional oats on top of the muffins.  bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.  once baked, allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

oatmeal-applesauce cookies with maple glaze

today, i'm guest posting over on lauren's blog choosing joy and i'm sharing this cookie recipe!

traditional oatmeal cookies are a favorite of mine for sure.  however, from time to time, i like to switch things up a bit when it comes to traditional recipes.  i made these oatmeal-applesauce cookies and took them to work recently for my co-worker's birthday.  the addition of the applesauce makes these cookies soft.  they are different than traditional oatmeal cookies since they have a cake-like consistency.  the glaze gives them a bit of sweetness without being overpowering too.  everyone at work loved them as a little snack to go along with their morning cup of coffee.

be sure to check out my guest post and recipe here!

oatmeal-applesauce cookies with maple glaze
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 14-15 minutes
yields: approximately 20 cookies
adapted from martha stewart

cookie ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened natural applesauce
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

glaze ingredients:
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar
cold water

directions:
to make the cookies: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until combined.  add the egg and applesauce and beat for 2-3 minutes.  in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  add the sifted flour mixture to the batter along with the oats and mix until combined.  line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and scoop 1 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheet.  bake for 14-15 minutes, until the cookies are golden.  allow the cookies to cool completely before drizzling them with the glaze.

to make the glaze: whisk together the maple syrup and the powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of cold water. add additional water as needed to reach the desired glaze consistency.  drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies, and let the glaze dry completely before serving.

enjoy!

love, laurie

baked and bruleed pumpkin spice oatmeal

over the weekend we created a new fall breakfast recipe: baked and bruleed pumpkin spice oatmeal.  normally, we are not huge fans of oatmeal since it tends to be bland and boring.  however, we feel completely different about this oatmeal.

this oatmeal has pumpkin, spices, and brown sugar in it, and it is baked instead of cooked on the stove.  we used our kitchen torch in order to create a bruleed brown sugar topping on this oatmeal that is reminiscent of creme brulee, without being as sweet as its dessert counterpart.

we enjoyed our baked and bruleed pumpkin spice oatmeal straight out of the oven while still in our pajamas.  you could top off this oatmeal with nuts, milk, maple syrup, or whipped cream, but i'm telling you it's not necessary.  it's really perfect just the way it is.

if you want a breakfast dish that will wow your family and friends, this is it.  this is totally not your grandmother's oatmeal recipe.

baked and bruleed pumpkin spice oatmeal
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 25 minutes
yields: 4 large servings

ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (divided)
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, vanilla, eggs, spices, baking powder, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, until all of the ingredients are well combined.  stir in the oats, making sure that the oats are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.  pour the oatmeal mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, and bake for 25 minutes.

remove from the oven, and sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of brown sugar evenly over the top of the oatmeal.  using a kitchen torch, brulee the brown sugar on top of the oatmeal.  (alternately, an oven broiler could be used.)  while bruleeing the brown sugar, watch carefully to make sure that the sugar does not burn.  serve hot.  optional toppings include: nuts, milk, maple syrup, or whipped cream.

enjoy!

love, laurie