Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and what better way to get your nutrients than through a heart healthy bowl of oatmeal.  If you are finding oatmeal boring, this recipe might make you a convert.  Chockfull of oats, dried fruits, nuts, and baked in vanilla soy milk it’s full of skinny and flavorful ingredients.  The skinny on this oatmeal is 370 calories and 11.4 grams of fat due mostly to the good- for- you walnuts.  The full fat recipe has 533 calories and 25 grams of fat!

Prep Time and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 ¾ cup light vanilla soy milk or reduced-fat milk

2 tablespoons Benecol Light or reduced-fat butter

1 cup regular rolled oats

1/3 cup dried blueberries

1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries

1/3 cup raisins

3 tablespoons golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans

1 cup warmed light vanilla soy added before serving

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine soy milk, and Benecol or butter. Bring to a boil.  Stir in the rolled oats, dried blueberries, cherries, raisins, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon.  Cook while stirring for 1 minute.  Transfer mixture to the pan.

3. Bake uncovered, for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the nuts evenly over the top and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.

4. Spoon into serving bowls and top with ¼ cup of warm vanilla soy milk, if desired.

5. Baked Fruit and Nut Oatmeal will keep covered in the refrigerator for a few days.  Add the additional soy milk just before serving

Food Fact
Oats were originally used as a medicine and later became a bona fide foodstuff for the Scots, British, Germans, and Scandinavians.  The first Scottish settlers brought oats to the New World in the 1600’s.

Healthy Tip

Just a half cup of oatmeal offers five grams of heart healthy fiber and only 130 calories.  The fiber can help lower cholesterol and maintain a healthy body weight.  Oats are a good source of magnesium, iron, selenium and vitamin B1.

Ingredient Tip
Let’s talk about the oats.  Steel- cut contain the most nutritional benefits but they take up to 45 minutes to cook.  Quick oats (instant) cook in seconds but are extensively processed.  We found old fashioned rolled oats work best for this scrumptious breakfast dish. 

Shopping Tip
Most supermarkets carry vanilla soy milk.  Our favorite- Silk Light Vanilla Soy milk.  You’ll find it in the milk section.