Steel Cut Oatmeal and Fruit Bake

Steel Cut Oat Bake

I had a whole container of steel cut oats that I found when I cleaned out the pantry that I wanted to use.  Steel cut oats take much longer to cook than regular oatmeal and they are made on the stovetop, so I certainly wasn't going to make them each morning.  I figured the easiest way to prepare them would be in an oatmeal bake.  That way I could just scoop out portions into containers and take them into work each morning.  There are a few recipes floating around the web for this type of bake, but none looked particularly good to me (or included strawberries that I need to use up).  Oats that aren't certified gluten free can cause reaction with people with gluten allergies as studies show that they are easily cross-contaminated.  I usually use gluten-free oats, but these were bought well before I knew about my allergy.  I didn't have a reaction to these, but if you're concerned, you should use certified GF oats.  Sorry for the ugly pic - I'll take a better one next time.

Steel Cut Oat and Fruit Bake

2 cups steel cut oats (mine were from Trader Joes)
4 cups milk (non-dairy is fine)
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 banana
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (or blueberries)
handful of dried fruit
1 t. baking powder
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the oats and let soak for 10-20 minutes to soften.  Drain.  Stir together all ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Allow to cool and portion into containers.  In the morning, I just pour a little milk over my oats and microwave for 30-45 seconds (I don't like my food very hot).

Next time I'm going to stir in some eggs or egg whites to add some protein.