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There are two qualities I like my breakfast to have on Christmas morning: easy and delicious. This year, I wanted to make something that was so tasty it could literally be served as a dessert and I think I have done just that. I tried not to get too carried away with sweetness, because even though Christmas is all about indulging, no one wants to start Christmas day off with a sugar headache.
So oatmeal it is! Oats are wonderful for sustained energy and paired with the healthy fats in this recipe from coconut milk and pecans, you’ve got two powerhouses to help maintain stable blood sugar levels – which we all need for a day of family and festivities. And don’t worry, it still tastes like dessert.
The main flavours in this oatmeal are mandarin, cranberry and wild blueberry – the three fruits that most remind me of Christmas. I figured most people have some combination of these fruits around during the holidays, so although these three work really well together in the oatmeal, (the tartness of the cranberries balance out the sweetness of the blueberries and mandarin) feel free to use what you have on hand. I also used pecans not only because they’re delicious and are my favourite nut to pair with oatmeal, but also because they’re a staple for many families during Christmas time. They pack a nice crunch to an otherwise very soft dish, so even if you don’t have pecans I would recommend topping this one with whatever nuts you have on hand!
Next I thought, what is more decadent and festive than salted caramel? This salty/sweet topping is the perfect contrast to the fruitiness below. And just because it’s Christmas and I wanna feel fancy, I topped it off with a dollop of vanilla vegan yogurt. My favourite plant based yogurt when I want something thick and dessert-y is a soy based yogurt, however the grocery store only had almond which worked just fine. The cold yogurt actually helps tone down the richness of this warm, flavourful dish so I would highly recommend not skipping this step. The yogurt to this oatmeal is like ice cream to a warm slice of pie.
Behind the scenes… Apparently cats like food styling.
I can’t take credit for the salted caramel topping. That one comes from the infamous Minimalist Baker. (Recipe here). I didn’t follow the recipe to a tee, I’ll admit. I just used the amount of dates that looked like it would produce the amount of caramel I wanted and then added water until I got the desired level of liquidity and salt until I got the taste right. I used my ninja and although it worked well, I think the texture would have been smoother had I not forgotten to soak my dates.
NOTE: You may have noticed in the photos, I have used a mini casserole dish. This is purely to avoid food waste when testing and photographing recipes! The recipe makes four times the amount of the mini one in the photos, so don’t worry, you can feed your whole fam.
Christmas Morning Baked Oatmeal: Cranberry, Mandarin, Blueberry with Date Salted Caramel
Happy Holidays and happy eating!