Blueberry Coconut Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Do you know hard it was to get a picture of this stuff? Extremely hard. Mushy blue-purple oatmeal is not photogenic (at least not for me) no matter how you dish it. Calling it mushy isn't a negative by the way, it's just what it is as oatmeal. Thankfully the blueberry sauce, fresh berries, and coconut add enough of a diversion that you can maybe get past that to the recipe.

My son and husband loved this version of baked oatmeal. Me, not so much. How could I forget that I am not the biggest blueberry fan? Maybe I should clarify. Blueberry muffins or breads, sure. Fresh blueberries, yes. Cooked blueberries . . . no. I guess the title and the thought of making something different overpowered my memory. Maybe I thought the coconut flavor would be more dominant. I am not sure. What I do know is that this oatmeal is overpoweringly blueberry (at least overpowering for me), so if you are a blueberry fan then this would probably be a tasty dish for you. Enjoy!

Blueberry Coconut Baked Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Source: Family Fresh Cooking

Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups Steel-Cut Irish oats
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 cups light unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (could use frozen, do not thaw first)
1/4 cup unsweetened dried blueberries
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flake
natural sweetener to taste

Blueberry Sauce
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Optional Toppings
toasted nuts
coconut flake
whipped cream
extra blueberries (dried and fresh)
coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the center. Lightly coat a 13X9 baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all oatmeal ingredients in a large bowl, adding blueberries and coconut last. Sweeten to taste. Bake for about one hour. (The oatmeal will appear not done when you take it out of the oven.) Remove from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Put it in the refrigerator overnight for best results.

Reheat oatmeal. While reheating make the blueberry sauce. Heat the blueberries with a splash of water over medium high heat. When you hear them sizzle reduce heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes until a sauce consistency. Mash the blueberries against the side of the pan with a spatula, if necessary.

Scoop oatmeal into a dish. Top with blueberry sauce and optional toppings.

Makes 8-10 servings