Vegan carrot cake baked oatmeal

I have a birthday weekend coming up and I have to say that I’m at the age where I’m just not that into the festivities.  I would really like a little time to spend by myself in the garden planting the rest of the vegetable garden.  I find I miss spending time by myself.  Working with my husband means that we are together pretty much all the time and while it’s great to have a flexible schedule and spend time with each other I crave a little solitude once in awhile.  I miss the ability to meander.  I think you know what I mean, shopping with my husband usually entails me running in and making my purchases as quickly and efficiently as possible, no lingering.  I think I’m going to try and find a little me time this weekend and do all the things that I can’t when I’m with my family.  Maybe I’ll get up and head to the farmer’s market and then stay downtown and visit some of my favorite shops and grab a really good cup of coffee.

Breakfast recipes that I can make in advance and have on hand for a few days are a plus since I am not at my best first thing in the morning.  Baked oatmeal is a great option for making ahead and you can just warm it up when you are ready to eat it. This is a tropical spin on carrot cake with lots of pineapple and toasted coconut.  If you’ve tried my baked coconut oatmeal this is a vegan variation that I love just as much if not more.  I like to serve it with some maple cashew cream but it’s delicious with or without it.      

Vegan carrot cake baked oatmeal

Ingredients:

for the baked oatmeal:

• 2 cups almond milk
• 3 tablespoons flax seed meal
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup millet
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed shredded carrot
• 8 oz can of crushed pineapple
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

for the maple cashew cream:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• pinch of salt

Method:

Combine the almond milk with the flax seed meal and set aside for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8″ x 11″ rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, millet, chia seeds, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.

Pour the almond milk mixture into a large bowl and add the carrots, pineapple, maple syrup, vanilla and ginger and mix to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out with a spoon.  Bake uncovered for 35 minutes until lightly golden brown.  The oatmeal will still be a bit soft in the center but will set as it cools.

Pour a little almond milk over the top and garnish with maple cashew cream, a drizzle of maple syrup and some extra coconut and walnuts.

The oatmeal will keep in the fridge or 3-4 days or you can freeze it up to a month.

For the maple cashew cream:

Cover the cashews with cold water and let them sit for at least one hour or up to overnight.

Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the cashews, maple syrup, almond milk, whole vanilla bean, and salt in a blender and blend until creamy and smooth.