This is a great fall breakfast, and it’s easy to make ahead and freeze and then reheat. Supposedly adding a little flour when soaking the oats helps reduce the phytates further, so I add a little spelt flour. If you are gluten-free, you can leave it out; it doesn’t affect the recipe.
If you like the oatmeal sweeter, use the larger amount of maple syrup. I like to use less and let people add a little as desired to their oatmeal.
2 cups oats (if gluten-free, get GF certified oats)
2 Tbsp spelt flour (optional, leave out for gluten-free)
2 cups kefir
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/4 tsp dried cranberries or raisins
1 apple, diced
1 cup cooked mashed pumpkin
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
3 Tbsp coconut oil
The night before, soak the oats and flour (if using) in the kefir. In the morning, heat the oven to 350 and put the coconut oil in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Add spices, baking powder, salt, apple, and cranberries or raisins to oat mixture. Stir well. Mix in the pumpkin, maple syrup, and eggs. Take the dish out of the oven; the coconut oil should be melted. Swirl it around the pan to grease it, then mix into oat mixture and then spread oat mixture into the pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes (test with knife or toothpick to make sure it comes back clean).