Oat of this World!

Fiocchi d'Avena al Forno con Banana, Yogurt, Mirtilli e Cocco
Baked Oatmeal with Banana, Yoghurt, Cranberry & Coconut

It's breakfast time again! And I am thinking of making my usual favorite of oatmeal with coconut and chopped banana... and at the same time thinking, there must be more to life than this! So I decided to "pimp my breakfast" and to "take it to the next level", as our younger folk might say. Well let me tell you... this oven-baked version was indeed out of this world!

The great thing is, that it takes no longer to prepare than regular oatmeal really- and you don't need to be stuck at the stove-top stirring away the whole time. I made one individual serving, but I am sure you could make this on a deep baking tray or in a ceramic dish for the whole family just as well... and it was as easy as this to make...

I mixed together 4 tablespoons of oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes, 1 tablespoon of dried cranberries and 1 tablespoon of light raisins in a bowl and added 1 cup of milk. I sweetened it with a half teaspoon of Stevia and added a half teaspoon of vanilla essence and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon... oh- and that all-important pinch of salt!

Once the milk had been soaked-up by the oatmeal, I added 2 tablepoons of chopped banana and 3 tablepoons of plain yogurt, stirred it well and spooned it into a lightly buttered oven-proof dish. I placed a few slices of banana on top decoratively and then popped it into the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I drizzled it lightly with honey and returned it to the oven for a further 2-3 minutes under the broiler to give it a crispy, caramel crust... delicious! Inside it was lightly firm but moist and chewy... the banana was hot and creamy and the cranberries and raisins made it fruity and more fun... Now THAT'S what I call breakfast!