Nathalie’s baked oats

It can be difficult to organise time with family and friends following the various get-togethers of the holiday season. And whether you’re the host or the guest, an often-forgotten meal is breakfast. Hosting a breakfast, with a table of delicious sharing dishes, is one of my favourite ways to gather loved ones, and make sure we’re set up for the day or weekend ahead.

My go-to recipe when hosting is baked oat pots. They’re packed full of warming spices that I guarantee will leave no crumbs!

Winter baked oat pots

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 small bananas, mashed
• 3 apples, cored, peeled and grated
• Zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 225g gluten-free oat flour or ground oats
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 300ml plant-based milk

To serve 

• Greek or coconut yoghurt
• Chopped festive nuts, such as pecans or walnuts
• Dried fruit, such as cranberries, sultanas, apricots
• Sliced apple

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°, gas mark 4.
2. Grease 6 small ramekin dishes with olive oil (or my personal choice is to use grease-proof paper) to prevent the mixture from sticking to the side of the dish.  
3. Start by mashing the banana and mixing in the grated apple and orange zest. 
4. Mix in the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and mixed spice.
5. Lastly, add the plant milk and fully combine to make a thick batter.  
6. Divide the batter equally between all the ramekins. 
7. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until risen and golden brown on the top. 
8. While warm, gently prick the top of the oats with a fork and drizzle over the orange juice. Let the orange juice soak in the oats for a couple of minutes before serving.
9. Guests can choose their toppings: dried fruit, nuts, chopped apple and/or yoghurt.  

The healthy bit 

I am a big fan of oats! They have an excellent nutritional composition – rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium, with additional benefits related to their bioactive compounds (phenolic acids, sterols, and beta-glucans). The consumption of oats has been determined to be beneficial for human health by promoting immunomodulation and improving the gut microbiota. In addition, eating oats may assist in preventing diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypercholesterolaemia, and colon cancer.

Beta-glucans have proven cholesterol-lowering and antidiabetic effects, encouraging healthy satiety, so we feel fuller for longer. This means less mindless snacking during the day – which can sometimes be a good thing over the winter period when temptations are high!

Beta-glucan fibre also remains in the digestive tract, meaning stools can move more quickly and are easier to pass, so it’s a great preventative measure for constipation. Not only this, but studies also show that the breakdown and fermentation of oat fibre can increase the diversity of the gut microbiome.

Like oats, apples also contain prebiotics, as well as polyphenols which are again very protective of the gut. Finally, I love not only the flavour of cinnamon but its various benefits in stabilising our blood sugar levels. What a great way to start the day! 

This article was published in Happiful Magazine (Issue 80). You can order print copies online, or read the e-magazine for free on the Happiful app. 

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