Baked Oatmeal (gluten-free, dairy-free)

There are many baked oatmeal recipes floating around the culinary zeitgeist. Our two favorites came from an Amish farm and a B&B. The former required too much work and forethought, what with soaking oats overnight and taking about seven steps over several hours to accomplish our goal. The latter was easy-peasy, but it was"naughty." We have taken a good chunk of time figuring out our own, but after our girls gave us extra time this morning by waking us up extra early, I was given time for another stab at it.

The result was most pleasing! We discovered a Natasha-friendly and delicious treat that warmed us up on a cold morning. The "comfort food" aspect didn't hurt either, since at least I was out-of-sorts. It passed the fickle toddler taste-test, too! So, despite that I sent my sister-in-law an inferior incarnation of this recipe last week, we have finally arrived at the baked oatmeal recipe for us. (Note: I wouldn't ordinarily tell you to use blueberries out of season, but we froze several fresf ones back in the 2009 season.)

Baked Oatmeal
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8, give or take

3 cups Speerville rolled oats
3/4 cup cane juice crystals
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
2 cups (1 pint) plain soy yogurt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or other fruit, optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9X13 or large square baking pan.

Put everything except the fruit into a large bowl and mix well.

Fold in blueberries.

Pour batter into pan. Spread evenly. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until oatmeal is set and golden brown. Let cool for five minutes and serve warm.

(Note: This stores well for several days in the refigerator, so don't be afraid of leftovers.)