Photo by: Whole Foods Market

Now that about 12 unrelated people have asked me about baked oatmeal–and 1 of them even brought me a sample (yum!)–I decided to test it out for myself.

Oatmeal in itself (even the 1 1/2-minute-in-the-microwave-old-fashioned kind) can be too time-consuming in the morning (I know, what has our busy world come to?!). And as you smarties already know, oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain. Soluble Fiber is the champion at lowering bad LDL cholesterol. It works like this: Soluble fiber reduces the amount of bile reabsorbed in the intestines, which means more bile is excreted through bathroom activities. The liver panics and snatches LDL cholesterol out of the bloodstream to make more bile salts. Down goes your LDL cholesterol number, and your doc starts smiling again. Take home message: Eat more oats. Capiche?

Now back to the recipe at hand. This version takes about 40 minutes and can be made on a Sunday night and packaged up to be inhaled while biking, walking, or sleep-walking to work. It pretty much feels like an indulgent coffee cake. Have it for dessert!

Modified from the original version on About.com here, this one has less sugar and all the taste.

All-The-Rage Baked Oatmeal
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

3 Tbsp flaxseed meal (finely ground flax seeds)
1/4 cup warm filtered water
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (optional)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy milk
2 Tbsp melted Earth Balance margarine
1/2 cup fresh blueberries (preferably organic)
6 chopped fresh strawberries (preferably organic)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil an 8″ square or round baking pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flax meal with the warm water until the mixture forms a gel (about 5 minutes). Set aside.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the quick-cooking oats, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ginger. Set aside.  In another small mixing bowl, whisk together the almond milk and melted margarine. Add this to the dry ingredients, followed by the flax mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and strawberries until evenly distributed.

4. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Cut into 8 squares and serve warm with almond milk or soy milk.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING (including brown sugar): 219 calories, 6 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 48 g carbohydrate, 5.5 g fiber, 20 g sugar, 5.5 g protein, 1.5% vitamin A, 10.5% vitamin C, 13.5% calcium, 14% iron.

Leave the brown sugar out for an even lower sugar version. Enjoy this with herbal tea and more fruit for a high-powered way to start the day. Happy oat-ing!