Blueberry Baked Buckwheat Oatmeal

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The past few warm, sunny days are a reminder that spring is right around the corner.  Things are starting to sprout and come back to life in the garden, including some very healthy looking weeds.  It won’t be long before berries are in full swing, so it’s a good time to start using any frozen berries you might still have to brighten up your meals.

I saw this recipe posted on The Kitchn a little while back, and couldn’t wait to try it.  Let’s just say there’s a whole lot to love here.  Cook once, eat several times…  use some of that stash of prized blueberries in your freezer…  could definitely double as dessert (think, scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt)…  fills whole house with yummy, toasty, freshly baked aroma… is fast, easy, and good for you…  and, ….   just plain delicious.  Plus, it has the added little “something” of buckwheat.  It gives it an all the more chewy texture that is so good when paired with baked fruit.   You might just like it so much that you’ll keep adding buckwheat whenever you make fruit crisps for dessert.  And despite the wheat in its name, buckwheat is not a grain.  It doesn’t even contain any wheat.  So, it’s gluten free!

I like the idea of leaving things unsweetened and letting everyone add whatever they like, so I did not add any maple syrup when I made this.  It still had a nice, baked consistency and it really brought out the flavor of the blueberries.  You could use any kind of milk you like.  I opted for the coconut milk, and stuck with coconut oil.  I even think you could add some coconut to the nut topping, and that would be really good, too.

You could use other fruit like peaches, apples, bananas, cherries, blackberries or even think about combining several kinds of fruit.  The original recipe called for almonds, but I couldn’t resist using hazelnuts.  (Mainly because I have a surplus of those, too, but also because they’re so very Northwest.)  And in the interest of honesty, I divided this into two baking dishes, because of nut allergies.  The nut-free version came out just fine, and the hazelnut version made me think about the other endless nut possibilities (walnut, pecan, macadamia?).  I do think some pumpkin or sunflower seeds would be good here, too, for anyone else who can’t eat nuts.

Make this for breakfast.  You’ll be glad you did.  If you are lucky enough to have some left over, no one will be the wiser if you pull it out for dessert.

 

Blueberry Baked Buckwheat Oatmeal

1 1/4 cups buckwheat groats
1 cup rolled oats (gluten free, if desired) 
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped hazelnuts, or sliced almonds, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup water (or milk)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
1/3 cup maple syrup, plus additional to serve
plain yogurt, to serve (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly oil or butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the buckwheat groats for about 1 minute, until they are broken up a bit, and many are split in half; coarsely ground and not flour-like.

In a large mixing bowl, combine buckwheat, oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir to combine.

Measure 1/2 cup water, or milk, in a 4 cup liquid measuring cup.  Add coconut milk, egg, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and maple syrup.  Whisk to combine.

Pour blueberries into prepared baking dish to cover entire bottom.  Top with buckwheat mixture.  Pour coconut mixture over all to cover evenly.  Top with remaining nuts.

Bake 45 minutes.  Increase heat to 400 degrees and continue baking until top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Serve with additional maple syrup and yogurt, if desired.

 

Notes:

You can find buckwheat groats in the bulk bins at specialty stores, like Whole Foods, or Bob’s Red Mill.   If you can’t find buckwheat, or want to make this recipe using just oats, decrease the amount of milk by 1/4 cup.

You can reduce the fat in this recipe by using light coconut milk, or reduced fat milk.