Coconut Peach Baked Oatmeal and The Giant Mechanical Man

Every once in awhile a movie comes along that really touches my heart, the kind of movie that makes me feel as though the director and screen writer created this movie with the specific intention of filling me with hope. The Giant Mechanical Man is one such movie. It has a great cast featuring Jenna Fisher, Chris Messina, Topher Grace and Malin Akerman to name a few. This movie will probably never win any awards, but if you can relate to the overwhelming feeling of adulthood when you haven't quite gotten it all figured out, I encourage you to check it out. It's on Netflix right now.

[photo]

I woke up this morning in the afterglow from the movie to a light layer of freshly fallen snow. So I wanted to make something for breakfast that echoed that feeling of comfort and warmth. What could be more comforting than baked oatmeal? The fact that I had beautifully ripened peaches in my refrigerator, made the idea all the more exciting. So with Andrew Belle serenading me, I got to work, trying out a new recipe.

Coconut Peach Baked Oatmeal
Inspired by: Green Kitchen Stories

• 1 1/2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 Cup Oat Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
• 1 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
• Pinch of Fine Sea Salt
• 1 Tablespoons Chia Seeds (plus 3 Tablespoons Water)
• 2 Cups Almond Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Melted Coconut Oil (plus some for greasing pan)
• 2-3 Well Ripened Peaches, chopped

[Feel free to substitute different fruit, nuts or non-dairy milk. You can also substitute ground flax-seeds for the chia seeds and honey or agave for the maple syrup. Use this recipe as a base and experiment with whatever you have in your kitchen!]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 8x8 pan with melted coconut oil and put to the side. In a small dish combine chia seeds with three tablespoons of water, stir and set aside. In a medium size mixing bowl combine oats, oat flour, almonds, walnuts, coconut, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and sea salt, mix well. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla extract, chia seed mixture and maple syrup, mix well. Add almond milk, mix again. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in chopped peaches. Pour batter into greased 8x8 pan. Drizzle the melted coconut oil over the top. Place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the surface is nice and toasted brown. Allow to cool for a couple minutes, serve and enjoy!

Happy Friday!

Peace & Love,

              Joy