Warm Baked Autumn Oatmeal

Once I find myself craving oatmeal, I know that cooler weather has finally started to arrive. I found this recipe in the newspaper my husband is interning at, and it sounded so tasty I couldn't wait to make it this weekend. It is made with old-fashioned rolled oats, and it takes a bit more time to cook than instant oatmeal, but the flavors are so much richer...not to mention the lack of added salt, sugar and other added ingredients found in processed foods.

I added dried cranberries, but this is a pretty versatile recipe, so you can experiment with different fruit, nuts, and spices to your liking.

Warm Baked Autumn Oatmeal
Ogden Standard-Examiner

1 3/4 cup water
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup milk
4-oz. carton egg substitute (I used two eggs)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried fruit bits
Non-fat vanilla yogurt, optional
Chopped, toasted pecans, optional (I omitted as I didn't have any)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and 8x8 inch square baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

Place water in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in oats and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg, and set aside.

Add brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to oats; stir well. Blend in milk mixture and dried fruit bits. Pour into prepared dish.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until center is just set. Allow to cool 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Spoon into individual serving dishes. If desired, dollop each with about a tablespoon of nonfat vanilla yogurt, then sprinkle with chopped, toasted pecans.

Serves 6.