Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal

When the end of summer rolls around, I am eager to see the weather cool down (I know I'm not alone in this), but I'm not as eager to say goodbye to all the produce that's been readily available for the past few months.  Don't get me wrong--I adore fall produce (and we'll celebrate it plenty here on the Nourished! Recipes page in just a few short weeks...don't you worry).  However, nothing really compares with the bold flavors of summer.  I would say that summer produce, unlike any other time of year, sings on it's own.  What I mean by that is while we may need to dress up squash with oils, spices, and proteins in the winter and while we may need to roast asparagus with garlic and lemon in the spring...come summer time, items like tomatoes, stone fruit, berries, melon, and avocados are amazing on their own.

Now that I've declared my love for summer produce for the thousandth time this year, I'm squeezing one more peach recipe into the arsenal before the close of this marvelously sunny season.  And while peaches are one of those fruits that stand on their own quite nicely, we will be dressing them up a bit for the sake of today's dish.  I can't wait for you to taste this Peaches and Cream Oatmeal!  Now when I say cream, I'm actually referring to the creaminess of the oat milk you'll use in this recipe.  I find oat milk thick and delicious (not particularly on its own, but in a recipe--yes!).  And while you can certainly swap the oat milk for dairy and the flax eggs for actual eggs, this baked oatmeal serves as a lovely vegan option on its own.  In fact, serve it with a dollop of coconut cream if you want to really play up the dish's name.  Enjoy!

Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal
     Serves 8
3 c chopped peaches, divided
3 flax eggs (1 flax egg=1 T ground flaxseed + 2 T water, whisked)
2 c oat milk
1/3 c maple syrup
2 T oil 
2 t vanilla extract
2 1/3 c old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free if necessary)
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t baking powder
Pinch salt
1/3 c pumpkin seeds 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x9" square baking dish and sprinkle in a little over half of the chopped peaches to cover the bottom.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flax eggs (important to make flax eggs first as simply adding flax and water to the wet ingredients will not yield the same results), oat milk, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla extract.  In a separate mixing bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  Fold in pumpkin seeds and pour batter evenly over peaches.  Top with remaining peaches and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until center is no longer wobbly and edges have turned a nice golden brown.  Cool for 20 minutes before serving in squares.  Once fully cooled, store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  

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