Baked Oatmeal with Apples and Mixed Fruit

Since I started blogging, I am becoming more and more aware of how many ingredients aren't available in my grocery stores.  I find some amazing recipes, but end up passing on them because I cannot find the ingredients to make the dish.

I love Nicole's blog.  I read it religiously, but there are many ingredients that she uses that I haven't been able to find.  When I got her Oatmeal recipe for the Fruit Recipe Swap, I was excited to tackle something of hers, but I knew that I'd have to make some types of substitutions.  

I looked everywhere in our grocery store for both agave nectar and any type of cranberries (fresh or frozen) to use in the dish when I first got the recipe.  I couldn't find either of them.  The funny thing is, I made this recipe on Saturday morning and we went grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon and right in the middle of the only aisle I hadn't looked in was Agave Nectar.  So, at least I found that Wyoming does indeed have Agave Nectar...however the cranberries still never turned up.

Baked Oatmeal with Apples and Mixed Fruit

slightly adapted from PreventionRD 

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 cups milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 apples, peeled, cored and rough chopped
1 cup frozen mixed fruit (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350° F.

2) Mix oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. 

3) In a large bowl, mix together applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, and honey. 

4) Combine wet and dry and fold in apples, mixed fruit, and nuts.

5) Pour oatmeal mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. 

As this baked in the oven, the smell of cinnamon flooded our house.  The smell was amazing.  I haven't ever baked oatmeal, but it was pretty close to the consistency that I was expecting.  All of the fruit and nuts in this oatmeal made it fantastic.  Every bite exploded with a different berry and a crunch that made everything perfect.  This is a great breakfast!