I’m really excited to introduce you our new ‘Healthy Foodie Inspiration of the Month’ series! Each month I will share a recipe by one of my favorite healthy foodies + a short interview so you can get to know them.
Today: my dear Instagram buddy Bo from Bo’s Kitchen. Bo is a really gifted recipe developer and food stylist from the UK with a passion for plant-based food. Wait till you try her baked oatmeal recipe… If you add some raw chocolate sauce on top, it tastes like peanut butter cup oatmeal aka ‘Snickers’ candy for breakfast. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
I’ve found my new favorite breakfast: Banana Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal! Who knew oatmeal could be so versatile? I’ve been meaning to try baked oatmeal for so long now and I had no idea how delicious it would be. This oatmeal ticks all my comfort food boxes – easy to prepare, delicious warm or cold and packed full of tummy pleasing flavors! The extra peanut butter on top is totally optional but highly recommended, because who doesn’t want extra peanut butter? Life is better with extra peanut butter.
Banana Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
SERVES: 6 - 8 portions
EQUIPMENT: baking dish, large mixing bowl, blender
INGREDIENTS:
3 ½ cups rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups plant-based milk, unsweetened (cashew, almond, rice, oat…)
3 ripe bananas, peeled
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and lightly grease or line a baking dish.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix together.
3. Add the milk, bananas, peanut butter and vanilla to a blender and process until fully combined.
4. Stir all wet ingredients into the dry mix and pour into your baking dish. Smooth out with the back of a spoon and top with banana halves and a little extra cinnamon.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set. Top with additional peanut butter and cashews.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
• You can serve this baked oatmeal immediately or store it in the fridge and reheat it as required. It will last for about 4 days in the fridge.
• Not a fan of peanut butter? You can replace it with almond butter or any other nut/seed butter of your choice.
Now I would love to hear from you! What used to be your favorite breakfast as a child? Mine were peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, croissants with fresh orange juice, and fruit salad. Let me know what your favorites were by leaving a comment down below.
1. Where do you live?
I live in Leicester, UK, which is about 2 hours from London, kinda in the middle of the country. I live with my boyfriend, Sam, and my two kittens Harry and Sushi.
2. What sparked your interest in health & plant-based cooking?
I was raised a vegetarian, but then when my parents split my Dad started cooking meat again for a couple of years. I really didn’t enjoy it so quickly reverted back to being a veggie, then upped the game by going vegan. Initially it was just to see if I could do it, but then I quickly learnt to love it, I really enjoy plant based cooking, it’s so creative.
3. What used to be your favorite meal as a child? Any special childhood food memories or anecdotes?
My favorite meal as a child has to be my Mum’s vegetable stew with dumplings. Honestly, it’s like a big hug in a bowl. A rich paprika tomato sauce with soft root veggies and fluffy herby dumplings, so moreish! I love that you can make it with whatever you have left in the fridge and it always tastes even better the next day.
4. What are the ingredients you can’t live without?
I can’t live without my organic veg box, peanut butter, oats, coconut oil and bananas. If I’ve got them, I can make something yummy to eat. I literally start panicking when I have no bananas left. A day without a smoothie is a sad day.
5. What’s your typical breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner?
Typical breakfast would be a strawberry almond smoothie with a matcha green tea. Then for lunch I’ll usually have leftovers from the day before or a quick meal like a stir fry with soba noodles. I also love having sushi for lunch. Dinner really depends on what veggies I have in the fridge, but I love to cook big one pot meals like chilli, stew, curry or daal. That way I can make a big pot and my boyfriend has some extra to take to work the next day.
6. What’s your favorite dessert?
I would have to say pavlova. Turning vegan you often get asked what you miss the most and for me, it has always been meringue, especially when it is layered with whipped cream and berries. I remember my Mum making a huge raspberry pavlova once, having to resist it when I opened the fridge was torture. Whoever discovered aquafaba and made vegan meringue possible is my hero!
7. If today was your last day on earth, what would you eat?
Probably a huge over the top mountain of roast potatoes with gravy. Let’s face it, they’re the best bit of a roast dinner. Hopefully I’d pass out from some type of potato food coma, that would be a nice way to go.
8. Who and what inspires you?
I get inspiration from everywhere! It could be a place, a book, a magazine column, Instagram - I basically just absorb as much information about food as possible. I’m looking at it all the time and constantly thinking about the next meal or recipe. If I’m ever stuck for inspiration, I’ll find a few ingredients that are in season at the moment and research lots of recipe ideas online. Pinterest is great for food inspo. I have a few ladies on Instagram who I absolutely love too - @missmarzipancom, @delicious_and_healthy_by_maya, @tastyasheck, @myberryforest, @talinegabriel, @nourish_atelier, @minimalistbaker and @wholesomepatisserie to name a few.
9. Do you have any tips or tricks for anyone who is just starting on their health food journey?
For anybody just starting on their food journey, I would say to research as much as you can. Find out what benefits (if any) there are to the food you are eating and gradually you will naturally start to gravitate towards unprocessed, whole foods. Keeping a mental note as to how you feel after eating certain foods is useful too. This really helped me as eventually even though my body craved sugar, bread and processed foods, I no longer wanted it as I knew it would make me feel lethargic and miserable. Now I have been eating intuitively for years, I don’t even crave the bad stuff anymore. Starting my day with a green smoothie for the first time felt like I was King of the World. Healthy eating is really about self-discovery and finding out what works for you. Every body is different and it’s about creating an environment where you can be in tune with your body.
Thank you so much Bo for sharing your wisdom and delicious recipes!
Sounds delicious! Do all three bananas go into the blender in step three? Step 4 says to top with banana halves so do you use more than three bananas? I don't know if I missed it. ;). Thanks!