Gluten-Free Baked Berry Oatmeal

We must make this at least once to four times a month. It's huge but lasts about  a week. This is yet another inspired creation from one of my fave cooks, Heidi Swanson. This recipe was adapted from her newest book, Super Natural Everyday with a few adjustments for the finer pallets in the family. Mainly, Chef Fox. 

But as you see above, it passed the Hand Test. The Hand Test is a very good indicator of whether or not the dish will be a hit. If it doesn't even make it to the oven without a hand creeping over to steel a taste, it has passed. 

Ingredients

Dry:

• 2-3 large bananas (cut into slices)
• 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill because they ensure that their line of GF grains are truly gluten-free)
• 1-2 cups finely shredded coconut
• 2 cups chopped walnuts (or other favorite nuts)
• 1/2-1 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Wet: 

• 3 cups almond milk (rice, soy, etc. work fine, but don't use regular milk. I tried it and the results were awful!)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1-2 tablespoons vanilla
• 10 drops liquid stevia (optional-if you like your sweeter)
• 2-4 cups berries: I used blueberry and strawberries, but get creative!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large lasagna pan and layer the sliced bananas on the bottom in 1 to 2 layers. Then, mix up your dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl. Pour 1/2 of mixture over bananas. Add a layer of berries. And again the rest of the dry oat mixture. Top with the remaining berries. 

Mix all your wet ingredients, Chef Fox likes to add the butter last. Pour over oat mixture and give a few thunks of the pan to make sure it seeps all the way down into the pan and wets everything. It should look a bit wet and soggy on the top, but not swimming in liquid. Adjust as necessary. Now bake for 45 minutes. After taking out of the oven, let the oatmeal sit for at least 10 minutes to settle and cool off a bit. Enjoy with yogurt or milk or ice cream or simply alone. Add maple syrup as needed, because you know we all need a little maple syrup in our lives.