A hearty bowl of oatmeal with all the fixings has long been a breakfast classic (many of us SELF staffers are known to eat the stuff daily), and with good reason: Oats not only soak up bad cholesterol with their uber high soluble fiber content, but they also work in a variety of dishes, from pancakes and granola all the way to veggie burgers and meatloaf. Whether you grind ’em up for breadcrumbs or toss a handful in a smoothie for extra staying power, oats are one versatile little super-grain. Go crazy for oatmeal with these two unique dishes.

Bananas Foster Baked Oatmeal

Yield: 4 servings

for the baked oatmeal:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup walnut halves, chopped
• 1 & 1/4 cup almond milk
• Bananas Foster mixture from below
• 1 small banana, sliced (for garnish on top)
• pinch of fine grain sea salt and nutmeg

for the Bananas Foster:

• 3 small firm ripe bananas, chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other sweetener)
• 1-2 tbsp Kahlua (or rum)
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 5-6 cup casserole dish.

2. Stir all of the oatmeal ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Set aside while you prepare the Banana Foster.

3. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, and Kahlua into a skillet. Increase heat to medium and whisk until combined. When the mixture starts to simmer and bubble, add the chopped bananas and stir well until coated in syrup. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Saut├® for about 5 minutes, reducing heat if necessary, until the bananas soften. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

4. Stir the banana mixture into the oatmeal mixture and scoop it into your casserole dish. Bake uncovered for about 40-45 minutes at 350F or until the top is golden and with a thin firm layer on top and a soft middle. You will think itÔÇÖs undercooked at first, but the oatmeal will firm up as it cools. Straight from the oven it has the texture of stove-top oatmeal, but when cooled you can pretty much slice it into squares. IÔÇÖve also been known to eat this cold straight from the fridge for a snack.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Banana Bread

You’d never know by tasting it, but this decadently moist banana bread is secretly packed with super-healthy stuff like ground flax, almonds and oatmeal. Ditch the refined flour and opt for high-fiber, whole-grain oat flour instead to make a serious cut on refined carbs. Wanna make it yourself? Simply whirl whole rolled oats in the food processor until they reach a flour

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1┬¢ cups mashed very overripe bananas (3 medium bananas)
• 4 oz container unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup rolled oats ground into a flour in food processor
• ┬¢ cup rolled oats
• ┬╝ cup ground flaxseed
• 6-8 packets of stevia (or ┬¢ cup sugar)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ┬¢ tsp salt
• ┬╝ tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• ┬¢ cup chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan liberally with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients (bananas through vanilla) until very well mixed. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (everything else except strawberries and chocolate).
3. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir just until mixed.
4. Fold in chocolate chunks and strawberries.
5. Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Bread will be very moist, thatÔÇÖs ok!