BRAVO for Bananas Foster Slow Cooker Oatmeal!

As promised, I went to town last night making the bananas foster slow cooker oatmeal I found yesterday on Hidden Fruits and Veggies!  The recipe is a cinch and shockingly enough, since this recipe is vegan, I had all the ingredients!  After about 10 minutes of prep work, I covered the slow cooker, turned it on low, and went to bed.
  I awoke to the most delicious aroma permeating my house!  I knew from that moment, this recipe would be a keeper.  The instructions stated that the oatmeal would form a brown film on top, and that you would need to stir before serving.  I did that, and then scooped it into 4 portioned tupperware pieces to bring to school this week.  The recipe also suggests whipped cream, nuts or other toppings.  I decided to give a dollop of vanilla greek yogurt a shot.  This was a great move, and added protein to the dish, which was an added bonus because one serving yield a measly 4 grams.

Bananas Foster Slow Cooker Oatmeal ( Copyright Hidden Fruits and Veggies)

Author: Kelly Hutchinson

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

• 1 c steel cut oats
• 1 c unsweetened almond milk (regular milk would work too)
• 3 c water
• ¼ c brown sugar
• 1 + tbsp cinnamon (additional to taste. I go up to 1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
• 2 bananas

Instructions

1. If necessary, spray your slow cooker (crock pot) with nonstick spray. ( this is def. necessary)
2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Break the bananas up as you add them or with a spoon. Stir until well combined.
3. Set on low and cook, covered, for about 8 hours.
4. Uncover and stir well. The oatmeal will look very dark on top and may have an extra dark layer. Stir well. Some oatmeal may be stuck to the sides, scrape off and mix into rest of oatmeal (this oatmeal is still good, and in fact my favorite part).
5. Top with additional bananas, more almond milk, chocolate chips, or any other toppings you desire.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 175 Fat: 2g Carbohydrates: 37g Fiber: 4g Protein: 4g

A couple downfalls to the MOSTLY spectacular breakfast option:
1. As warned in the recipe, this will stick to the pan, but the liners create too much moisture leaving the oatmeal wet.  I have two solutions:  use a liner and then add more oats in the end, or soak the pan and deal with the mess.  This time I went with the 2nd option.
2.  There isn't a ton of protein, so I do think the greek yogurt topping is an added bonus.
3.  This oatmeal is brown and possesses a chunky consistency, not ideal or suitable for photographing!  I'm sorry I do not have pictures, but it just wan't that picturesque.  On the other hand, the taste will be worth a thousand words!