UPFRONT/EAT
Bake Once, Breakfast All Week
Blueberry-oatmeal cakes make a healthy meal for busy mornings. Bake a batch and keep them in your freezer. For a grab-and-go breakfast, reheat the cakes in the microwave for about 40 seconds
PREP/COOK TIME: 55 MINUTES
(plus 8–12 hours soaking time)
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ cups low-fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine oats and milk in a large bowl. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator until much of the liquid is absorbed, at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
3. Stir egg, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder and salt into the soaked oats until well combined.
4. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).
5. Top each with 1 tablespoon blueberries.
6. Bake until cakes spring back when touched, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Loosen and remove with a knife.
Nutrients per serving 267 calories, 8g protein, 41g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 8g fat, 34mg cholesterol, 221mg sodium
AARP STAYING SHARP For more recipes with brain-friendly foods, visit stayingsharp.aarp.org/eatwell.
MY FAVORITE TOOL
MESH STRAINERS
AVAILABLE IN multiple sizes, they’re great for sifting flour for baking and dusting powdered sugar over desserts. A fine-mesh strainer is my secret to ultrasmooth gravy to serve over roasted turkey or chicken. If you’re short on cabinet space, try fitting the bowl of a large mesh strainer into a covered pot for use as a vegetable steamer. —Francesca Montillo, culinary tour leader and instructor, Lazy Italian Culinary Adventures, Boston