Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal

I make a lot of baked oatmeal desserts, it is my favorite way to have cake and eat it too.  Oatmeal is a versatile grain that all too often is overlooked and left to be boring, no longer.

When I first tackled this recipe, I celebrated. It is truly a healthy cheesecake and I don't use healthy loosely, there isn't any dairy or any oil. In fact it is full of fiber and omega 3s by using flax seed meal.

This recipe is recipe is vegan and dairy free, if using gluten free oats it will be gluten free.  You may bake in a 8×8 or 6 ramekins using this recipe or double this using a larger cake pan or add more ramekins. Printable recipe here.

Main ingredients:

• 2 cups quick cooking oatmeal*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/3 cups almond milk, unsweetened vanilla
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 4-5 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• Juice and zest of one small lime

Topping:

• 2/3 cup of Tofutti Sour Supreme
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly oil baking dish of choice.
3. In a small bowl combine flax seed and water, stir and set aside.
4. In a large bowl add oatmeal, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, salt, almond milk, flax seed mixture, and vanilla. Mix together using whisk.
5. Ladle or pour into baking pan of choice.  If using full ramekins I highly suggest a parchment lined baking sheet to catch any drips or spills.
6. Bake 350°F 40 to 45 minutes.
7. While oatmeal is baking, in a small bowl combine Tofutti, sugar, almond milk, and vanilla. This topping will be runny, no worries, it should be.  
8. Remove oatmeal from oven, the tops oatmeal should be lightly browned and raised uniformly. Spoon topping on oatmeal, return to oven and bake for 10 minutes, the topping will be bubbly.
9.  Allow to cool then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight if you can hold out, before digging in. The topping will be less runny the longer it sets, it will be a creamy topping. Enjoy!

To make this non vegan, replace the flax seed and water with 2 eggs.

*Steel cut oats or old fashioned oats may be used, just use 2 1/4 cups instead of quick cooking oats.