I wasn't going to do another 'oatmeal'/'n'oatmeal' (whatever), but I made this one the other day and, seeing as it was soooo tasty, I decided I'd be a meany not to share! We seem to have a glut of gorgeous cranberries in the freezer at the moment, left over from Christmas of course when I scooped them up for cheap, but many stores have them all year round in their freezer departments. So I put them into my oatmeal, together with some apples that needed eating ... and boom! Another recipe born.
I've been making 'oatmeals' now for months and don't think I could ever tire of them. They're also perfect for batch cooking and squirrelling away in the freezer for particularly lazy mornings. Or hurried mornings which is what I've been having all this week. My boy is acting in his school's annual play, oh the time and effort these kids have invested is staggering and it's all come to a climax with full day rehearsals, late nights and four performances, two on Saturday. He's going to be zonked come Sunday I just know it, so I've been stoking him with bone broth at every possible moment and operating a meals on wheels service with AIP nourishment whilst all the others eat crap from the local mall. I know which he'd prefer ... but I'm (only just) bigger than he is, so hopefully I'm on the winning team!!
Be super duper organised and prepare a large squash the night before by cutting it in half across the width, scooping out the seeds and putting it cut side down in a roasting pan large enough to hold both halves. Pour a half inch worth of water into the pan and bake at 350F/180C for about 45 minutes to an hour. You want the flesh to be nice and soft, beyond that spaghetti stage so if you go over the 45 minute mark, like I often do because I get distracted, I wouldn’t worry! Carefully remove the piping hot squash halves and put them onto plates to cool before popping into the fridge overnight. Next morning, making this is the easiest thing ever and takes just minutes!
PS: When you make 'oatmeals' be sure to add some collagen on serving (which mixes in beautifully by the way) for your joint health. It's wondrous stuff and does your body a gazillion favours!
apple and cranberry 'oatmeal'
Even though this recipe uses half a large squash, I still cook this size as the squash keeps well in a covered container in the fridge. That way you'll have enough for another oatmeal breakfast, or a good quantity you can use for something else.
(serves 4)
3 cups spaghetti squash (see above for how to cook)
1+1/4 cups shredded coconut
2+1/2 cups coconut milk
3 large golden delicious apples, cored and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
pinch salt
Put all the ingredients into a large pan, mix well and bring to the boil. Immediately turn down to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently until piping hot and the apples have softened, approx 8-10 minutes. Resist the temptation to add more coconut milk if your mix looks rather dry at the start. Apples give out a surprising amount of liquid as they cook so add that extra milk right at the very end, after blending, if needs be.
Use an immersion blender to break down the fibres of the squash, but leaving it fairly chunky.
Don't forget to check out two more delicious oatmeals : Roasted Cinnamon Pear 'Oatmeal' and my Summer version, Peach and Ginger 'Oatmeal'. Plus for more breakfast inspiration, you may want to think about getting a copy of the e-book "85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts"!
Spaghetti squash in the oven right now. Making this for breakfast tomorrow 🙂 Yum yum yum!
Haha, so are we. Will be thinking of you Sophie 🙂
I find that it's so hard to cut the squash in half even with my Wusthof knife. So I cook it whole and then cut it when it's softer. Much easier on my arthritis as well.
A little confused about when to blend the squash... before you put it in a pot with all other ingredients or after you cook it together? You have it listed down at the bottom and I've already combined all ingredients to cook. Did I miss the part about immersion blending the squash earlier? I'm sure it'll be fine the way I have it now. Maybe I'll food process it all after cooking.
Hi Mara, you blend after cooking. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
What type of coconut milk are you using? Canned?
Yep I'm lost. I blended at the end and now my noatmeal is pink from cranberries. Fail.
Doesn't sound like a fail to me, it sounds like you've used more cranberries than I did, that's all. As long as you cooked it as per the recipe, it'll be fine.
So good! I just made the base without fruit, so we can each add cinnamon, applesauce, etc to taste. Super good just on its own. Thanks!!
Great to hear. I also like it plain with added salt 🙂
Haven't tried this recipe yet, but based on the color, will add the cranberries after cooking & blending. My oatmeal looks like something the Pink Panther would make...
I made up a batch of this yesterday and I love it! I did not want to use my cranberries for this (have been saving them for cranberry sauce), so I made it without cranberries. I do not have an immersion blender yet, so I pureed it in my Blendtec. It turned out great! Thanks for sharing your yummy AIP recipes.
My pleasure Faith, thanks for letting me know 🙂
Does this freeze well?
Perfectly. 🙂
Thanks so much! I have problems with eggs and starches, so breakfast can be tricky. This will help!
I hope you enjoy the recipe Lynn, thanks for popping in!
FABULOUS! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you liked it 🙂
Hi! I’m new to all this AIP, so please bear with me! Here in Australia I find it hard to find spaghetti squash. I only see it every now and then. Do you think I could substitute with butternut squash?
Hi Donna. I know spaghetti squash is a little tricky to find in Australia but I understand acorn squash is easier. I would use that rather than butternut. Best of luck and welcome to the AIP.
I see that all the "oatmeal" recipes have shredded coconut. I am not a fan of the texture of coconut and wondering whether you can taste it, could blend it into a "flour" consistency or what could be substituted? Thank you for your input!
The shreds give some texture to the recipe so flour wouldn't work well. If you have access to tigernut flakes you could use those instead. Does that help?