Popping in here short and sweet today with the juiciest roasted blueberries, any juicy blueberry dream is made of. I don’t think there is much I love more than a good breakfast. It is my favourite meal of the day and the one I go to sleep at night dreaming of. I think it is my favourite because for me options are endless; it can be sweet or savoury, spicy or mild, fluffy or dense. Breakfasts range from oats to yogurt, granola to fruit, crepes to dutch babies, smoothies to juices, potatoes to pastry, bacon to eggs or like this morning where we had leftover sage, thyme turkey meatballs with a soy, maple glaze (recipe here, they are seriously good) with a side of sunny side eggs and salad. Really options are truly in my house are endless, hence the big amount of love for breakfast/brunch. But one of my ultimate favourite things to do, especially in the upcoming berry and stone fruit season is roasting all the abundance of juicy fruits. In this recipe I used frozen blueberries from the market around the corner that freezes their organic, local berries from the season before (thank goodness because I never get around to do this myself) but you could use fresh as well. Any berry would work really, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry or like here blueberry.

The blueberries get a little gooey with the help of a touch of maple syrup, and the cinnamon melds all of the flavours together. Plus it brings out the cinnamon in the coconut cream whip you serve these oats with as well.

So this thickened coconut cream came about accidentally, I was actually trying to go for a coconut whipping cream type texture. I left my coconut milk in the fridge all night but for some reason it didn’t harden. I thought I would try whipping it anyway and of course it didn’t get all thick like it would normally if it had hardened completely. But what I did get was so light, airy, and dreamy I decided to go with it and I must say I am happy I did. Sometimes the best things come about accidentally.

Now if your can of coconut milk does harden please feel free to whip it up nice and thick and serve the oats with a big dollop of it on top (it will be just as good) but if you want it more light and creamy like, place the can in the fridge for maybe an hour just to chill it and then whip it normally with all of the ingredients below, until it is thicker than a regular milk but not completely whipped. Pour over the oats and you will not be disappointed. It is spiced with cinnamon again which compliment the blueberries and meld them both together. Creating a morning bowl of blissful harmony, it is healthy and satisfying and will truly keep you full until lunchtime comes around.

cinnamon roasted blueberries, spiced coconut cream & almond milk steel cut oats

roasted blueberries

2 cups of frozen or fresh blueberries

2 tbsp of maple syrup

1 tbsp of cinnamon

1 pinch of Himalayan salt

almond milk steel cut oats

1 cup of steel cut oats

2 cups of almond milk

2 cups of water

coconut cream

1 can of chilled coconut milk (placed in the fridge for at least an hour)

1 tbsp of pure vanilla

1 tbsp of maple syrup

1 tsp of cinnamon

directions

roasted blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.

In a small bowl, add the blueberries, syrup, cinnamon and salt. Spread the berries evenly onto the covered baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes. I also like to broil the berries for about 2 minutes at the very end.

Remove the berries and put them in a bowl and smash just a little with the back of a spoon.

almond milk steel cut oats

In a large pot add the steel cut oats, almond milk and water. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer, stirring every so often for about 20-25 minutes until the oats are thick and creamy and the liquid as evaporated. Once done, take off the heat, cover and set aside.

coconut cream

Place the entire contents of one can of lightly chilled coconut milk into a stand mixer (unless you are wanting whipping cream, then just place the harden coconut milk into the bowl leaving out the liquid at the bottom), add the maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla and whip on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. The coconut milk will not completely thicken up like a whipped cream would, but it will be lighter, airer and thicker than regular coconut milk would be without the whipping process.

to serve

Place a large scoop of oats into a bowl, pour over the coconut cream and top with roasted blueberries. Serve warm.

notes

Place the can of coconut milk in the fridge for at least an hour. If you happen to leave it in too long and your coconut milk hardens, you can whip it up like a whipping cream (with all of the above ingredients) and serve it dollop style on top of the oats. Otherwise whip up the entire can of chilled coconut milk and you will get a light, airy, creamy, slightly thicken milk to pour over the oats. Both delicious.

You can also sprinkle the finished bowl with some fresh grated cinnamon and unsweetened coconut flakes.