Coffee Oat Slice

This recipe arose because we had waaaaayyy to much oats in the house. Trav made a massive bucket (I’m not kidding, it is an actual 5 litre bucket) of oats with ground flax through it then decided he didn’t actually like the texture when he made his porridge out of it….. Now we have a bucket of oats…. Prepare for a barrage of recipes involving oats in the next few weeks. Here is one to start you off. You could leave the coffee out if you didn’t want the kids all hyped up, but then it wouldn’t be Coffee Oat Slice would it? Whatever, suit yourself. If you are not real big on pumpkin in things (weirdos) you can substitute the pumpkin for apple purée. I haven’t tried it but I am sure it will work just fine. Actually, I am not sure, I would need to have tried it to be sure. Whatever, if you do it let me know, then we’ll both be sure. Enough rambling, let’s cook.

Oats are very high in a fibre called beta glucans that can help lower cholesterol, we’ve all seen the ad’s, you know why you should eat them. They are not completely gluten free but are VERY low in gluten and are a great source of energy.

300g pumpkin purée (or apple purée)
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
6 tbs instant coffee – you can substitute for raw cacao instead
2 cups coconut milk or milk of your choice
1 egg (vegan add an extra 2 tbs of ground flaxseed)
5 cups oats
1 – 1 1/2 cups water
Stevia to taste or 1 cup honey/agave/maple syrup

All in the food processor and whizz! You can add extra water if it is not wet enough. It should have a batter-like consistency. You can also add about 1/2 cup protein powder if you wanted to increase the protein content, just make sure you add more water again. Spoon into a baking paper lined tray, I sprinkled mine with some more oats on top, and bake @180C for about 30 mins. Give it a poke and see if it is done after that time, it will depend how thick you have made it, you might need to give it an extra 10mins. It is normally done when it starts to come away from the edges of the baking tray. Allow to cool then chop into squares. Store in the fridge or freezer.