Lemon Olive Oil Cake Baked Oatmeal

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup’s worth of peeled and diced zucchini (I used yellow squash/zucchini, so I didn’t peel mine)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice*
• 2 pitted dates
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 tbsp milk of choice, or water

How to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a single-serving ramekin with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small food processor, combine zucchini, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dates. Puree until smooth.
3. Add in oats, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to leave most or half of the oats full.
4. Add one tbsp of milk and stir with a spoon or spatula to make sure the mixture is thoroughly combined (but not pureed). If it looks too thick to you, add another tbsp. Taste. If the batter is not sweet enough for you, add a tsp or so of maple syrup.
5. Pour into the prepared ramekin. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Just an FYI:

Although olive oil is typically considered savory, it became trendy as an ingredient in sweeter treats, like ice cream, granola, muffins, doughnuts, and cake. These are the recipes I used as my inspiration!

You want to use extra virgin olive oil for this. This is the most flavorful kind of olive oil, and the whole point of using olive oil in this recipe is to get that unique flavor. (It’s not for the alleged health benefits!) Other types of olive oil have a more neutral flavor and are mostly for use in cooking.

P.S. This recipe is ONLY sweetened by dates! No maple syrup!