Baked Oatmeal Casserole

I had a bunch of steel cut oats from a veggie casserole I made a while back and I didn't know what I might use them for.  Coincidentally my Nourished Kitchen recipe cards for this month arrived yesterday and voila! A really yummy looking/sounding recipe for baked oatmeal was amongst the recipes.  I might add I had two small squares of this this morning drizzled with grade B maple syrup.  SO yummy!  I only put raisins in mine since other people in my family don't like certain nuts and dried fruit, but I bet any nuts or dried fruits you might wish to add to this would be just delicious.  I also ran out of regular milk, so I subbed 1 cup coconut milk for one of the 2 cups of milk this calls for.  I'd make it this way again for sure! This makes about 12 servings. 

Ingredients

1 pound steel cut oats
1  cup walnuts, or other nuts
2 tablespoons yogurt (I used Greek Yogurt) for soaking
dash unrefined sea salt
6  egg s(organic cage free)
2 cups milk (I used 1 cup 2% and 1 cup coconut)
up to ¼ cup grade b maple syrup
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
½ cup dried unsulfured apricots, diced
2 tablespoons cinnamon
¼ cup coconut oil, plus extra for greasing baking dish

Directions:

1. Pour the steel cut oats and nuts into a ceramic container or mixing bowl.
2. Add enough filtered water to completely submerge your oats and nuts. Add a dash of salt and a two tablespoons of  fresh yogurt, whey, kefir or buttermilk.
3. Allow the oats and nuts to soak, covered, overnight in a warm place in your kitchen – about eight to twelve hours.
4. After the mixture of oats and nuts has soaked overnight, dump them into a colander to drain and place the mixture back into the ceramic container or mixing bowl.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 13 x 9-inch rectangular baking pan with coconut oil or another wholesome fat of your choosing.
6. Meanwhile beat together eggs, milk, maple syrup (if you’re using it), until well-combined and frothy.
7. Pour the mixture of eggs, milk and maple syrup over the soaked oats and nuts, stirring well to combine into a porridge-like mixture.
8. Gently fold dried fruit, cinnamon and coconut oil into the porridge-like mixture.
9. Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan and smooth it out with a rubber spatula to ensure even baking and a good appearance.
10. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for forty to forty-five minutes or until the oatmeal achieves a pleasing golden-brown color on top, a knife inserted into its center comes out clean and free from liquid and the fragrance of baked oats, dried fruit and cinnamon perfumes your kitchen.
11. If you can bear the wait, allow the baked oatmeal to cool for five to ten minutes before cutting into squares and serving.