Since 2000, our Farm to School partnership project with NOFA-VT, Vermont FEED, has been working to deepen the connections among classrooms, cafeterias, and communities. Local, healthy food is at the center of it all. Throughout the years, favorite recipes have risen to the top, including Executive Chef Jim McCarthy’s Banana-Oat Breakfast Rounds. This version of the recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. But, you can mix up the “extras” with whatever your family’s preferences are or needs to be cleaned out of your pantry.
And, they are SO DELICIOUS!
School meals are even more on our mind because March is the School Nutrition Association’s National School Breakfast Week. As the Vermont Farm to School Network shared, “In Vermont, 1 in 7 children live in food insecure households… Many families in our state depend on school meal programs to feed their children throughout the school week, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks. School meals are a powerful educational support: improving behavior, ability to focus, academic performance… and an important source of nutrition for all school-age children.”
By using a fruit purée in place of oil or fats, this recipe increases the fiber and nutrients and decreases the calories and fat per serving. An ideal recipe for school nutrition professionals and homecooks feeding their families!
Banana-Oat Breakfast Rounds
Makes 16 3-ounce cookies
Ingredients
- 5 ripe bananas
- 3/4 C unsweetened apple sauce
- 3 C oats
- 1/2 C raisins
- 1/2 C dried cranberries
- 1/2 C dark chocolate chips
- 1/2 C sunflower seeds
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 t vanilla
- 2 T maple syrup
- a pinch of salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Purée the bananas in a food processor until they become a thick liquid.
- In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir to combine.
- Scoop mixture onto greased parchment paper and bake at for 15 minutes or until just set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Read more about the interplay of taste, nutrition, and budget in school meal planning here. Read more about Vermont’s Farm to School and Early Childhood Day at the Statehouse here. Download a scaled-up, print-friendly recipe — a great resource for school cafeterias — here.
