Easy Blueberry – Banana Puddin’ Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Blueberries are ripening in my garden in Louisiana and I’m looking for ways to use them. Here is a quick, simple and very healthy pie which combines blueberries and bananas with an instant pudding filling and oatmeal crust. It’s delicious!

This pie is very easy to mix up and it is full of flavor. The oatmeal crust with walnuts has a nutty flavor reminding me of a granola bar. The fresh, ripe blueberries add an aromatic flavor.

Blueberries, Oatmeal, Dairy – Eat to your Health

Blueberries and oatmeal are two healthy foods to include in your diet. A recent internet blog posted picked up on AOL listed, “Seven healthy foods to include in your diet after 50 years of age.” (www.every dayhealth.com/columns/johannah-sakimura-nutrition-sleuth/over-50-add-these-foods-to-your-diet-now/?) Berries, oatmeal and yogurt (dairy) made the list. So this pie includes three of those foods.

Blueberries grow well in Louisiana. I planted several bushes last year. The older three-year-old blueberry bush is lush and full of blueberries. Can’t wait for the other bushes to grow.

Blueberries are a very nutritious fruit. They are high in a type of flavonoid known as anthocyanins which have been studied in relation to many chronic diseases including preventing the oxidation changes with aging.

Oatmeal also is very healthy. It is high in soluble fiber called beta glucan, the type which lowers cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups oatmeal a day can lower cholesterol levels significantly. Oatmeal also helps regulate blood sugars in type-2 diabetes.

Dairy products including milk and yogurt are rich sources of protein and calcium. Calcium is especially important for bone health in women over the age of 50 years! As an orthopedic nurse – I see so, so many bone fractures in elderly women but few in men. It seems so hard to get enough milk and dairy products in our diets. Calcium is really important for every age group, too, including growing children.

Blueberry – Banana Puddin’ Pie with Oatmeal Crust

This recipe is simple and quick. I used instant vanilla pudding for the filling with low-fat milk (or skim milk) and a little sour cream. Pour this into an oatmeal crust that is also easy to prepare and bake. No other cooking is needed. Here are most of the ingredients.

Pie Crust

The oatmeal pie crust is an old recipe that I’ve saved from a college home economics class. I had some steel cut oats (cut finer than other oatmeal) and used them for part of the oatmeal in the crust. A few finely chopped walnuts really add to the flavor. The crust uses just a little margarine and brown sugar. This is a very healthy and low-fat, low sugar crust and can be used for many types of pies. The steel cut oats result in a crumbly pie crust – I don’t mind.

The steel cut oats are on the right. Mix the ingredients together and press into a 9″ deep dish pie shell. (A regular pie crust shell isn’t big enough.) Then bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Filling

After the pie shell cools, a spread sliced bananas and blueberries onto the pie crust.

The mix up the instant vanilla pudding (reduce milk to 1 1/2 cups from 2 cups) and add 1/2 cup sour cream. Pour over the blueberries/bananas and let chill for at least an hour.

It will become firmer if let to set overnight – but it’s really ready anytime if you don’t mind a soft pie. Before serving, add a garnish of blueberries and bananas around the top. Easy!

Recipe

Blueberry-Banana Puddin' Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Servings: 8
Time: 15 minutes to mix filling and pie shell ingredients plus additional time to bake and chill crust and pie
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup quick cooking steel oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts, (toasted)*
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup soft margarine, melted
2 Tbsp hot water
1 large banana (or 2 small bananas) sliced plus additional banana for garnish
1 cup blueberries for pie plus 1 cup for garnish
1 1/2 cup low-fat (or skim) milk
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding and pie mix
1/2 cup sour cream

Method and Steps

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place oatmeal and steel oats in large bowl. Add salt, finely chopped walnuts and brown sugar and stir ingredients to combine.
Add melted margarine and hot water, stir until oatmeal is moistened. Press firmly into bottom and sides of 9″ deep dish pie pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
When pie shell is cool, spread sliced banana in bottom of pie shell and add blueberries.
Pour low-fat or skim milk into medium bowl. Add pkg of instant vanilla pudding and pie mix. With wire whip, mix and stir for 2 minutes until pudding is well mixed and begins to thicken.
Stir in sour cream.
Pour over bananas/blueberries in the pie shell. Chill in refrigerator at least an hour, and preferably, overnight.
When ready to serve, garnish each slice with additional fresh blueberries and sliced bananas.

*If stored in freezer, toast walnuts in 350 degree oven for 5 minutes until beginning to brown with aromatic flavor. Then finely chop in small food processor.

This pie was a hit with all the family.

Love the early summer blueberries!

References

Every Day Foods by By Alice Oglethorpe (http://www.every dayhealth.com/columns/johannah-sakimura-nutrition-sleuth/over-50-add-these-foods-to-your-diet-now/?)