On an old Barefoot Contessa episode, Ina Garten made a breakfast dish called “muesli” that used raw oats, apple juice, and fresh fruit, and was topped with yogurt. While this dish is much less popular than hot oatmeal in the United States, I did find some great recipes that served as inspiration for my own version.
The traditional “Bircher muesli” is named after a Swiss physician, nutrition researcher, and raw food-proponent, Max Bircher-Benner. You may see “muesli” in the boxed cereal aisle at the grocery store, but they are much different than Bircher muesli, which combines oats, grated fruit, juice and/or milk, yogurt, and various mix-ins to be refrigerated and served cold.
My version is very close to what I researched to be “traditional”: oats, grated apple, milk, juice, and yogurt. I added spicy cinnamon to the mixture and topped it with salty pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and a drizzle of honey. One change I may make next time is to replace the rolled oats for steel-cut to keep more of a chewy texture.
This is a healthy, portable breakfast, easily served in a paper cup to take on the go.
Bircher Muesli
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned (rolled) oats
4 Tbs. shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large apple, grated on the large side of a box grater
1 cup apple juice
1 cup almond milk
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
*Toppings: Honey, pepitas, fresh fruit, additional yogurt
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients (minus the toppings) in a bowl and stir to mix well. Refrigerate overnight (or a few hours) and serve with desired toppings.
Rants, Raves, and Rations 