Muesli
Muesli is a nutritious breakfast cereal made up of whole grains, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. It was made popular in the late 19th century by Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician who ran a sanatorium in Switzerland. He promoted a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds as a means of healing for his patients, along with required daily exercise and an early bedtime.
Dr. Bircher-Benner was impressed by the simple and healthy lifestyle of the shepherds that he encountered while mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps. On one of his hikes, he and his wife were served muesli. This was his first experience with the dish, and it inspired him to create his own version for the patients in his private clinic.
- 1 cup barley flakes
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or oat flakes
- 1 cup rye flakes
- ½ cup chopped raisins
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Almond milk, rice milk, or soy milk
- Fresh fruit - blueberries, chopped apples, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries
Mix ingredients together, and store in an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place, and it should stay fresh for about a month.
Cold Muesli: For each serving, use ½ cup Muesli and ½ cup almond milk. Place in a bowl appropriate for the number of servings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. When ready to eat, add fresh fruit and more almond milk, if desired.
Hot Muesli: For each serving, use ½ cup Muesli and ½ cup almond milk. Place in a bowl appropriate for the number of servings. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
To serve, place Muesli and ¼ cup almond milk per serving in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer about 5 minutes. Add fresh fruit, if desired.
Yield: 10 servings (serving size: ½ cup)
- Substitute half of the almond milk with unsweetened apple juice.
- Use quinoa flakes, whole wheat flakes, or triticale flakes in place of any of the flakes listed. Triticale is a nutritious hybrid of wheat and rye which contains more protein and less gluten than wheat. It is normally found in health food stores and is available as whole berries, flakes, and flour.
- If you don’t have access to whole grain flakes, you can use 3 cups of the old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Other dried fruit options: apricots, bananas, blueberries, dates, or figs.
Stir in 1 teaspoon Date Honey into each serving.
- For a gluten-free recipe that is similar to this one, try Apple-Cinnamon Hot Cereal.