Muesli
Most of what is sold as muesli these days will certainly make Dr Bircher, the doctor who came up with ‘Bircher Muesli’ turn in his grave.
The idea behind muesli is to have a quick, no-cook breakfast that fills your stomach, provides essential nutrition and keeps you full for long.
Most commercial muesli is fulfilling only the first condition.
This muesli will keep you full for long, while not raising your blood sugar too much because of the controlled amount of sugar. The almonds add good fat and protein and the coconut oil provides fats that are usually missing from our diet. Dates and raisins add not just sweetness, but also many minerals.
You’ll need:
- 500g oat flakes
- 100g coconut or any other oil
- 100g roasted, ground almonds without skin
- Honey/maple syrup/dark brown sugar as necessary
- A handful of raisins (optional)
- Few dates (optional)
The day before you want to make the muesli, soak 100g almonds in plenty of water overnight, changing the water a few times in between. Skin them and let them dry in the hot sun or in an oven. Roast them and grind them coarsely. This way, you make the nutrients in the almonds easier for your body to assimilate.
If you have soaked almonds every morning, then you can skip adding almonds to the muesli.
Use a thick bottomed pan.
- Warm the oil up on low heat.
- Add the oat flakes and roast them for about half an hour, stirring from time to time. This step can also be done in an oven at 160-180 degrees.
- After the roasted muesli has cooled down, add a modest amount of honey or maple syrup or dark brown sugar.
- Add 1/2 to 1tsp cinnamon, coarsely ground almonds and raisins and dates.
- Mix well and store in air-tight containers.
You can have this with yoghurt in the morning, or with milk at night.
If you like your breakfast soft, like porridge, you can mix this muesli with yoghurt overnight and have it in the morning.
If you don’t like the texture of coarsely ground almonds, you can grind them finely. This will also help in binding the muesli.