Home-made Bircher museli

Today is my birthday.

But this really is not my point.




My point is: out of 365 days,
My body picked today to torture me with insomnia.
(...I probably fell asleep at 2...and my eyes were wide open by 6...)




Life is great. It truly is.




To cheer myself up,
I made this adorable naturally-sweet Bircher museli for the long day.

And here I am -
can't wait to share with you how delicious, even virtuous, it is.

We all know a million health-related reasons to eat oats. Glorious oats.
I love oats on its own, but I admit, sometimes (only sometimes, I swear),
the milk-combination can be a bit boring.

In case you are wondering, Bircher museli is named after a Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner.
He made this dish for patients in his hospital, where a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables was an essential part of therapy.



See how healthy this is? 8-)

This recipe is not complex at all.
It calls for some oats to be soaked in apple juice for at least an hour. I used Copella, and soaked it overnight.
The apple juice really freshens up the whole dish.

When the oats are ready, spoon it out and mix with some low-fat plain yogurt.

Grate an apple carefully.

Add the apple to the yogurt mixture. Mix well.
Top with some berries & almond flakes,
or banana slices & walnut bits,
or just some dried fruits.

It's all flexible. Whatever fruits or nuts you have at home, throw them in.

You can even add Nutella.
Joking.


Drizzle a little honey if you want some added sweetness.


ENJOY.

---


Home-made Bircher museli
- Adapted from Gordon Ramsay's version available here

Serves 4

(I tried to reduce it to serving 2, and immediately realised it's not practical because then you would be working with 1/2 apple and 1/2 pot of yogurt....)


Ingredients:
- 200g rolled oats (about 2 cups)
- 350ml apple juice or milk (about 11/2 cups)
- 1 red apple (Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Fuji)
- One pot of natural or low-fat yoghurt (about 120g)
- Seasonal fresh fruit (such as berries, bananas, peaches and apricots), to decorate
- Runny honey, to drizzle
- Handful of toasted almonds, to serve


Steps:
1. Place the oats in a bowl and cover with enough apple juice or milk to
moisten them. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill for an hour, or preferably overnight, in the fridge.

2. Peel the apple if you prefer, then coarsely grate (discarding the pips) and stir into the oats. Stir in enough yoghurt to reach a desired consistency. You could also add more milk, yoghurt or apple juice to loosen the mixture if it is too thick.

3. Serve the muesli in individual bowls topped with the seasonal berries of your choice or a sliced banana, then drizzle with a little honey.

4. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds or with pistachios or seeds – whatever you have to hand.



Tip for making ahead: The oat mixture will keep in the fridge for a few days, but don't stir in the apple/fruits/nuts until you plan to eat it to keep its freshness.