Tropical Fruit Bircher Muesli
If you know me, you will be aware that I am a morning person, always have been, always will be. To rise when the house is peaceful and quite is simply magical for me, this can be quite tricky with two dogs in the house, unlike teenagers they are always happy to see you! Having said that teenagers wouldn’t be up at that time, unless they were coming home from a night out! Porridge in the winter, is my breakfast of choice, it’s hearty, warming and you can vary the ingredients so you don’t get bored, however when Spring comes around I crave a fresher breakfast bowl. Bircher Muesli is a favourite of mine and with an abundance of fresh fruit available, the combinations are endless, especially good, smashable berries and early stone fruits.
The “invention” of muesli is credited to Swiss physician and nutritional pioneer, Maximilian Bircher-Benner. The traditional recipe consisted of oat flakes, raw apples, condensed milk, nuts and lemon juice. I personally like to vary the ingredients, I’ve used a combination of rye and oats, the oats bring comforting creaminess and the rye adds a little bite and a deeper, more complex flavour.
Now chia seeds I have mixed feelings about, I have soaked them over night with almond milk and crushed raspberries, added vanilla bean paste and honey, yes I like them, I don’t love them but these ancient seeds are high in fibre and omega-3s, making this one of the simplest and most energising breakfasts. A whole packet of chia seeds may seem expensive, but they double in size when soaked so you only need a couple of tablespoons of them each morning, which will set you back around 50-60p.
Tropical Fruit Bircher Muesli
Ingredients
- 90 g Jumbo Oats
- 250 ml unsweetened Coconut Milk alternative
- 1 Ripe Mango
- 4 Tbls Coconut Milk Yoghurt
- 1 Ripe Passionfruit
- a handful roasted Nuts and Seeds
- a small handful toasted Coconut Flakes
Instructions
- Place the oats in a bowl with enough room for the oats to expand. Cut the ripe mango in half and peel. Place one of the peeled halves in a food processor with the coconut milk. Blitz until you have a smooth thickish liquid. Pour over the oats, cover and refrigerate over night.
- Preheat the oven Fan 160C. Place the nuts and mixed seeds in the oven and bake for approximated 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Now take the coconut flakes and bake for literally a couple of minutes, my advice would be not to take your eyes off the oven, it takes only seconds to burn!
- The next morning, peel the remaining half of mango and slice finely. Combine most of the mango (leaving a few slices to garnish) with the oats, half of the passionfruit along with the three quarters of the nuts and seeds. Portion into bowls and top with a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt, squeeze the remaining half of the passionfruit over the yoghurt. Top with mango, nuts and seeds. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut flakes and devour.
