I used to do a lot of international travel with my job and
became a bit of a hotel breakfast buffet connoisseur. The
European buffets especially intrigued me.
Broiled tomatoes for breakfast? I
can get on board. Blood sausage? Never. They
always had a large selection of deli meat and cheese with hard rolls and
butter. That was pretty standard. The buffets usually had muesli as well. I was a huge fan of that dish.
According to Wikipedia, Muesli is "a popular breakfast meal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts. It was developed by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital. It is available in a packaged dry form, ready made, or it can be made fresh." I guess that is why it
is often called Bircher Muesli. Thank
you Wikipedia! I often wondered that.
I always assumed muesli was filled with cream (and maybe it
is at the hotels), but I realized I could make my own version with very little
fat and it still tasted like it was doused with rich cream. Rolled oats are soaked overnight in fresh
orange juice and water. The next morning
I add a grated granny smith apple and fat free Greek yogurt. The yogurt is what makes it creamy and
rich. I love making muesli at the beginning of the
week and enjoying it all week for breakfast.
It is a super healthy breakfast that is also very filling. It is a refreshing change from hot oatmeal,
if that is your standard.
You can top off muesli with a variety of toppings like
berries, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, honey, peaches, bananas, raisins,
etc. My favorite combination is berries,
honey, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries.
Overnight Muesli
Lindsay at Perfecting the PairingPrintable Recipe
Ingredients:
·
2 cups rolled oats
·
1 tsp orange zest
·
Juice of one orange
·
1 1/3 cup water (approximate)
·
¼ tsp vanilla
·
1 pinch of salt
·
1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated on a box
grater
·
8 oz fat free Greek yogurt (honey or vanilla
flavored)
·
Optional toppings: berries, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds,
honey, peaches, bananas, raisins, etc.
Directions:
Place the oats in a large bowl, add the orange zest. Juice the orange into a liquid measuring
cup. Add enough water to reach 1 and 2/3
cup total liquid. Pour the juice and
water over the oats, add the vanilla and pinch of salt. Stir to combine and try to make sure the oats
are submerged in the liquid. Cover and
refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, stir in the grated apple and Greek
yogurt. Garnish with preferred toppings.
I love overnight oats (I didn't realize they were originally and technically called muesli) and have never thought to soak my oats in anything other than milk (whether it be almond milk, 1% milk, soy milk, etc.). Using juice and water is an excellent idea! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI also love overnight oats, but I usually include chia seeds with milk and yogurt. I will definitely have to try the orange juice version.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I like the idea of chia seeds. I may sub out some of the water for almond milk, great idea!
ReplyDeleteDoes it have to be rolled oats? Or could I use the instant variety?
ReplyDeleteHi Shakti, I have not tried quick oats because I think they might get mushy since they are so much smaller. It is worth a shot I suppose! Let me know if you try it, I would be curious to find out.
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