Muesli

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Muesli (pronounced muse-lee) is a breakfast cereal that has been popular in Europe for more than 100 years and is made from raw, rolled whole grains like oats or wheat with nuts and dried or fresh fruit. It wasn’t until the health food movement of the 1960s that this tasty and nutritious cereal appeared in the U.S. Muesli is now found not only in health food stores, but also in grocery stores.

I have been a muesli fan for years and have never purchased it--I've always made it. My pantry usually has the basic ingredients for muesli as it did today when I made a batch. Basically, the mix begins with a whole grain; I typically use whole oats (not quick or instant). To that, I add nuts and dried fruit--any kind, any combination.

For 2 cups of whole oats, I add 1/4 c each of dried fruit and nuts.  Today, I used slivered almonds and raisins. Sometimes, I use walnuts or pecans, and dried cherries, dates or cranberries. Other grains can be added like flax seed or flax meal or sunflower seeds. The mixture is stored in an airtight container.

When I am ready to eat the muesli, I mix and let stand for 5-10 minutes or overnight:
1 c muesli
1 t honey,
1 c of yogurt or milk or apple juice 

I am a cinnamon fan so I usually stir in some cinnamon, too. When my boys were in school, this was a common breakfast for them and often I'd stir in chopped fresh apples. My first memory of eating muesli in a restaurant was in a hotel in Disney World in 1988 and it was called Energy Riser. I liked it so much that a recipe of a version like this was included in the preschool health and safety curriculum I co-authored in 1989.

Try it, you'll like it!