Bircher muesli

Tried making bircher muesli once, ages ago, didn’t float my boat at the time. But since I’ve gotten so into overnight oats recently and we had some apples, I thought it might be worth another roll…

Seems like there are lots of variations out there… I wanted one with minimal prep in the morning, so decided to go with adding the apple the night before along with all the other stuff - more or less this one: 

Mix overnight: 

1 small apple, grated

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp sunflower seeds 

2.5 tbsp raisins 

130 ml oat milk 

 

To serve in the morning:

Skyr

Berries

Maple syrup (optional)

Grate the apple into a biggish eating bowl. Add the oats, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins and oat milk, mix, cover and put in the fridge overnight. Eat with skyr and berries and perhaps some maple syrup in the morning.

Overnight chia oats

I got into a bit of a porridge phase over the winter, and when it started warming up felt like it was time to experiment with more alternative breakfasts, having been (happily enough) stuck in a muesli rut for years...

 

I ate some overnight oats that I bought when travelling, and realised these could be good. I'd tried making Bircher muesli ages ago, and at that time decided cold soaked oats weren't really my bag. But on reflection, maybe this had more to do with the sour-sweet-crunch of the grated apple. Also, it was a while ago, maybe I should try again. And I liked the idea of making a combined oat-chia situation, similar to this. Turns out I do like overnight oats! The basic combo was a hit from the start, so I haven't changed that much. Toppings are essential, and I have experimented with different combos, but keep coming back to this one.

 

(amounts for one portion) 

 

Overnight mix:

1/2 cup oats

1-2 tsp desiccated coconut

1 tsp hemp seeds (hulled)

1 tsp cacao nibs 

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

2/3 cup oat milk 

Toppings:

1-2 tbsp frozen wild blueberries

big tbsp skyr

sprinkle of dried blueberries

sprinkle of chopped almonds 

sliced banana

swirl of almond butter

drizzle of maple syrup

The day before you want to eat them, put all the ingredients for the 'overnight mix' in a big jar or a bowl you can cover, mix well, and put in the fridge.

 

In the morning, take it out of the fridge, mix well again, and put in a bowl if not already in one. Sprinkle with frozen blueberries and let sit for maybe 10-30 min - so they defrost - can be expedited by a few seconds in the microwave if more haste is desired. When ready to eat, add a big dollop of skyr in the middle, sprinkle with dried blueberries, sliced banana and chopped almonds, swirl on almond butter and a drop of maple syrup, and it is ready to go.

 

Notes: 

* the frozen wild blueberries make delicious, colourful juice when they melt, so these are the best - better than fresh, or frozen cultivated ones.

* you can batch prep these - they are just as good after a day or two in the fridge - recently i have been making two jars at a time ready for weekend breakfasts, and sticking with muesli during the week (easier to transport). 

Seedy crackers

We've bought seedy crackers a few times, was too lazy to make them. Then realized maybe it was easy. As I trawled Anna Jones recipes, I saw these ones, and decided to add them to the s-and-me morning baking session list.

50 g sunflower seeds
50 g pumpkin seeds
50 g sesame seeds
25 g poppy seeds
25 g chia seeds
100 g rolled oats
1 tsp psyllium seed husk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
175 ml water

Optional:
1/2 heaped tsp fennel seeds and a little pinch of dried chilli or
1/2 tbsp raisins, roughly chopped, and a little pinch of cinnamon

Heat oven to 190 C/175 C fan/gas 5. Get all your ingredients together, and line a baking sheet with baking paper (and have a second sheet the same size on hand).

Combine all the dry ingredients, including one of the optional flavourings if you are using them, and stir well.

Mix the maple syrup, coconut oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and mix very well, until everything is completely soaked and the mixture becomes very thick.

Scrape out onto the lined tray and even out a bit, then put another piece of baking paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the mixture until it is about 1⁄2cm thick. Take the top layer of paper off and use the tip of a sharp knife to score the mixture into rectangles.

Bake the crackers for 20 min. Remove from the oven and flip the sheet over, then peel off the paper to expose the underside of the crackers. Put back into the oven for another 20 min (check after 15). They are ready when they are firm and golden round the edges. Allow to cool, then break along the lines where they have been scored.


I did a half quantity of the original recipe - one baking sheet's worth - this is a good amount for us. I also threw in some psyllium husk to help with sticking together. 

I just made them for a second time, this time with raisins. They are good! You have to keep a careful eye on them though - I almost burnt this batch, while the last ones were a bit underdone. Perhaps the exact thickness makes a big difference? s didn't love them sooo much the first time but he seemed more into the raisin variant (despite them being a little bit over).

Kid-friendly coconutty ‘flapjacks’

I stumbled upon this 'flapjack' recipe and it sounded really like something small S and I would both like - not too sweet, lots of tasty stuff. It took me a while to get around to making it but when I did I discovered that I was so right: we both love it! I've been making a half quantity in a loaf tin (I don't have a bigger square or rectangular baking tin) and that lasts us about a week. We have been developing a little tradition of baking snacks together on Sunday mornings that small S can eat after vuggestue through the rest of the week. We've made these a couple of time now. Also, I have discovered that I love pretty much every Anna Jones baking recipe I have tried so far - she uses all my favourite things!

4 tbsp chia seeds
200g rolled oats
150g dried fruit (used a mixture of dried apricots and raisins)
1 medium carrot
1 apple
100g desiccated coconut
100g pumpkin seeds
6 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground ginger
70g coconut oil, melted

Heat the oven to 200C and line a 20cm × 30cm baking tin (or large loaf tin for a half quantity) with greaseproof paper. In a small bowl, soak the chia seeds in four tablespoons of water, then set aside (did 2 tbsp chia in 3 tbsp water for half recipe - the chia mixture felt too thick the first time).

Put the oats in blender and blend until you have a scruffy flour, then tip into a large bowl. Put half the dried fruit into blender and blend until broken down and a little mushy. Scrape into the bowl with the oats.

Grate the carrot and apple (no need to peel them... also ok with double apple no carrot or double carrot no apple, depending on availability) into the bowl, and add the remaining dried fruit, coconut, chia mixture, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, spices and melted coconut oil. Mix well.

Spoon into the tin, smooth the top with the back of a spoon, and bake for 40–45 minutes (c 30 min for half quantity), until golden brown. Leave to cool a little in the tray, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Slice into pieces.