Coconut Bircher Muesli

This Coconut Bircher Muesli is a tropical twist to the traditional Bircher Muesli recipe.  A healthy, and gluten-free breakfast idea.

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Morning routines are so varied, and so individual.

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Some people need a coffee (or two) for that morning wake-up call – you know, the one that finally gets you out of bed and flicks the “activate brain” switch on. For some, a cold shower does the trick. I fall into neither camp currently.

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These days, it is breakfast for me. Breakfast appears to be the only thing that totally wakes me up, or rather, give my brain a kick-in-the-head these days. Yes, I am not too ashamed to admit, I wake up most mornings (these days at least) with breakfast on my mind.

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And I have been thinking a lot about bircher muesli these days. It stands to reason. I have been eating a lot of bircher muesli lately… so maybe that’s the reason I am thinking a lot about bircher muesli? Or does that relationship hold the other way around? Anyway, I digress..

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Bircher muesli is one of the few Swiss-German words that has made it into world vocabulary and it is the name of a popular and healthy breakfast muesli. It was created in the early 1900s by the Swiss physician Max Bircher-Benner as a way to encourage people to eat raw food(1).

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The recipe for the original muesli was made up as follows: a level dessert spoon of oat flakes and 3 dessert spoons of water left to soften for 12 hours; juice of half a lemon, dessert spoon of condensed milk , 2 raw apples grated using special grater. A sprinkling of hazelnuts or almonds, if desired(1). However, over the last 100 years, the recipe has undergone several adaptations, including the addition of cream and sugar.

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Bircher muesli is a great way to start the day. Healthy, delicious and quick to ensemble. It takes literally five minutes to prepare, soak overnight and in the morning, just grab and go.  The preparation is super easy too: just mix oats with mashed bananas, grated apples and milk, and embellish with any toppings of choice. I must confess the simplicity factor does play a role too in the recent level of prominence that bircher muesli has suddenly gained in my life.

The Makings of the Afro-Fusion Coconut Bircher Muesli

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After trying the original recipe a few times, I decided to experiment by injecting a tropical flair to my muesli. By soaking the oats in almond milk with coconut flakes, and fresh dates. The coconut flakes introduced a nutty flavour to the muesli that was both creamy and decadent. The dates added a hint of natural sweetness without having to resort to refined sugar. To embellish my muesli, I blended some strawberries into the muesli and topped off with some whole strawberries. The strawberries are completely optional for this recipe though!

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My brains’ pleasure receptors have been satisfactorily activated.

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To keep this completely gluten-free, stick with steel cut oats that have been grown and processed on dedicated gluten-free facilities. Bob’s Red Mill and GF Harvest carry gluten-free oats.

There is everything to love about this coconut bircher muesli. Recipe not even required. No challenging set of instructions to follow. Only the promise of a seriously delicious muesli bowl, a few hours later. I know I am down with that.

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Are you?

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Coconut Bircher Muesli

Print Recipe

Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan

This Coconut Bircher Muesli is a tropical twist to the traditional Bircher Muesli recipe.  A healthy, and gluten-free breakfast Idea. Make it your own with any toppings of your choice.

Servings	Prep Time
4 people	5 minutes

Servings Prep Time 4 people 5 minutes

Coconut Bircher Muesli Print Recipe Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchDinner This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan This Coconut Bircher Muesli is a tropical twist to the traditional Bircher Muesli recipe.  A healthy, and gluten-free breakfast Idea. Make it your own with any toppings of your choice. Servings Prep Time 4 people 5 minutes Servings Prep Time 4 people 5 minutes

Ingredients

Coconut Muesli

• 100 g steel cut oats *
• 1 apple
• 1 banana
• 1 orange **
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 15 dates ***
• 150 ml natural yoghurt
• 150 ml milk
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder

Toppings

• 6 strawberries

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

For the Coconut Muesli

1. Peel the apple and grate into a bowl. Mash the banana, then squeeze the orange juice into the same bowl. Add the honey, dates, raisins, cinnamon powder, coconut flakes, yoghurt and milk. Stir to mix thoroughly.
2. Add the oats. Give it one final stir to mix properly. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to soften oats.

For the Strawberry Topping

1. If using strawberry toppings as in the recipe, then do this part just before serving.
2. Divide the strawberries into 2 groups. Blend one half of the strawberries with a powerful blender into a smooth puree. Then roughly chop into small pieces the other half of the strawberries.
3. Mix the strawberry puree into the oats, and toss the chopped strawberries into the oats just before serving.

Recipe Notes

* Use gluten-free oats to keep this recipe gluten-free

**1 medium orange yielded approximately 100ml of juice

*** De-seed the dates, then cut into small pieces

**** For more of a tropical twist, substitute the orange juice for 100 mls of mango puree

 

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Make it Vegan:

Replace the natural yoghurt and milk with 300ml of almond milk.

Replace the honey with Date Syrup

Is this recipe right for you?

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The information shown is an estimate, and does not replace a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Did you make this recipe?

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Please let me know how it turned out for you. Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #africaonyourplate.

Emem

 

Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.