Picture it: You stand, alone, in the middle of expansive pasture and slowly, you start to twirl. The Alps are in the background in all their glory. Music gradually builds in your head and before you know it, the hills are alive! Okay that was so cheesy, but eating this Bircher muesli takes me back to those same Alps, where the air is untainted, the dairy is cow-fresh and the feeling of freedom is just everywhere.
And with that, welcome to Switzerland.
The original müsli recipe is a mixture of raw foods developed around the turn of the 20th century by a Swiss physician named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner. Accepted medical practice back then held the belief that thoroughly cooked food was the healthiest, and when Dr. Bircher introduced a small bowl full of rolled oats and raw apple to eat before most meals, it was met with hearty disapproval.
In reality, this isn’t much different from what I’ve been eating for breakfast lately…what I’ve adopted as my summer breakfast… referred to in some circles as “refrigerator” oatmeal-because it’s made the day before and left to sit overnight in the fridge. I’ve mentioned before how much I love oatmeal, but it’s hard to stomach when it’s 80 degrees outside. This is a delicious alternative, and will stick to your ribs without causing you to break into sweats.
Traditional muesli was made oats, fruits and nuts, with lemon juice rather than milk. You can add whatever fruit or nuts you like, and I added a touch of yogurt to mine since I remember eating that way in Switzerland.
Bircher Muesli
May 14, 2013
: 2
: 24 hr
: 24 hr
: Easy
This creamy, Swiss style Bircher Muesli is the original recipe for overnight oatmeal. Fruit and nuts make it the perfect healthy breakfast
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal
- 2/3 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup milk
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 2 TB lemon juice
- 1 large apple, diced
- 2-4 TB chopped nuts
- 2 TB dried cranberries
- 2 TB honey
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
- Step 1 Place everything in a mason jar and shake it up. Alternatively, put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Step 2 Shake/stir it up. Put it in the fridge over night. Serve with extra honey if you want.
