I love waking up to a bowl of muesli but struggle to find a favourite at the supermarket. Many are overly processed, have questionable ingredients, and can taste a little 'blegh'. To counter this I started experimenting with making my own and haven't looked back - homemade muesli is delicious and so easy to prepare!
The below muesli recipe is my favourite to date. Between the toasted cinnamon oats, juicy dried figs and crunchy cashews, each mouthful is delicious and full of flavour. It's nutritious too, packed with dietary fibre, healthy fats and protein. It makes a yummy light and summery breakfast paired with fresh seasonal fruit and your favourite yoghurt/milk.
A neat aspect of preparing your own muesli is the versatility. Muesli recipes are typically both forgiving and flexible with ingredient substitutions - if you don't have exactly what the recipe calls for you can use up whatever dried fruit, seeds and nuts you have in the house. When you're using your favourite nuts, seeds and dried fruit, and have a good oaty base down pat, it's hard to go wrong. Utlising what you've got on hand is a fabulous way at keeping costs down, as well as making use of the bulk bins at the supermarket - try to only buy what you need for your muesli, as bags of nuts and dried fruit can add up.
To prepare your muesli start by toasting oats in the oven with a little coconut oil, sweetener and spices - this simple step adds so much flavour! Then once baked and cooled, toss with a mix of dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Delicious.
Fig and Cashew Morning Muesli
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup runny honey (or substitute maple syrup if vegan)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup cashews (or substitute another nut e.g. almonds)
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sultanas
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or substitute pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup goji berries
6 dried figs, finely sliced
Method
1. Preheat oven to bake 160 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Add coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla essence and a pinch of salt in a stove pot. Melt together over a low heat, stirring continuously.
3. Add rolled oats into a large mixing bowl, and pour over the melted honey oil mixture. Using a spoon/spatula, toss the oats with the mixture until evenly coated.
4. Spoon onto the prepared baking tray and distribute so you have a nice even layer. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes, or until lightly golden. Open the oven every five minutes or so during baking to toss oats around, so they colour evenly. Keep an eye on the oats as it can quickly burn!
5. Remove oats from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Tip the cooled oats into a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of your ingredients (shredded coconut, cashews & dried fruit) and mix well.
Store in an airtight container or jar. Serves 8-10 - aim for a serving size of 1/2 - 3/4 cup. Enjoy with fresh fruit, yoghurt and your choice of milk.
