Blackberry & Agave Bircher Muesli

I have had WAY too much time on my hands this past week…being sick with the flu had me quarantined to the house, where I stayed in my pajamas, surfed the interwebs more than I have in ages, & at one point, ended up watching some reality shows I’m not sure I really feel comfortable admitting to in an open forum. I got sucked in! It could happen to anyone…It was a lot like when you get on YouTube; you start out watching cat videos & 4 hours later, you find yourself completely wrapped up in some bizarre junk that’s probably illegal somewhere. At any rate, I’m back to my old self again & I hope you & yours are staying healthy wherever you are!

However, one good thing that came out of this weekend’s media overload was the inspiration for this simple & versatile breakfast treat. Never underestimate the power of a well composed photograph…and unseasonal fruit cravings.

If you’ve never had muesli before, it’s a lot like oatmeal. Bircher Muesli is a meal traditionally made of uncooked oats, fruit, & nuts. It was invented by Maximillian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician who was known to laud the benefits of a raw diet way back in the 19th century as part of his program to help his patients recover faster & maintain their health. Smart cookie, that Bircher-Benner.  Here is his original recipe; for obvious reasons, we’ll be doing things a little differently, but I assure you, nothing suffers in this adaptation. The taste is outstanding.

The nice thing about this recipe is the ingredients are few, not to mention most of us have oats & a little fruit on hand. Nothing too fancy or hard here! You can combine the ingredients the night before & allow them to get acquainted just in time to enjoy this dish for breakfast-or anytime-the next day.
I used homemade yogurt in mine this weekend-a recipe/technique I promise to share here on the blog. It’s been grey as can be on the North Shore, so my kitchen light has been lacking & I apologize. Store bought yogurt will do fine.  Experiment with your fruit & nut choices, too! Dried fruit will give it a unique texture or perhaps consider subbing pear for the apple. You can also adjust the liquid amount for a drier muesli. The Blackberry/Pepitas combo was stellar, I’ll admit, especially with a little agave drizzled over the top, but I can’t wait to try this a few different ways, especially in the spring when we have an abundance of choices at the Farmer’s Market.