I've had this recipe cut out from some random magazine (Health? Self?) in a notebook for probably 4 or 5 years. I look at it from time to time and have never made it until yesterday. One of my favorite things at Corner Bakery is their cold oatmeal and this isn't exactly the same but it's pretty good. I'm trying to minimize added sugar and white flour in my diet and on the mornings that I leave around 6:30am to teach, I have a hard time making breakfast. It's usually a hard-boiled egg and a banana and it's becoming harder and harder to resist that Currant Oatmeal Scone at Peet's when I stop for my coffee.
This might be the answer to my problem - some protein to keep me full, no added sugar, and something I can grab out of the refrigerator and take with me to eat in my office before class. After getting some bran and flax seeds out of the bulk bins at Whole Foods, I had the rest of the ingredients and the "cooking" part is really a matter of stirring stuff together. I doubled the recipe except for the flax seeds, bran, and wheat germ (kept it at this amount).
I have a feeling this will be the recipe I'm constantly playing with since I've got the granola pretty much how I like it but for now, here's a basic recipe:
Swiss Muesli (2 servings)
1/2 c. water (boiling)
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 cup plain, unsweetened yogurt (I used non-fat greek yogurt)
1 apple, cored and diced (I left the skin on)
2 T oat bran
2 T wheat germ
2 T ground flax seeds (I left them whole)
1/2 c. dried fruit (I used a combination of cranberries, blueberries, and raisins)
1 tsp. cinnamon
In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over the rolled oats. Let it stand for 25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled. Will keep in the refrigerate for 4 days.
Variations: If you like sweeter things, you could use vanilla yogurt or add some honey to the top. I bet other fresh fruit or nuts would be good if you added it when you were going to eat the muesli (don't know how it would hold up in the fridge for a few days . . . I'm picturing soggy walnuts and brown bananas - yuck). Mine was a little dry when I took it out of the refrigerator and I poured a little soy milk over the top of it. Just add more water, yogurt, milk, soy, or whatever if it seems too dry.
PS -The recipe is called "Swiss Muesli" because Muesli was developed by a Swiss physician in the early 1900s, not just because I'm Swiss.
Hmmm... I wonder if this produces a lower-glycemic oatmeal. The Swiss oatmeal at Corner Bakery is my favorite, too. Fresh banana and chopped almonds on top would make this perfect. I think I'll try it in the next couple days.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think when you try it and any changes you'd suggest. I'd like it covered in honey but that would sort of defeat the purpose. Oatmeal made with water is pretty low-glycemic but I don't know how this is with the milk sugar content (from the plain yogurt).
ReplyDeleteI think it's lower glycemic because of the no cooking. The longer the oats (or any grain) are cooked, the more starches burst which makes them more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. I found several recipes that suggest soaking in regular-temperature water, but overnight. I'm just conjecturing that the overnight soak would probably be even lower glycemic. And the addition of yogurt would be helpful due to the fat and protein content. Regardless, I'm excited to try the recipe this week.
ReplyDeleteI used the same recipe and made another double batch for this week and it was even better than the first time . . . don't know why it tasted different/better but it did.
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