I used to do a lot of international travel with my job and
became a bit of a hotel breakfast buffet connoisseur. The
European buffets especially intrigued me.
Broiled tomatoes for breakfast? I
can get on board. Blood sausage? Never. They
always had a large selection of deli meat and cheese with hard rolls and
butter. That was pretty standard. The buffets usually had muesli as well. I was a huge fan of that dish.
According to Wikipedia, Muesli is "a popular breakfast meal based on uncooked rolled oats, fruit and nuts. It was developed by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital. It is available in a packaged dry form, ready made, or it can be made fresh." I guess that is why it
is often called Bircher Muesli. Thank
you Wikipedia! I often wondered that.
I always assumed muesli was filled with cream (and maybe it
is at the hotels), but I realized I could make my own version with very little
fat and it still tasted like it was doused with rich cream. Rolled oats are soaked overnight in fresh
orange juice and water. The next morning
I add a grated granny smith apple and fat free Greek yogurt. The yogurt is what makes it creamy and
rich. I love making muesli at the beginning of the
week and enjoying it all week for breakfast.
It is a super healthy breakfast that is also very filling. It is a refreshing change from hot oatmeal,
if that is your standard.
You can top off muesli with a variety of toppings like
berries, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, honey, peaches, bananas, raisins,
etc. My favorite combination is berries,
honey, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries.
