Bircher Museli with defrosted fruit
I have never thought twice about eating frozen peas or spinach, and have long known that frozen corn is better than canned, I automatically grab frozen cranberries and recently I have used dozens and dozens of industrial-sized bags of various frozen fruits for smoothies and nice-cream. But.. I have not, until this morning ever eaten defrosted frozen fruit. Defrosted and eaten – not defrosted and then cooked up into a pie, preserve or something else – just from the freezer, into the fridge overnight and then served with my breakfast. It was a revelation!
Reasons why I’m excited about eating defrosted fruit;
Maximum freshness – Fruits destined for our freezers are picked at peak-ripeness, frozen immediately and then transported to our supermarkets. This means that they are often fresher than the ‘fresh’ fruit sold there which was likely picked days before we buy it and bring it home
Convenience – just a little preparation (putting the required amount in a container to thaw overnight) is all it takes to have the fruit ready in the morning. No washing, no drying, no hulling. It’s a busy mum’s dream!
Cost effective – I’m sure / I hope that i’m not the only one who often throws out a good few berries for every punnet I buy – usually the ones jammed in the middle which get squishy fast and then mold first. Because fresh fruit travels so far in it’s fragile state, there is inevitably some wastage. Also, sometimes I buy fruit not having thought about my plan for the week and then before i know it, it’s spoiled. This never happens with frozen fruit because it just sits patiently in your freezer waiting for the right time to be brought out in to the light and wow you with it’s well preserved vitamins and antioxidants. There are also frozen fruit mixes which are great when you don’t want just one flavor.
Pure – because it is the temperature that preserves the fruit, not a chemical or process, you know exactly what you are getting – it’s a perfect WFPB kitchen item!
Maximium antioxidants – the antioxidant availability in blueberries is actually improved by the freezing process. Marin Plumb of the South Dakota State University examined the anthocyanin (antioxidant) content of fresh blueberries, and those frozen for 1, 3 and 5 months, finding no decrease in antioxidant content. She states that “The ice crystals that form during freezing disrupt the structure of the plant tissue, making the anthocyanins more available.” The antioxidant quantities found in blueberries are on a par with those of pomegranates, and just one of the reasons that these delicious berries have been called a superfood.
Bircher Museli
This satisfying and easy to digest breakfast is quick and easy to prepare in the evening, leaving you with more time the following morning. Named after the physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner, and inspired by a dish he and his wife were served while hiking the Swiss alps at the turn of the century, the original Bircher muesli was soaked overnight with water and lemon juice, and then served with yoghurt to the patients in his hospital to aid their recovery. There are endless variations these days but the key components remain - soaked oats, fresh apple, and nuts.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a sealed container and leave in the fridge overnight
- In the morning you can add in your toppings of choice - thawed or fresh fruit, berries work really well here, toasted almond slices, raisins, banana, chopped prunes, peach slices, apricots, pecans, coconut etc.... There are literally limitless things to try and endless combinations!
Notes
Since the basic recipe for this is 1:1 oats:milk, you can increase or decrease the quantities in this ratio to accommodate as many servings as you need.
You can chop your apples if you want more texture in your final muesli. I personally like them grated, because it releases more juice in to the oats.
You can make enough to last a couple of days even, it keeps well in the fridge up to 3 days. If you are doing this, I recommend that you add the berries each day to prevent discoloration.
I used an organic antioxidant blend (all unsweetened strawberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and cranberries, from CostCo!) for variety - I loved the tartness of these fruits, especially the cranberries balancing the natural sweetness of the oats and milk.
Fun Fact
The word MUSELI is an Alemannic diminutive of mues which means 'puree' or 'mash-up'. Thank you Wikipedia!
