Years ago I had the opportunity to stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle, Washington. It was an amazing, elegant, old hotel in those days. I haven’t returned for a stay since then, so I am hoping it has remained the same. So many era hotels have been revamped and modernized clear out of their wonderful character. As usual, one of my fondest memories of staying there was around food and particularly a rich, delicious muesli I had for breakfast every morning.
Muesli is a breakfast dish from Europe – very popular in Switzerland and German – that includes raw rolled oat along with a varied combination of other grains, nuts, seeds and fruit (fresh or dried), which is then combined with milk, yogurt or fruit juice.
The Four Seasons combined raw oats, at el, with sliced bananas and pears (or it may have been apples) in yogurt and what I am certain was heavy cream. I think they let the mixture sit for a couple of hours because the flavors muted in a delicious way, the pears/apples softened slightly and the grains had just the right amount of “chew” – the whole experience was so decadent. And for breakfast, no less!
One morning I decided to try to recreate that experience, using what I had on hand, of course. Now when I make it, I feel a little bit of that old Four Seasons Hotel surrounding me. Food memories are the best!
Muesli (with blueberries & bananas)
⅓ cup plain yogurt
½ cup almond milk (or any milk you choose)
½ cup organic blueberries
½ organic banana, quartered and sliced
½ to ⅔ cup your favorite granola (I use a pumpkin/flaxseed granola) or muesli mix
In a cereal bowl, mix yogurt and milk until smooth. (If you have a sweet tooth, you can add a little agave syrup or Stevia to the yogurt mixture.)
Add fruit and mix well. Add granola or muesli and mix. Let it sit for 5 minutes. (…or not, if you are in a hurry, because either way it tastes great). Just an extra note: if you use muesli, you may want to prepare your breakfast the night before, put it in the fridge and let the oats and all those grains marinate in the yogurt … to get the right “chew.”
This recipe is for one person. It has lots of antioxidant value (blueberries), potassium (banana), lactobacillus (yogurt) and fiber (grains) – a great start to your morning.
And, of course, you can use whatever muesli mix or granola and fruit you choose. Enjoy!
Eat well. Be happy.
Plynn Gutman 