Yummy muesli

Guess what I’m making today? Muesli! If you’ve never tried your hand at making your own, may I gently prod you in that direction? You will be done with it and with cleaning your kitchen within half an hour, and you’ll be thanking yourself for doing it every breakfast for the next few weeks.

It might not be the most frugal thing to eat for breakfast (nothing can beat oatmeal on that score!) but it is about 50 billion times cheaper than buying the same kind of thing at the store. Okay, maybe that’s a bit exaggerated but you get the idea.

I originally got this recipe from prism magazine — a recipe that never got published, but is available on the web. I have made some changes to it, and they are written down below.

Toasted Muesli (or granola for the US folks!)

4 - 6 cups rolled oats (depending on the size of your bowl and how much you want to ‘stretch’ the recipe.)
2 -3 cups shredded coconut (ribbons rather than dessicated, though dessicated works too.)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup bran
1 cup raw, chopped (or whole) mixed nuts (any nut works: brazil nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, etc. I usually use whole almonds.)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1 cup dried fruits (optional). Add to muesli when totally cooled, otherwise the fruits will harden.

Oven Method:

Place first eight ingredients into shallow ovenproof dish. Mix honey and oil together by warming in microwave (or pot on top of stove). Pour honey and oil mixture over dry ingredients and blend together with a wooden spoon. Bake in a moderate oven, preheated to 180°C.

About every five minutes, stir thoroughly using slotted spoon. To prevent burning, aim to mix top with toasted bottom layer. When mixture is golden-brown, remove from oven and let it sit to cool.

Microwave Method:

Place all the ingredients (except fruits) in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Cook on HIGH in microwave for 2-3 minute bursts. Take out and stir between each burst. You’ll probably be doing this for about 10 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Cook until you’ve got a nice golden-brown mixture. Be sure not to overcook — stir through the middle every time because you can get a burnt area in the middle of the batch.