Margo's Gluten Free Meusli

Rarely do I make something in my kitchen and then immediately write about it. But today, I took one bite of this and knew I needed to share this simple breakfast dish with you. I am by no means the original architect of Meusli, which is a combination of oats, fruit and nuts, but rarely have I eaten it in the past. Apparently Meusli is a simple, super-healthy breakfast loaded with cancer fighting ingredients that has been around for a long time in Switzerland. I have usually associated Meusli with the packaged version that is in the cereal aisle, and those are almost all not gluten free. Today I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at preschool and it finally felt like spring in the mountains, I was craving some sort of a Swiss breakfast, and this is what happened.

My friend Aimee makes a version of this that is quite elaborate that she eats every day. She adds strawberries and cottage cheese and even soaks dates to make them plump before she adds them. All I knew today was that I wanted pecans and I didn't have a lot of gluten free oats left, so I was going to make something up as I went. This is also not such an exact recipe. You can add or subtract any ingredient to taste. I really liked this flavor combination today, which doesn't mean I won't like something else tomorrow, but try it if you're looking for a healthy, easy filling breakfast.

Gluten Free Meusli a la Margo

1/3 of gluten free oats (Auguson Farms)
lowfat milk
handful of raisins, dates, or other dried fruit
handful of chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or other nut of choice
1 T or so of brown sugar
1 pinch salt
fresh fruit, like apples, strawberries, peaches, raspberries (optional)

Place the oats in a microwave safe bowl. Add enough milk just until the oats are moist and a little bit runny. Microwave 45 seconds or until no longer runny. Add raisins, pecans, brown sugar, and salt. (Don't skip the salt! It brings out the flavors. Use sea salt if you are worried about sodium.) Mix well.

So easy. So not precise. I wish I was better at writing recipes that were free flowing and organic like the cooking process itself, but that skill may come later.

Happy eating!