12 Days of Christmas day 2: Pumpkin Bircher Muesli
Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day. Well, I guess that’s not exactly true. It’s my least favorite meal to prepare. I hate that panicked feeling when I wake up and wonder what in the world I’m going to feed my family. I feel like the options are either time consuming or unhealthy, and neither work for me. Am I the only one that feels this way? This is why Bircher Muesli is my life-saver. But, I realize we can’t do the same ol’ thing every single morning, so today I’m going to give you a pleasant, seasonal variation.
One day I wanted to create a Bircher Muesli with a pumpkin pie-ish flavor to it, so I pulled out jar of pumpkin puree from my freezer, dolloped it on top, and thought that would be good. Wrong. It was not yummy. I had to keep adding more and more maple syrup, which kind of defeats the purpose, no? But I was determined, and I kept trying.
I started with a blend of rolled and steel cut oats. The steel cut oats give it a nice added heft, which this thin, bland breakfast was desperate for. I also soaked them with the usual lemon, water, and then added a generous amount of cinnamon. I also used kabocha puree instead of your classic pie pumpkin. Kabocha has more natural sweetness to it, and is drier, so it gives you a thicker puree. I added toasted coconut to the top, and my favorite secret ingredient: coconut palm sugar. Have you ever tried this stuff? It’s gloriously caramely, and though it’s far from a “superfood”, it has some nutritional benefits. It has a low glycemic index, which means it won’t spike your blood sugar like other sweeteners. And “It contains trace amounts of vitamin C, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and copper. Coconut sugar also provides small amounts of phytonutrients, such as polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanidin, and antioxidants. You’ll also find the B vitamin inositol, often used as a mood booster, in coconut sugar.” But really, above all, I just love the flavor.
Of course you can add other spices used in a classic pumpkin pie, but I stuck with the simple cinnamon. And sometimes I still add a handful of chopped apples because … yum! Enjoy this festive, seasonal breakfast!
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup steel cut oats
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- 1.5 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups kabocha puree (or 1 can pumpkin puree), separated
- pinch of salt
- coconut palm sugar
- pure maple syrup
- reserved pumpkin puree
- toasted unsweetened coconut*
- coconut milk or other milk
- yogurt
- In a large container, mix together the rolled oats, steel cut oats, chia seeds, nuts, water, lemon, 1 cup of the pumpkin puree, and salt. Cover tightly and let sit on the counter for about 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve with desired toppings and an extra dollop of the reserve pumpkin puree.
- *to toast the coconut, place the coconut in a single layer in a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until the color begins to change to golden-brown. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
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