Two years plus into a healthier, real foods lifestyle change, I have noted, that those in transition from a processed foods to a real foods lifestyle, struggle to totally give up grains. Not just the processed breads, dhalls, lentils and rice, but also cereals and porridges.
In the past year and more, I have blogged alternative granola and breakfast porridge recipes for a gluten and grains free lifestyle, and these include:
Granola, baked, which includes banana for sweetness. A fabulous tasting granola, which is a good snack option too
Paleo Breakfast Oats Porridge which is a cooked combination of coconut flour, coconut milk, banana and spices
Coconut, flaxseed & Nuts Hot Porridge a nutritiously dense flax seed, raw nuts, coconut flakes and coconut milk blend
So, it was inevitable, that working on a grains free and gluten free muesli mix, would form part of my attempts in steering clear of the processed muesli kind 
Essentially, muesli is a blend of dried fruit, grains, nuts and seeds, with raw oats being the base of this sought after breakfast option. While it was not entirely difficult to work on developing a breakfast muesli for a Paleo or grains free lifestyle, it took a few try outs of various combinations available, to get the mix to be appealing and easy to make, for those wanting an alternative to the processed and refined kind, a mix that would ensure that just the correct sweetness and taste appeal.
I initially made this in my dehydrator, which is an asset in making my own fruit rolls, activated raw nuts, nut based flours and dried meats and vegetables. While it’s a privilege to own a dehydrator, I realise that it is not a readily accessible convenience to many. Hence, I used the oven on a lower temperature to make this muesli and it worked beautifully! Remember that cooking on lower oven temperature or a dehydrating avoids damaging the natural, healthy nut oils and makes for crispy muesli
This is a recipe that can be prepared around your regular chores or relaxation, and what’s so appealing too about it, is that it makes at least 10 to 12 generous servings, so it can be made and stored for future use. A refreshing change from egg based, meat protein or fruit only breakfasts, this vegan delight in a grains free, and sugar free muesli, may also be a snack option, sprinkled over a smoothie, mixed in a nut-based or dairy free yogurt or simply, as presented in the picture above, as a breakfast muesli, served with nut-based milk. Fresh fruit adds depth and added nutrition to this muesli breakfast.
It’s easy to prepare, and stored in an airtight container, lasts a while, retaining it’s crispy sweetness – a delectable blend of baked coconut flakes, healthy chia seeds, raw nuts, spices, rounded off with a healthy fat, in coconut oil which assists in preserving the crispy-crunch in this muesli. My personal favourite in the nut blend is pistachios – their intensity is an amazing taste sensation and blended with the coconut and spices, it brings a decadent taste to this muesli.
Try out this amazing coco-nut muesli – it’s a filling, nutritious breakfast option indeed!
Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup macadamia nuts (these are natural, not raw)
½ cup raw pistachio nuts
½ cup raw cashew nuts
2 cups dried coconut flakes
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup chia seeds
1 tblsp cinnamon powder
1 tblsp ginger powder
¼ cup melted coconut oil
Here’s How
- Preheat the oven to 85° celcius
- Roughly chop all the nuts into pieces OR keep them whole and chop up in a food processor or blender after the baking process (the latter works brilliantly)
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the coconut oil and mix well to combine the oil with the ingredients.
- Spread out the muesli in a single layer on a baking paper lined oven tray.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until the ingredients are crispy and the coconut flakes begin to brown.
- Allow the muesli to cool, and if following how I prepared my muesli with the ingredients still whole, add them to a blender or food processor, and pulse 3-4 times, to chop the ingredients.
- Store in an air tight container for up to a month.
- Serve as desired, I used home made coconut milk, with fresh berries or preservative free and sugar free dried fruit of your choice, including cranberries and goji berries. Banana makes a fantastic fruit addition too!
Enjoy!
