Cardamom Tahini Stovetop Muesli is the perfect addition to your morning routine. Ready in only 15 minutes, you can keep a batch on the shelf for topping yogurt bowls, a low-sugar cereal alternative, or to eat straight out of the container. It’s gluten-free and vegan, too!
One week in the city went by already and I’ve figured out where to buy groceries. Surprisingly, I managed to unpack pretty much everything the day I moved in. It’s amazing what you can fit into 2 suitcases and several boxes.
Once my room was set up there wasn’t much left to do. I mean, I still need to figure out how to use the AC (it’s a weird one) so that my coconut oil stops melting. And I scrubbed down the kitchen. Otherwise, though, it became the hunt for good and affordable produce. My doe-eyed perception of life in the city got a reality check when I saw the difference in prices between here and Maryland, so for a couple of days I stubbornly ate oats while searching. There’s only so long you can eat that way and I quickly neared the end of that rope.
I figured I could at least dress it up a bit, make breakfast more exciting than raw oats in a bowl. With a wave of my spoon and a flick of the wrist, I made stovetop muesli. Raw oats 2.0.
Bon Appetit interviewed the founders of Bob’s Red Mill and Purely Elizabeth about the difference between muesli and granola. They have pretty similar ingredient lists. Each is typically made with a base of rolled oats, then you add in nuts/seeds/dried fruit. If you’re paleo or have another vendetta against oats, then you can make grainless granola too. Everyone deserves equal opportunity of breakfast bowls.
Unlike granola, muesli has fairly little fat and sweetener (think oil and maple syrup) because it doesn’t need to bind into clusters the way any good granola should. Muesli, the brain-child of Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner at the end of the 19th-century, is a raw combination of oats and other add-ins that you should soak overnight in the fridge for it to absorb the liquid. Apparently the Swiss were eating overnight oats before they were cool.
After 2 days of raw oats, I needed something different, so we’re breaking from tradition for 15 minutes to make a batch of stovetop muesli. Just to give you an idea of how simple this is, I used nothing but the random assortment of ingredients left over from my kitchen in Maryland. If you have something else, then use that instead! It’s an “anything goes” type of situation.
But, if you prefer to follow the recipe, then you won’t regret it. Rolled oats provide a good amount of fiber to get your day started with a good gut feeling. Tahini and pumpkin seeds go really well together, like here. Walnuts are the final crunch factor here, and they add a lot of nutritional benefits to your morning. They’re full of plant-based protein, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory.
Women especially benefit greatly from getting enough omega-3s, according to this study. If you tend to get very painful cramps during menstruation, it may result from an imbalance between the anti-inflammatory omega-3s and pro-inflammatory omega-6s in cell membranes. Consuming more omega-3s, like in walnuts, can help reverse that and reduce the pain.
Stovetop muesli is perfect for eating on its own, with your favorite milk, or as a yogurt topping. I just finished a bowl of it myself. When will you have yours?
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment below, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram so that I can see your creations!
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- scant 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp cardamom
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- Heat a large skillet over medium flame on the stove.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then pour in the wet and stir well. Make sure everything is coated evenly.
- Put the muesli into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Keep an eye on it so that nothing burns.
- Let cool before transferring to an airtight container.
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